The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) is hopeful that findings of the long overdue Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the death of the late Dr Walter Rodney, will bring closure to a very painful and embarrassing episode in the national and political history.
A press release issued by the party said that it welcomed the setting up of the CoI and recalled that it had long called for an independent commission to be set up to inquire into the circumstances which resulted in the death of Dr Rodney.
Dr Rodney was killed on June 13, 1980 in an explosion. His death took place at a time when there was mass mobilisation against the People’s National Congress (PNC) regime.
The PPP/C said that Rodney was a close friend and associate of Dr Cheddi Jagan and the PPP. It recalled that despite his academic brilliance, he was denied employment at the University of Guyana (UG).
According to the PPP/C, Rodney was “the target of a brutal and oppressive regime which boasted about ‘its steel being sharper’ in an attempt to silence and intimidate the political opposition.”
The PPP/C expressed satisfaction with the composition of the commission, saying that it consisted of reputable and experienced members of the legal community in the region.
The party issued a call to the PNC and all Guyanese to fully cooperate with the work of the commission.