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Report of the Commission of Inquiry Surrounding the Assassination of Dr. Walter Rodney, RELEASED

The above [below] is a digitalized text of an “unofficial” printed copy of the Commission of Inquiry Report on the death of Dr. Walter Rodney which occurred on the evening of June 13, 1980 in Georgetown, Guyana. The text for this version is transcribed from a printed copy similar to that submitted to the Guyana…

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The late Walter Rodney
The late Dr.Walter Rodney

The above [below] is a digitalized text of an “unofficial” printed copy of the Commission of Inquiry Report on the death of Dr. Walter Rodney which occurred on the evening of June 13, 1980 in Georgetown, Guyana. The text for this version is transcribed from a printed copy similar to that submitted to the Guyana government. It is noted that even though the “Contents” section of the Report shows “List of Witnesses who gave Oral Evidence,” and “Names of Counsel who appeared on behalf of Witnesses”, these are not displayed in the “Appendices” section, since no such section appears in the “hard copy” of the Report from which the text has been digitalized. However, names of witnesses appear in the “Tendered Exhibits/Evidence Master List.

Extracted from the 2-8-2016, Report of the Commission of Inquiry Appointed to Enquire and Report on the Circumstances Surrounding the Death of the Late Dr. Walter Rodney on Thirteenth Day of June, One Thousand Nine Hundred and Eighty at Georgetown [Guyana], report issued February 8, 2016 The Commission of Inquiry on the Circumstances Surrounding the Death of the Late Dr. Walter Rodney on June 13, 1980

15 responses to “Report of the Commission of Inquiry Surrounding the Assassination of Dr. Walter Rodney, RELEASED”

  1. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    This murder happened when I was very young, even the accused murderer has been known to have died since his act of evil, am sure those he paid him have also died….and the Guyana government only just got around to issuing this report.

    The jokes that are Caribbean governments, hence no one in the real world takes them seriously.

  2. Well Well & Consequences Avatar
    Well Well & Consequences

    ACs…ya see what yall do to your own people who try to free you from discrimination and the shackles of mental and physical enslavement. ..ya murder them and take money from anyone to do it, then governments cover it up fir decades…the wicked minds of the house niggas and the enslaved.

  3. Pachamama Avatar
    Pachamama

    This report, and we saw a day of the proceedings, is unlikely to reveal the basic truth about what happened.

    But we have long reached our own truth about those events.

    Like the Chilcot, Westminster systems have always used these types of enquiries to hide the truth in the open.

  4. de pedantic Dribbler Avatar
    de pedantic Dribbler

    Mr Blogmaster, although you are obviously very expressive of your activism by the publishing of this website for the last nine years, you express a deeper seated even ‘sharper call to arms’ with these types of post…

    I can only interpret the post of this report as a powerful punch to the solar plexus of our government and every citizen’s gut that we can hide OUR own dirty deeds but will, one day – coming soon – have our report made public.

    Beautiful allegory from you sir.

    Less beautiful assassinations in Dallas overnight.

    There is NO JUSTIFICATION for several police killings like the one in Louisiana and there is NO JUSTIFICATION for these assassinations of police officers.

    This is a cycle civilians CANNOT win!

    As one talker said last night, it is perfectly legitimate to be pro-Black protest AND pro-cop/law and order…just as it was absolutely LEGITIMATE to be pro-transparency in Guyana over 30 years ago as a Black man and be killed by a ‘democratic’ leader.

    The more things change….

  5. David Avatar
    David

    @Dee Word

    BU is defined by greater than David the blogmaster. But you are correct, there is a simmering cauldron…

  6. chad99999 Avatar
    chad99999

    I have been critical of the political class in Barbados, but there are some people (e.g., Well Well & Consequences) whose corrosive cynicism needs to be condemned. Compared to Jamaica, where politicians openly funnel taxpayer money to murderous gangsters, Trinidad, where practically every government procurement contract is riddled with fraud, Antigua, where the entire political class is known around the world for its aggressive solicitation of bribes, and Guyana and Grenada, where public corruption and political violence have prevailed for more than six decades, compared to these, Barbadian politicians are just not that bad.
    Everything is relative.

  7. David Avatar
    David

    Not sure how many of you tried to read the report, the revelations should be of concern given the lack of a response by Caricom. We are facing a corroding governance system. And it is happening right next door.

  8. de pedantic Dribbler Avatar
    de pedantic Dribbler

    @David, to be frank I did not try to wade through the report for the simple fact that I really do not expect to find anything startlingly fresh there. There have been a number of details that came into public domain over the years which pointed to involvement of the government and Burnham directly.

    Cynically, what exactly does this report – after all these years- really accomplish other than pay the commissioners some extra cash.

    It is clear that over all these years the other island government were unwilling to bring Pres Burham to account just as they never brought PM Gairy and is mangoose gang to account.

    So I have no doubt that ” the revelations should be of concern given the lack of a response by Caricom”.

    They have been forever in non-respond mode. What’s new!

  9. pieceuhderockyeahright Avatar
    pieceuhderockyeahright

    Gentlemen,

    I think that before wunna go off shooting at the hip about this document proudly stating that wunna have not read the report, as proudly as wunna did not read The Ties that Bind by one lawyer who sought the sympathy of the Bajan populace, you would do well to read it.

    I am a slow reader myself, 11th grader that i am but surprisingly Sir Rihard and his colleagues did some serious justice to its construct, all fawning aside per the usual thanks to the engaging and successive governments.

    I am stuck in the Bibliography myself and it is indeed an eye opener for de ole man especially since the Sand Nigger authoress of Not One Original Thought, since the Honourablte Blogmaster pelt her in the deep end of the pool with that “it is worthy of publication, especially when the post is devoid of her jobby.

