Dear Editor,
Guyanese of all political persuasion were appalled at the revelation of certain financial extravagance and excesses arising out of the Commission of Inquiry into the death of Dr. Walter Rodney. That did not however detract from the importance of finding answers to questions concerning the circumstances surrounding the death of a world famous historian, thinker and leading figure in opposition politics in the seventies and up to his death on June 13, 1980. To many therefore, the announcement extending to November, 2015 the life of the Commission was received with some relief.
That relief was moderated when it was learnt that the extension was solely for the purpose of allowing the Commissioners to consider the voluminous evidence taken during more than three hundred hours over approximately fifteen months, and to prepare their report and findings. On the Commission’s resumption this past week, Chairman Sir Richard Cheltenham announced that the Government has decided to restrict the evidence-gathering phase of the Commission and would only allow closing addresses by the attorneys-at-law for the various parties.
Attorneys for the family of Dr. Walter Rodney, his brother Donald, and the party to which he belonged, the WPA, argued strenuously and passionately for a brief extension of no more than ten days to take evidence from three persons considered critical to the matter. The Chairman announced that he would raise the matter with President Granger.
It is not known whether the Chairman did so but a public response on behalf of the Government was delivered by Mr. Raphael Trotman, Minister of Governance. See S/N 30-07-15 Gov’t not backtracking on end of Rodney CoI – Trotman. If Mr. Trotman was loose with the facts he was worse with language: a troubling sign from a Minister in office for less than two months.
In a most cavalier manner, Mr. Trotman spoke of the spending of close to “almost a thousand million dollars” when any such sum is a gross exaggeration; of “nothing of substance” having been disclosed, without having bothered to sit through even one of the Commission’s nearly seventy sessions or read the testimony of Fr. Malcolm Rodrigues, Ms. Karen DeSouza, Mr. Joseph Hamilton or Mr. Gerry Gouveia; of whether the nation received value for money, betraying his own unfamiliarity with the process of such tribunals, callously insensitive to the anguish of Walter Rodney’s wife and children and showing a disregard for his new political colleagues from the WPA and for its members. He may not care to remember that it was the WPA which first sought to bring about a mature relationship with the PNCR that led eventually to the victory on May 11, 2015.
Mr. Trotman correctly points out that the Commission was set up by the PPP/C Government as “a charade for electioneering purposes put on as a side show by the former administration.” Yes, but as Mr. Trotman knows, the PPP/C failed in its objectives. He knows too that any decision about this Presidential Commission, including the management of its expenses, is now in the hands of President Granger. He also knows that a huge chunk to be paid to Mr. Shaun Samaroo and disguised as COI expenses had absolutely nothing to do with the Commission.
As WPA’s lead attorney at the Commission, I wonder whether Mr. Trotman would be good enough to state publicly:
* whether in his opinion, the family of Dr. Walter Rodney have a right to an independent Commission of Inquiry to pronounce on the cause of his death;
* whether he considers such a Commission important for the healing and reconciliation of the nation;
* whether he considers the rates of remuneration paid to the Commissioners excessive compared with those prevailing regionally;
* whether he sincerely believes that like “hydro or bread”, it is a choice of a completed Commission of Inquiry or reduction in the Berbice Bridge tolls, as he suggested;
* whether his outrageous statement was made on behalf of the entire Cabinet and Government, including the WPA;
* the breakdown of the one billion dollars he claims was spent on the Commission to date;
* the details of his estimate of another $400 million dollars to allow three witnesses to give or complete their evidence, giving the basis of that estimate; and finally
* what he means by his offensive comment about the unnamed “few people [to] sit[ing] with microphones in front of them to look good”. Is he aware that many of the persons with microphones, and looking good as he sarcastically put it, have given time and expertise with no fees, purely in the search for the truth?
It is extremely troubling that one seen as a leader appears to be rather dismissive of a process intended to remove a dark stain on our political history. More painfully, his statement in effect trivializes the long struggle and sacrifice of those who have fought for the hard won gains of May 11, 2015. I want to caution against any tendency towards loose language and distorted facts by the newly elected Ministers and to remind them that those were some of the very qualities of their predecessors.
Yours faithfully,
Christopher Ram
Attorney-at-Law for the WPA
