After finding that the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force were both complicit in aiding and abetting soldier Gregory Smith in the killing of political activist and scholar Dr Walter Rodney, the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) set up to investigate his death has recommended that every effort should be made to ensure that both agencies are professional.
“In the end it is clear to us that the police were unprofessional, extremely inefficient in turning a blind eye to the obvious, or deliberately botched the investigation in Dr Rodney’s killing or were complicit with others, including the GDF in hiding or shielding Gregory Smith from facing the brunt of the law…,” the report of the CoI, which has been seen by Stabroek News, states.
As a result, it recommended that every effort should be made to have “a well-trained and highly professional” GPF, “with a thorough appreciation of its duty to serve impartially regardless of ethnicity or party affiliation and loyal to the best interests of the country and to the Constabulary.”
It noted that it would call for a heavy investment in training at every level, and on an ongoing basis with attention to appropriate values in addition to proper policing techniques.
The CoI had been set up in 2014 by then President Donald Ramotar to determine as far as possible who or what was responsible for the explosion that killed Rodney on June 13, 1980.
The report cited testimony received during its hearings to conclude that the cover-up extended to the unwillingness of the police to investigate obvious leads in the killing of Rodney.
“…We conclude that any well-functioning police force would have pursued all leads in order to locate and bring Gregory Smith in for questioning at least as the prime suspect in the killing of Dr Walter Rodney,” it said.
“It was conceded by the police in the course of the inquiry that a thorough investigation was not done into Rodney’s death. In fact, the evidence is that the police did not act with professionalism, thoroughness or speed,” it later added.
Adverse reflection
on right to life
As a result, it was recommended that the department in the police force that is responsible for investigating such serious crimes should, at all times, strive to do so with thoroughness and urgency, without compromising the investigations. “Failure to pursue their investigations professionally, as in the Rodney case, may be regarded as an adverse reflection on society’s regard for the right to life, which is one of the hallmarks of a civilized society,” the report added.
As part of its terms of reference, the CoI was also charged with examining and reporting on the actions and activities of state organisations such as the Guyana Police Force, the Guyana Defence Force, the Guyana National Service, the Guyana People’s Militia and those who were in command and superintendence of these agencies, to determine whether they were tasked with surveillance of and the carrying out of actions and whether they did execute those tasks and carried out those actions against the political opposition for the period January 1, 1978 to December 31, 1980.
The report said the members of the CoI had “no hesitation” in concluding that in the face of the evidence presented that both the police force and the Young Socialist Movement (YSM), the youth arm of the PNC, and those in command and (superintendence) of these agencies were tasked with the surveillance of and carrying out of actions against the political opposition specifically the WPA and the PPP,” it said.
The report added that it found as facts that the harassment and surveillance included killing innocent persons who were associated with the opposition; breaking up of political meetings, harassing, threatening, assaulting or beating members or supporters of the opposition; arresting, locking-up or charging members or supporters or carrying out searches of homes and other places without reasonable or probable cause.
The report has concluded that Rodney was the victim of a state-organised assassination, which could only have been possible with the knowledge of then PNC Prime Minister Forbes Burnham. (The current PNCR, which is now a constituent of the governing APNU+AFC coalition, has continually denied involvement in Rodney’s death.)
It found too that Smith carried out the killing and he was then spirited out of the country to French Guiana in an elaborate operation spearheaded by both the police force and the army.
The report also emphasised the need for the army to be professional. “Nothing is worse than an Army in a country striving to be an ideal functioning democracy being partial to any political party whether in government or otherwise. An army by definition, has a near monopoly of the legitimate instruments of violence and must be trained to act responsibly at all times,” it said.
The report also highlighted defects in the record keeping of both the police force and the army as it noted that important records, including files with evidence relating to the Rodney case were not made available to the Commission as had been requested. “The explanation provided was that they could not be found. That is an adverse commentary on the thoroughness, efficiency and security of their record keeping systems,” it added.
Against this background, the CoI recommended that a thorough and prompt review of the systems be undertaken so as to ensure that an improved, efficient and reliable system of record keeping is provided to both the army and the police. It added that such a system will call for properly trained personnel to manage and maintain it.
Ethnic harmony
Also included in the recommendations is a call for efforts to be made towards ethnic harmony.
“The ethnic divide in the Guyanese society constitutes a fragile fault line. General elections produce an environment that puts that fault line under stress. Many of the recommendations made herein assume the existence and maintenance of a sense of ethnic harmony. But it has to be worked at,” the report says.
“Every government has a continuing responsibility to work in close consultation with national associations and diverse interest groups to design and implement a programme intended to strengthen ethnic harmony and a sense of national unity,” it added.
The report of the CoI was delivered almost two weeks ago to the office of the Attorney-General, after the Commission was unable to perform a scheduled handover to President David Granger.
It came after months of hearings that were eventually curtailed by the APNU+AFC on assuming office in May last year, owing to the exorbitant cost of the exercise as well as concerns over the manner in which the CoI was set up and its Terms of Reference.
