Walter Rodney Commission Of Inquiry Granted Two Week Extension To Submit Report

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) – The government has given the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry two more weeks to complete its report on findings related to the death of Guyanese historical and politician, Dr. Walter Rodney

Demerara Waves Online News has quoted Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo as saying that an extension has been granted based on the request of one of the commissioners.

“I am aware of a decision made that the inquiry, that they have to submit their report by the 15^th of December,” he said

A request for more time was also submitted by way of a petition from the Justice For Walter Rodney Committee, that also asked for more witnesses to testify in the interest of having a proper probe conducted, closure and truth and reconciliation.

Justice of Walter Rodney Committee includes former and current members of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), the party that was once led by Rodney.

The Commissioners of the Inquiry were originally given until November 30 to prepare and deliver their report to Granger.

The committee believes there is need for a new dispensation for the Commission of Inquiry in order to “resolve previous abuses which were not of the Commission’s making. However new ministers, Attorney General Basil Williams -who represented the PNC (People’s National Congress) at the WRCOI – and Governance Minister Rafael Trotman simply asserted that the two-week extension was disallowed to save taxpayers’ money and, more ominously, “further embarrassment”.

The group said their plea has been supporters by all of the commissioners involved in the WROI, the lawyers representing Rodney’s party the Working People’s Alliance, Walter Rodney’s brother – Donald Rodney and the rest of the Rodney family.

Last week, the main opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) called on the government to release without any delay, the report of a Commission of Inquiry .

The Inquiry was brought to an end after 16 months following the May 2015 general election that was won by the coalition of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance for Change (AFC).

The report of the Commission is expected to be handed over to the government this week but PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee, speaking at a news conference last Monday said he hoped there would be no “undue delay” in releasing the report.

The government said Inquiry had cost tax payers an estimated GUY$325 million (One Guyana dollar =US$0.004 cents) .
The Inquiry was criticised by the APNU while in opposition, which claimed that it was a move by the Donald Ramotar government to score political points.

The WPA has long held the view that Rodney was assassinated near the Georgetown Prison on June 13, 1980 when a bomb-in-walkie talkie exploded.
At the time of Rodney’s death, he had been leading a civil rebellion against the then Forbes Burnham-led People’s National Congress administration.