Rodney COI…Hamilton’s motives come under scrutiny

Jun 04, 2014 News

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– Witness insists he has “moral right” to talk about his involvement

By Latoya Giles

Attorney at law Basil Williams yesterday attempted to discredit evidence which People’s Progressive Party Parliamentarian

Joseph ‘Joe’ Hamilton gave on Monday at the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry (COI).
Williams suggested to Hamilton that he (Hamilton) felt jilted by the People’s National Congress (PNC) after he was denied a Parliamentary position by the then Leader of the Opposition Robert Corbin.
“In light of the evidence you’re giving now and by standing in that witness box, you would be considered a snitch,” Williams said to Hamilton, to which Hamilton said that he did not understand the term.
Williams then said he could simplify it and asked if he understood what or who a “whistleblower” is. Hamilton agreed that he knew what a “whistleblower” is and said he preferred that term. According to Hamilton, the reason he came to give evidence is because of a “moral right to talk about my involvement”.
Hamilton was questioned about why he didn’t come forward since the 1988 inquest into the death of Rodney, and what was so special about coming now. According to the witness the opportunity never presented itself then.
“I find this time the most opportune,” Hamilton told the commission.
Williams continued on his path to attempt to discredit the witness by quoting from Parliament’s Hansards from 2007, where Hamilton bashed the government about several issues. Hamilton said that he could not recall if he had made the statement, but would not deny either.
“This was your opinion back then about this government ….and you have entered into this same party,” Williams said to Hamilton. The witness maintained that he had no difficulty in representing his party of choice now, the PPP/C.
Williams further suggested to Hamilton that he could not be trusted and that he is prepared to do anything for the PPP. This suggestion by Williams didn’t sit too well with Hamilton who appeared very agitated.
Williams continued by suggesting that Hamilton had a fallout with Hamilton Green, his main reason for coming to the commission to lie. However, according to Hamilton, he had resigned from Green’s party and there was no fallout between the two men.
“I’m suggesting that you harboured bitterness for Green,” Williams told Hamilton.
Williams also suggested that Hamilton had a fallout with Robert Corbin in 2007 after he was bypassed as member of parliament within the PNC.
Hamilton told the commission that he had never had any expectation of becoming a parliamentarian. The fact is, Hamilton claimed, that he had spoken to Corbin and requested that he be appointed as an Elections Commissioner, since one of the commissioners had recently resigned.
Hamilton, who had mentioned Williams’ name as a person whom he met while being a member of the House of Israel was questioned about the statement.
Williams suggested to the witness that he wasn’t being truthful when he made the statement. According to Williams, Hamilton could not have met him in the 1980s. Williams said he never knew Rabbi Washington from the House of Israel either.
Williams further stated that Hamilton was being malicious by putting the names of people, and as such he asked that they invoke proceedings for perjury.

“It’s a PPP tactic….which you are executing on behalf of that party,” Williams told Hamilton.
Moreover, Hamilton claimed that members of the House of Israel were trained in the area of “bomb-making” by a senior rank within the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).
Hamilton was also questioned by commissioner lawyer Latchmie Rahamat about whether he knew that there was a police intelligence file.
The file contains  arms requisition/delivery forms bearing the purported signatures of then former GDF Major Mc Pherson and someone from the House of Israel showing that a cache of arms and ammunition had been handed over to the then governing Peoples National Congress.
He recalled yesterday that several senior members of the disciplined forces, judiciary, business community and even ministers of the government visited the House of Israel headquarters in Georgetown where favours and intervention were sought, monies exchanged and other activities, some of them being members themselves.
Williams nonetheless sought to insinuate that Hamilton was only testifying in this vein because of his affiliations with the governing People’s Progressive Party Civic, having formerly held MP status in the PNC government.
However, Hamilton, now a 60–year–old grandfather said he regrets his involvement with the House of Israel which commenced when he was only 23 years old.

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