Salute to Walter Rodney

Jun 14, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor,

June 13 (yesterday) marked the 36 anniversary of the death of Dr. Walter Rodney, a scholar, activist and former leader of the Working People’s Alliance Party ((WPA). On June 13, 1980, the life of this respected and renowned intellectual was snuffed out of his body by an assassin’s a bomb blast. At age 38, he was cut down in the prime of his life, and even after a Commission of Inquiry into his death, questions are still lingering as to who was the mastermind behind the murder of the distinguished author and professor. The same questions are now being raised about the recent attempt on the life of Kaieteur News publisher by a live grenade. Kaieteur News has suffered the loss of five of its pressmen who were gunned down in 2008 and has endured many deaths threats over the years, but its publisher and editor in chief have categorically stated that nothing would deter the newspaper from publishing the facts.
Walter Rodney was a phenomenal scholar and politician who used his political acumen to convince the masses in Guyana that a change in the political direction of the country was necessary. His book, “Grounding with My Brothers” posited that only revolution, peaceful or otherwise could further the country’s development.
While much has changed in Guyana since his death, the core questions raised and the solutions proposed by Rodney are still relevant today. The late Walter Rodney was no saint, but his death has robbed Guyana of one of its most brilliant and patriotic sons. He was a staunch advocate of the poor, the working class, and the downtrodden in society. His thesis which derived from his book “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa” linked the connection between the development of the rich and powerful and the underdevelopment of the poor and the powerless. It still rings true today not only in Guyana, but all over the world.
The underdeveloped countries fight for economic survival and for their voices to be heard have been stifled by the powerful countries which have made his thesis apropos today. Apart from his radicalism, Rodney was a visionary and transformative leader. His vision to improve the well-being of the poor and the working class in Guyana has not materialized, not because of his death but because it was only paid lip service by governments. His ideas about governance are far different from anything the nation has seen so far. Rodney did not envisage that after 50 years of independence, the legacies of colonialism are still present in Guyana, which has remained the primary producers of raw materials for the developed countries to process and make huge profits.
What he fought and gave his life for has not materialized in Guyana where selfishness, greed corruption and crime have set the country back in terms of its development and have rendered the masses hopeless and cynical of politicians and politics in general. It will take the cooperation of the people and the will power of the ruling elite to move Guyana forward and improve the lives of the poor. But there is not a hint from them to alleviate poverty. Independence means very little to those who are struggling to survive. Many have turned to crime and drug smuggling to escape their poverty.
Other than promises and lofty speeches, the government has not laid out any plans to transform the economy or help the poor. It has not even committed itself to the defense of the masses who are viewed as outcasts and undignified citizens. Guyana cannot progress when there is one set of laws/standards for the rich and powerful and a different one for the poor and the powerless.
On this his 36th death anniversary, all should praise Rodney for breaking down the political barriers that had separated the two major races. Although it cannot be measured in votes, it was that hope that was needed for the survival of Guyana as a multi-ethnic society. Either the two races reconcile or Guyana will suffer. It is sad that even though Rodney’s ideas and works are better known in other countries than in Guyana, they would live on.
Dr. Asquith Rose

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