More than 34 years after the death of historian Dr Walter Rodney, his brother, Donald, the only living witness to his demise, yesterday testified before a Commission of Inquiry that on the fateful night they were uplifting a walkie-talkie from alleged assassin Gregory Smith and not explosives.
Donald Rodney’s much-anticipated testimony was delivered before an inquiry that the Rodney family had long sought and he stuck to the outlines of earlier statements that he had made on the June 13, 1980 killing.
Donald, Walter’s younger brother, testified in a packed High Court Library after having flown into Guyana from Trinidad on Thursday evening.
Donald had been with his brother when a walkie-talkie exploded in the latter’s lap in the vicinity of the Camp Street Prison killing him. Donald was also injured in the attack and later fled the scene. He would later be convicted on an explosives charge which he appealed. That appeal has never been heard.
Yesterday, Donald told the commission that he had been in contact with Gregory Smith, the man long accused of being involved in Walter’s death, in the months leading up to his brother’s death and had met the man on several occasions. He further said that these meetings surrounded the procurement of a walkie-talkie set, which Smith was constructing for Walter.
The younger Rodney testified that he had come to know Smith through his older brother, who first told him of Smith before formally introducing them. This introduction happened sometime in early 1980, he said. He said that Walter told him that Smith was helping in acquire some walkie-talkies.
According to Donald, he and his brother had never had any interactions concerning Walter and his activities for his party, the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), so he assumed that he was being asked to help in dealing with Smith. This was confirmed when Walter asked him to collect the walkie-talkie that was being put together by Smith.
Donald, a quantity surveyor, testified that his first meeting regarding the walkie-talkie occurred at what he suspected was Smith’s home at the corner of Russell and Howes streets. He explained that he went with his brother who had directed him to the location. In turn, he went to the place and asked for Smith. There, he met Smith and informed the man that he had been sent by Walter to uplift the walkie-talkie set.
However, Smith replied that the instrument was not ready yet but that Donald could collect it at a later time.
They made arrangements for a later meeting. Donald further said that he relayed this information to Walter and also offered to collect it at the later date. He said Walter agreed to the offer and the next occasion he saw Smith was at an agreed location in Water Street in an area that looked like a wharf.
During this second meeting, Donald said Smith never even discussed the walkie-talkies despite all indications that Donald was to collect the equipment on that occasion. Instead, he was given another date and time to meet Smith; this time in North Ruimveldt.
However, from the meeting, Donald said he was able to gather that Smith was a member of the Guyana Defence Force. Donald told the commission that Smith had stated that he was a sergeant.
The agreed meeting at North Ruimveldt also turned out to be another waste of time, he added. On that occasion he went to the location but was told by a female voice through the door that Smith was not there.
It was only until about two weeks before Walter’s death was Donald was able to see the walkie-talkie set in question. He explained that he and Walter once more visited Smith’s home. While Walter waited in the car, Donald said he went to collect the instrument from Smith. He said he was told that Smith would keep a set in his possession while Donald and Walter would take their own instrument to test and return.
Donald maintained that though he did not immediately recognise the instrument given to him by Smith as a walkie-talkie he had no reason to believe that it was not what he was led to believe.
He also said that at the time he was not aware of restrictions on the possession of walkie-talkies by civilians.
Furthermore, he said he had no knowledge that Smith had given him explosives nor had he himself ever had possession of any explosives. He said that he had no reason to believe that there were explosives in his brother’s possession and he did not have any indication that his brother had been uplifting explosives.
According to Donald, on the night in question, he had picked up Walter around 7:30pm on Church Street in front of the St. Rose’s High School. He explained that they had agreed earlier in the day to meet there before heading together to Smith’s home. Donald said he had stopped by Walter’s house while heading home and was asked to accompany Walter to uplift the walkie-talkie from Smith. Donald said he was told that if he came along they would be able to use his car while allowing Walter’s wife, Patricia to use the family car.
Donald acquiesced and said later that evening they drove to Smith’s home where Walter was left waiting in the car while he went in to speak with Smith. He testified that Smith appeared surprised to see him and asked where Walter was. Donald also said that he got the impression that Smith was not expecting him. Nonetheless, he collected the walkie-talkie which would later kill his brother.
The visits with Smith took place between February and June of 1980, Donald said.
Promptings
Though Donald Rodney was not a member of the WPA, he explained that he began helping his brother after he recognised that Guyana needed a revolution.
According to Donald, he could not believe that the people of the country were still going around their normal ways when there was so much wrong within the nation. He added that he approached his brother after he was prompted to do so by a number of events.
The first of these, he said, was the death of WPA supporter Father Bernard Darke who was stabbed to death and killed, purportedly by a member of the House of the Israel, during a march in support of other WPA members.
According to Donald, he had been a part of the march and said it had been proceeding along Brickdam from the Magistrates’ Court.
He said that the procession passed the Brickdam Police Station and as he got abreast with the station he saw a lone policeman in uniform standing outside of the station. He said he also noticed a bus parked in front of the station.
It is then, he said, that about three or more men emerged with weapons such as cutlasses out of the bus. He believed that it was an ambush. The men, he said, rushed out at the passing crowd and attacked the persons with the weapons they had. In response, the persons nearest to the men recoiled, Donald said.
“We had been attacked and…the last thing anyone would have expected in front of the station at that time was that there would have been an attack,” he said. He added that the policeman present did not respond to the attack but instead turned his face way.
Soon afterward, Donald said he witnessed Darke being lifted up by other persons and his shirt was already wet with what Donald suspected was blood. He subsequently succumbed.
“To me he died as a result of a planned attack,” Donald maintained. He further said that the person who had killed Darke had been a member of the House of Israel.
The House of Israel has been accused multiple times during the inquiry of being a state-sponsored militia of the then-governing People’s National Congress (PNC).
Donald went on that he was also prompted to aid his brother when shortly after Darke’s death a statement was put out by several locals in connection with the strife occurring in the country at the time. The statement called for a “broad-based government of national construction” and Donald said that he was impressed and supportive of the statement. The statement also called for free and fair elections.
“This impressed me at the time because it was clearly a non-political collection of individuals and what impressed me was here was a group of Guyanese who, despite their different views, they were prepared to do what I considered was the right thing,” he explained.
He said that he received his final push when he heard a statement on the radio by a government official, urging all members of the WPA to “make their wills”. Donald said that his brother’s name was called. He added that he was aware that Walter was a significant figure in the WPA.
He soon approached his brother and asked what he could do to help. “I was not asking him what he was doing. I was already aware that he was confronting the dictatorship,” Donald said. He said at the time he was not a member of the WPA but became one after his brother’s death.
His testimony yesterday was cut short when the commission got word that online and radio broadcasts of the proceedings were being continually interrupted. Chairman, Sir Richard Cheltenham ruled to discontinue yesterday’s hearing, in favour of continuing at a time when the nation will be better able to listen in on what was going on.
Donald is expected to return in mid-February when the commission recommences hearings.
