Hamilton Green gives his take on Rodney’s politics and death

Mar 08, 2016 Letters

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Dear Editor,
I read the gravamen of this purported Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry, as contained in this report, it is damming, but a sad and sorry paragraph as quoted:
“Mr. Laurie Lewis, then Head of Special Branch and later Commissioner of Police is dead.  We find, however, that there is prima facie evidence that he, along with Major General, Normal Mc Lean (Ret’d), then Chief of Staff of the GDF and Mr. Cecil ‘Skip’ Roberts, the Deputy Commissioner of Police and Crime chief, had significant roles to play in the conspiracy to kill Dr. Walter Rodney and the subsequent attempt to conceal the circumstances surrounding his death.”
It will take volumes to reply to the above absurdity. From the outset, hours after Walter Rodney’s death, the Burnham Administration was publicly condemned by the Chairman of the COI, SIR RICHARD l. CHELTENHAM. It is clear that the identification by the PPP Administration was deliberate and part of a conspiracy to damn Burnham and the competent, professionally driven Security Officers.
For brevity, I merely give one example.  ‘The Commission makes gospel the (recollections) by a Mr. Gates who they took out of jail.  Mr. Gates was not in prison for a minor traffic offence, but for his known cleavage to criminality.  Yet, this Commission dispended sums of money to bring from overseas, Cecil ‘Skip’ Roberts to give evidence.  Skip Roberts was in Guyana for several weeks, ready and available, but was never called to come before the Commission, but returned since it was clear the Commissioners, even though spending funds on travel and accommodation for Mr. Roberts, had no interest in bringing to the witness stand, people of integrity.
The Commission spent hours listening to the likes of Joe Hamilton and other second and third hand witnesses, but these persons, who enjoyed the limelight briefly, what did they witness? Did any of them help to tell us what sort of device Walter Rodney had? From the beginning, we heard it was a walkie talkie, but a walkie talkie don’t explode.  Did the Commission seek to find out who ordered this device or walkie talkie? And more importantly, what caused the explosion or detonation of this device.
It must be also noted that this Commission was granted several extensions which contributed to the woeful waste of millions.  Recall, that after Rodney was expelled from the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, no less a person than the internationally respected Julius Nyerere analysis was that Rodney was frustrated in his efforts to climb the political ladder by words, but had opted for the route of violence.
Citizens must ask why did the Commission of Inquiry did not seek information and make connections with Rodney’s state of mind, when two of his Lieutenants Mohinee and Dublin were cornered in the backlands of Ruimveldt by a Police detailed, led by Sergeant David Payne, after they had acquired assault rifles from an unknown source or whether there was any connection between another set of Rodney’s Lieutenants, allegedly responsible for the burning down of the building of the National Development.  Did the Commission of Inquiry seek some explanation why Walter Rodney, after leaving a meeting of the WPA Officials, journeyed to Charlestown to collect this device from Mr. Gregory Smith?  He did not seek the companionship of any of his top WPA officials, but took along his blood brother who was not known as a WPA or political activist.
Why did the Rodney’s identify a spot outside the prison walls?  It will be interesting to have this simple question answered. Gregory Smith’s account of the events leading up to that tragic accident is crystal clear and recalled that Rodney as part of the grand design for revolution had infiltrated sections of the Army and Police Force.  Was Gregory Smith one of Rodney’s recruits or co-conspirators in a grand design to cause mayhem, and to destabilize a Government led by a person he describes at public meetings as King Kong?
This multi-million Commission of Inquiry, even when completed, was not presented to the Head of State at the appointed place and time, because the learned gentleman did not have ink to print the report.  I remembered an old Kaiso ‘You hear lie, that is lie’, yet one newspaper was able to carry details of the report, before it was handed over to the President.
I have held my peace all this time, but since this report sets out to dam L.F.S. Burnham, Norman Mc Clean, Cecil ‘Skip’ Roberts, Laurie Lewis and the Party that I have served for three generations, I should break my silence.
I have always admired Rodney’s work in academics and his analysis of our history, but all of us must accept the truth.  Dr. Walter Rodney opted to reach the plateau of political power by violent means. He was the architect of his own demise.  Gregory smith in his book made it clear; it was a terrible accident- end of story. I end with the anecdote, if we opted for the sword, we are likely to die by the sword, but then Rodney may have been convinced by the other piece of wisdom.
Hamilton Green

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