The Secretariat of the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry seems to be making progress, as the three-member Commission that was set up to investigate the death of the political activist, will be returning to Guyana during the course of the new week, to meet with stakeholders.
Chairman of the Commission, Queen’s Counsel Sir Richard Cheltenham, Jamaica Queen’s Counsel Jacqueline Samuels-Brown and Trinidadian Senior Counsel Seenath Jairam had all departed to their homelands a few hours after meeting with the Commission’s Secretariat some two weeks ago.
Minutes after the meeting, Cheltenham had told Guyana Times International that the limited time available had made it impossible for the Commission to meet with individuals and organisations as was intended.
“However, arrangements are in place for this to be completed in the near future,” he promised. He said that the Commissioners would have kept in contact with the Secretariat, to ascertain its readiness for the commencement of the inquiry.
Cheltenham said that based on information received from the Secretariat, over 90 individuals and agencies were identified to testify at the inquiry. However, those persons were not yet approached. “There is a list of persons who may be of interest in helping us, but many of them have not been contacted,” Cheltenham had said.
GTI was unsuccessful in its attempt to find out from the Secretariat, the amount of persons and organisations that have responded to its invitation to come forward, and the number of individuals and organisations that were approached to participate in the investigation.
Head of the Secretariat Hugh Denbow speaking to this publication said such information could not be released without the consent of the chairman.
A few days after the consultation with the Commission, the Secretariat began placing advertisements in local newspapers, inviting persons wishing to testify before the Commission, to submit their statements containing the nature and substance of their proposed evidence. It said persons who wished to tender books, plans and documents were also invited to submit same.
The newspaper advertisement contained a section of the Terms of Reference (ToR) which include the examination of facts and circumstances immediately prior, at the time of, and subsequent to the death of Dr Walter Rodney; to enquire into the cause of the explosion in which Dr Rodney died, whether it was an act of terrorism, and if so, who were the perpetrators; and the issue of persons being granted absolute pardon irrespective of, or incidental to all acts or things done, including offences committed in connection to the death of Dr Rodney.
