Rupert Roopnarine and Jimmy Carter have contributed to history by their revelations

Sep 23, 2010 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

Guyana is just not a boring country. On the contrary, it is a columnist’s goldfield. Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, perhaps second to Dr. Walter Rodney in terms of influence inside the organization they both led, has revealed that the WPA in the seventies was acquiring arms with which to confront the Forbes Burnham Government.
This was first enunciated in a documentary film on Rodney and repeated by Roopnaraine in a media interview.
As a reaction to Roopnaraine’s disclosure, the Walter Rodney Foundation and the family of Walter Rodney have issued a disclaimer which takes the form of a rejection of Roopnaraine’s remarks.
Before I proceed, let me inform readers that in this column, I have put on my historian’s hat and completely shut out any instincts of a media operative or political activist. I am going to defend Roopnaraine confessions as part of my training as a historian.
We can do away with the disappointment of the Walter Rodney Foundation because no specific names were attached. The foundation can only reject Roopnaraine’s admission if it has people who knew that Roopnaraine was not part of the WPA’s hierarchy and therefore could not have experienced what he has announced.
In relation to Rodney’s family, on what basis have they disagreed with Roopnaraine? Did the Rodney family know everything that the WPA was doing in the seventies? Did Walter Rodney tell his family all the details of his activities in the seventies? Did Walter Rodney say to them, “I will never engage in violent struggle so don’t believe that if people should write about it after I am long gone.”
Is the Rodney family in a position to provide evidence that Roopnaraine’s confession is false? Here is where I come in.
Most of us close to the WPA knew that the WPA was willing to commit itself to a violent overthrow of the Burnham Government. Not many of us, except the cream of the leadership, possessed the direct knowledge of arms procurement. But some second tier cadres knew.
I wanted to write about this for the sake of the historical record. Had I done that there would have always been the accusation that Kissoon couldn’t know that because he was never so high up in the inner circle. Now that Roopnaraine has sought to add to the recording of Guyanese history, I am now committed to the publication of a few details. First John Williams (deceased) and I were close.
He told me of one operation of the WPA in which he was involved. At another time, I will expand on that. One of the members of the Cabinet of the WPA who is quite active in today’s Guyana asked me, when I was abroad, to send a certain type of material for him.
So what is the Rodney family afraid of? Nothing can damage the heroic status of Rodney. It is definite that if a new government comes to power, a statute of Rodney may be erected in Georgetown. But surely the Rodney family cannot be that myopic to think that historians doing research on Rodney would want to hide facts simply to please them. Mrs. Rodney is a highly educated woman and she would know that historians do not operate with such generosities. Their obligation is to the recording of history.
It is appropriate here before we go on to inform readers what former President Jimmy Carter recently said about that American icon, Senator Edward Kennedy. Carter told an interviewer (and he may have expanded on this in his soon to be released book) that the US would have had a reformed health care system under his presidency but out of malice against him, Kennedy blocked it in the Senate. Carter said Kennedy’s action was personally directed against him.
Surely, the Kennedy family couldn’t ask Carter that he should not have published that judgement. Carter would have answered that the next American generation should know their country’s history.
Why shouldn’t Guyanese history record its truths? Roopnaraine has recorded history for us by his revelations. The PNC and PPP should do the same. Hamilton Green should explain some of the nasty things Mr. Burnham did and simply apologize so that Guyanese could understand what happened in the past.
The same goes for the PPP. The PPP got money and arms from the USSR in the sixties. Time for the PPP to admit that! Also it was PPP gunmen that attacked the Corentyne toll station and killed a policeman in protest against the toll. Looking back now, I have this nagging suspicion that Arnold Rampersaud was guilty of that crime.

Latest News

Rupert Roopnarine and Jimmy Carter have contributed to history by their revelations

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | December, 2nd, 2024

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Alarm in West Indies over radical two-division plan for Test cricket

After 18 years hiatus, West Indies arrive in...

Uniting through Futsal

Westside Golf Course Opens 2025 with $100K...

Hardaiow, Mahabeer cop best batter and bowler...

FL Sport extends support to Polly’s Nursery...

Features/Columnists

The Horse Racing Authority Bill will solve nothing!

Forget Begging Rich Nations: Caribbean Countries Should Act to Save Themselves

Guyanese at the movies

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

Rupert Roopnarine and Jimmy Carter have contributed to history by their revelations

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | December, 2nd, 2024

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]