Working People’s Alliance (WPA) supporter Jocelyn Dow yesterday said she believed that the then PNC government also wanted to “get rid” of Donald Rodney the night his brother Walter Rodney was killed.
Continuing her evidence-in-chief yesterday at the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the 1980 bombing death of Dr. Walter Rodney in a car near the Georgetown Prison, Dow said after conducting much investigation into Rodney’s death, she was open to the idea that a single “gunshot” fired minutes after the fatal explosion was intended for his brother. She said when WPA members and supporters began to investigate the circumstances leading up to Rodney’s death, they unearthed “frightening” information about the night he was killed.
Lead counsel for the CoI Glen Hanoman questioned whether any of the information would assist the commission as it relates to whether the cause of the explosion in which Dr. Rodney died was an act of terrorism and if so, who were the perpetrators.
Dow indicated that she received information from people around the area where Rodney was killed and some of them attested that they heard a single gunshot ring out that night after the loud explosion. She said further that the people testified to seeing Donald Rodney running away from the scene.
She said she believed that the area was under heavy surveillance by security personnel, who were placed there to ensure that Walter Rodney was killed. She said the personnel may have also fired at the person running away from the car because they probably thought it was Walter Rodney and they needed to ensure that they got the “right one.”
However, Dow added that they also probably wanted to wipe out any witnesses. “That, to me, made perfect sense. I’m open to the view that that bullet was intended for Donald Rodney though,” she remarked.
Earlier in her testimony, Dow described Rodney’s killing as a state-sanctioned act and accused the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) of working to cover up the truth. The PNCR has continuously denied responsibility for orchestrating Rodney’s killing in the years since his death.
Dow yesterday dismissed the speculation that the bomb was intended to blow up the Camp Street Prison, explaining that since the bomb was unable to completely destroy Rodney and his brother and the car, it could not have been used as a plan to bomb the prison.
“It was unimaginable that a bomb that did not destroy a car and kill its passengers could possibly be intended to blow up any part of the jail, whether it be the fence or the cells. That doesn’t make any sense to me because it wouldn’t have any effect… it wouldn’t even blow a little hole in it,” Dow said.
Hanoman questioned her if a walkie-talkie could be a good device to conceal a bomb but instead received a set of objections from other attorneys. Dow nevertheless answered, “It seemed to have been.”
She said people’s houses were searched for arms and ammunition and also any communication devices. She said the police would seize communication devices and sometimes even arrest the persons.
Attorney Camille Warner, who in association with Keith Scotland is representing Donald Rodney, questioned whether Donald Rodney had received a fair trial. Dow responded that she “didn’t think he had a fair charge.” She said she believed that Donald Rodney was used as a scapegoat by the PNC government to turn attention away from main suspect Gregory Smith.
Dow indicated that the PNC regime was the face of an aggressive dictator. She stated that 80% of the economy was controlled by the government. She further stated that the private sector was also controlled under the regime and people were afraid of criticising the government for fear of losing their jobs.
She stated that she herself was under intense surveillance by the Police Special Branch and added that she was arrested on several occasions by policemen and was “patted down” by them. Dow stated that the security forces of that time had no regard for women. “Both men and women were patted,” she said, noting that women were sometimes beaten with batons by police. “We were good for licks,” she remarked.
Dow further stated that she was placed under close arrest one time at the airport and taken into a bus with 28 policemen. She said she was then transported to a police station. “They put sugar in my engine many times,” she added, while recalling the number of times she was arrested and taken to police stations.
She also said her house was searched many times for arms and ammunitions.
Attorney Selwyn Pieters, who represents the interest of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC), however, suggested that Dow’s property may have been searched several times because she was the person transporting WPA members with weapons. “That is not true!” Dow exclaimed.
“Where did you stash them?” Pieters charged, which earned him a rebuke from Chairman of the Commission Sir Richard Cheltenham, who stated that Dow had already rejected his premise.
“She never said she had any firearms to hide. You are not being fair to the witness because you have included a rejected premise,” Sir Richard stated.
Dow’s testimony marked an end to the latest session of the inquiry. The next session is scheduled to begin on October 20.
