A Rastafarian group had started following Dr Walter Rodney and the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) after members were wrongfully arrested and oppressed by police, a former Ministry of Agricul-ture worker testified yesterday in the seventh session of Commis-sion of Inquiry into the death of Rodney.
Mark Britton stated that during the late 1970s, public servants and the private sector of the country had become concerned about then president Forbes Burnham’s policies and restrictions. He said there was widespread dissatisfaction among the people, particularly with bans on food items, restrictions on importations, and currency exchange. “People were directly blaming Burnham… instead of blaming the policies,” he stated, but added that he saw nothing wrong with the policies, and even supported them. However, the mass of the population was suffering in poverty from the implementation of the policies, he said.
There were go-slows and sugar strikes as a result, and government workers were forced to go and cut cane, which they were very unhappy about.
He added that people came to the conclusion that Burnham did not know what he was doing and was also causing problems with the U .S. During this time, Britton said, Rastafarians were wrongfully arrested and searched and on several occasions some of them had their locks cut off, which was not only a humiliating act, but also contrary to their belief system that their hair should not be cut.
He stated that this was one of the reasons why a group of Rastafarians began to follow Rodney. He said Rodney was supportive of the Rastafarian movement and the Rastafarians were open about how they were being treated by the police though they could do nothing but complain. “We considered the police searches a harassment,” he said.
Britton said he was also asked indirectly to join the political party by one of his brethren. He said he had witnessed a WPA meeting and a Brother Basil, one of his brethren, had gone to him and told him, “we join Rodney party.”
He said Brother Basil, a man who he respected, gave him a WPA membership form, even though it was against Rastafarian philosophy to become entangled in politics. He said Brother Basil did not directly ask him to join but by giving him the form he had suggested it. Britton said he told the man that he would think about it.
He said Brother Basil had also told him that they were looking for a firing range and asked if he could help locate one. Britton said he requested arms to protect himself in exchange for searching for a piece of land.
After a while, he said, Brother Basil returned, after consulting someone, and said it would be done. He said when he considered what was happening he realized that civil unrest was looming.
Nevertheless, he said he scouted out an area suitable for a firing range and eventually found one. At that time he said he became aware of the death of another WPA member, who was found in Dr Rodney’s car. He said there were many conflicting reports about the WPA member’s death.
Soon after, he was told to “lie low” and he left for Aruba. It was there, he said, he received a phone call from a man who informed him that Rodney had been killed.
“Them kill him,” Britton said he was told, but he did not bother to ask who the “them” were.
Dr Rodney was killed in a car along John Street in 1980, after a walkie-talkie given to him exploded in his lap.
