By Kurt Campbell
[www.inewsguyana.com] – The People National Congress Reform (PNC/R) says it is most unfortunate that the ongoing investigation into the 1980 death of Guyanese Politician Dr. Walter Rodney has taken on the characteristics of a soap opera.
According to Party Chairman and Attorney – at – Law Basil Williams, the inquiry has become an arena of abuse and vilification of many Guyanese who have given commendable service to Guyana.
He said too that the Government must be disappointed with the expected returns from the Commission of Inquiry (COI).
“After spending hundreds of millions of taxpayers’ dollars, the COI has faltered; there is no evidence that anyone killed the late Dr. Walter Rodney. On the other hand there is cogent evidence that Walter Rodney’s death was caused on the occasion of a terrible accident according to his brother, Donald Rodney, who is the only eye witness to his death,” Williams reasoned.
The Party Chairman told reporters earlier today (Wednesday, June 11), that the testimonies of the witnesses have been “a chorus line of hearsay, second hand knowledge, opinions, guesswork and generally of statements normally inadmissible in a court of law.”
He said it is obvious that the government has decided to seek its “salvation” in propaganda by taking advantage of the curious approach of the COI in leading most of the witnesses so far, only in examination in chief, while hiding them from cross examination by PNC/R lawyers.
“Crime Chief Leslie James, Karen DeSousa, Major General Norman McLean, and Allan Gates/Gibbs/Nobrega or whatever, are still to be cross examined but their testimonies have been published to the world at large,” Williams noted.
According to him, it is the hope of the PNC/R that all Guyanese would find comfort, peace and genuine closure at the end of this “imposition” and that national unity will be embraced.
When asked whether the PNC/R was trying to “save face,” Williams rejected such an assertion while pointing to all the evidence that has so far distanced the party from Rodney’s death or any other illegal activities it was involved in while in government during the period.
He claimed he had no firsthand knowledge whether the claims which associated the PNC are true since he resided abroad during the period under examination.