    Look how rthat effer creep her socialism shy*e into the murder of a nigger by a hunkie.

    Dere is three racists here that when dem comes to a party or write an article or commenting pun a ting, I does left de studio.

    When she left de Civil War Blog I gine back

    Maybe if PPK cud hire she scvunt to talk pun he behalf he could be assured that I ent going help him like the Blogmaster did earlier with the scalding libations

    Read the article and see why, with Africa Closer to us than New York, we niggers does not go to our roots.

    Knowledge is power and the brief testimony of the multilingual Rodney sheds light on why we are where we are. stuck in reverse.

  10. David Avatar
    David

    @PUDRYR

    The fact we do not hear Walter Rodney’s name mentioned in the context of a Caribbean hero says a lot. He is a forgotten man.

    On Sun, Jul 10, 2016 at 2:14 AM, Barbados Underground wrote:

    >

  11. pieceuhderockyeahright Avatar
    pieceuhderockyeahright

    This is the problem that I have with our respective government Information services and local television broadcasting services Honourable Blogmaster.

    While there are those who will gainsay the various contributions that various men/women would have made, Manley, Gairy, Bustamante whomever, the thing is that when you watch TV of the 1st world countries barring Hitler and the guy in Italy, i forget his name and others whose contribution to national growth is questionable, all of the countries feature their own in their independence celebrations and year round in their GIS features that equate to a roaming Black History Month of sorts.

    We cannot be a national/regionally conscious people because our history and struggles is stripped by our respective Ministries of Education, our History departments of the UWI and our Censorship boards and broadcasting committees

    You remember ITV? albeit it was another man’s history but they were consistent in their propagation of our indoctrination.

    Swiss financial prowess, german precision, japanese industrial supremacy in electronics, constant brainwashing or whatever you wish to call it, it was what they fed to the people. Chairman Mau styling.

    There is a method to the madness of reinforcing the accomplishments of self and the belief in self .

    But for there to be a concerted effort and method there would have to be vision which, unfortunately, we as a people and nation, lack..

    This is why we have the Guiness half Hour and the Banks 1/4 of an hour and the Digicel Wuk up and Skin out ruling.

  12. de pedantic Dribbler Avatar
    de pedantic Dribbler

    @Pieces and @David, so is there not a challenge to both of you smart digital entrepreneurs (to u all really) to break that stranglehold on the myopic insular vision which you both so eloquently note above!

    “The fact we do not hear Walter Rodney’s name mentioned in the context of a Caribbean hero says a lot. He is a forgotten man.” That is true David. And it means that Forbes Burnham succeeded completely in the very short term of ending dissent from him and in the long term also.

    Is this report an opportunity to redress and have his name held aloft again

    “We cannot be a national/regionally conscious people because our history and struggles is stripped…”

    Again true. And we unite only when needed. But consider even this activist site. It is primarily Bajan. Ever so often there is a blog re Guyana posted by a NY based group and some awesome stuff from Alfa Raymond but in the main its Bajan focus.

    So even in this exercise the regional consciousness is ‘stripped’, with no mal-intent of course.

    Regionalism is not really a difficult word but it is surely a difficult thing to do…even with the best of intentions.

    And yes Pieces I will wade through the report.

    Still waiting to get an ebook library copy of that other report of the local legal system, however. Seems to me if I read that one 30 years hence it would be just as well as reading the Rodney report….wonderful historical detail as not one bad-word would have changed anyhow.

    Now tell me ah wrong. LOLLL.

  13. de pedantic Dribbler Avatar
    de pedantic Dribbler

    @Pieces, why did I let you encourage me to read this report…steeupse….didn’t get past the opening letter and started to get peeved. But onward I will go.

    Listen to the start of a tanti-merle episode….So who tell he to do dat

    “The Commissioners were, in the Instrument of Appointment, expected to submit their Report within ten (10) weeks from the start of the Commission. The Commission started its work on 28th April, 2014. ”

    WHAT? LOLLL

    “As we understand it, the premise informing the early submission date was that the Commission coming thirty-four (34) years after the death of Dr. Walter Rodney and the events surrounding that event, would, in all probability, be supported by only a few persons volunteering to give evidence and/or having an interest in this matter. ”

    Another WHAT!

    “That was a wholly mistaken view and the Commission was generously well supported by volunteer witnesses who had relevant and interesting evidence to give…”

    This is a YAH THINK!

    “Some came from overseas to testify as well.” COUPLED WITH THIS ‘EXCUSE’ OF ” … it is always difficult to schedule hearings with three (3) Commissioners living in different jurisdictions and all having professional commitments of their own. At times, too, we have suffered delays because of the unavailability of witnesses to accommodate our timetabling.”

    One is forced to ASK IS SECURE VIDEO CONFERENCING (SOME PEOPLE CALL IT SKYPE PON A BIG SCREEN) still an expensive undertaking as it was 30 years ago in Guyana.

    AND why take the commission appointment if you can’t find the time. LOL.

    AND THEN THIS BEAUTY ” In the end, the Commission did not hear from all the witnesses scheduled to testify as the Government brought the Inquiry to a premature end. ”

    OH LAWD. 10 weeks + TWO YEARS later it’s still a premature end. This report gotta be good. LOLLL

  14. Report of the Commission of Inquiry Surrounding the Assassination of Dr. Walter Rodney, RELEASED | Guyanese Online

    […] Source: Report of the Commission of Inquiry Surrounding the Assassination of Dr. Walter Rodney, RELEASED […]

  15. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    Walter Rodney is not forgotten. He will never be forgotten. I remember it as though it was yesterday as I remember the tragedy of every light being extinguished. When we reach the brink of extinction we will reach for the light again.

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