THE late Forbes Burnham once described politics as "the science of deals". Others have come to accept that in politics "all things are possible".

Rickey Singh

Whatever the truth, I never expected in my journalism career to find out that the Working People's Alliance (WPA) - the once promising party that the murdered Walter Rodney had helped to establish in Guyana - would have teamed up with the People's National Congress/Reform to significantly emasculate a motion in Parliament that included substituting the crucial word "assassinated" for "killed" in order to have unanimous approval for a commission of inquiry into his death.

This may come as a shock to people in Jamaica and other countries of our Caricom region, as well as the Caribbean Diaspora and Africa, where the outstanding historian, philosopher and political activist was deeply admired.

But greater would be their agony when they learn of manoeuvrings by the parliamentary opposition in Guyana on Wednesday, June 29, to secure amendments for approval of an original government motion for that commission of inquiry into the circumstance of Rodney's murder on June 13, 1980.

Irony of ironies, it was not the PNC that took the initiative, publicly anyway, to amend the Government's motion to remove the words "assassinated" and "assassination" from the relevant clauses and to substitute instead "killed" and "death".

Or, to omit an ENTIRE clause just to suit a self-serving agenda, under the guise of securing "unanimous" (read "PNC") parliamentary support for the inquiry.

Rodney. murdered on June 13, 1980

The initiative to emasculate the original motion, that placed the Government in a dilemma to either go along with it or abstain, came from the small, hybrid party formed after the 2001 elections, known as WPA/GAP (Guyana Action Party) through one of its two MPs in the 65-member Parliament, the WPA's Sheila Holder.

A very restricted inquiry, held under the presidency of the late Desmond Hoyte, and denounced as lacking "credibility", had determined that Rodney died by "misadventure".

But last month marked the first time that the Guyana Parliament, the highest forum of the land, was in session to address that most historic tragic case of political assassination within our Caribbean Community.

Let me pause here to share with readers the exact texts of the original and amended motions for the inquiry so that they can come to their own independent judgements.

First, however, readers need to know that the initiative for the motion resulted from a letter to President Bharrat Jagdeo on June 13, 2005 by Walter's widow, Patricia Rodney, while she was in Guyana last month for the 25th commemoration anniversary of the historian's assassination in Georgetown.

In her letter, Patricia Rodney said her family "has always insisted on an inquiry into Dr Walter Rodney's death since he was 'assassinated' on June 13, 1980..."

Now, she said she was writing, at President Jagdeo's request, "to express our family's unwavering belief that a commission of inquiry can bring closure, not only for our family, but for the Guyanese people".

"The inquiry," she said, "is essential for the truth to emerge, is consistent with democratic principles, and will be an instrument of reconciliation. It is vital that the appointment and co-operation of the commission be underpinned by an Act of Parliament supported unanimously across the House."

It is quite a quantum leap, therefore, from Rodney's letter, which made clear that her husband was assassinated, and her suggestion for "unanimous" parliamentary support for an Act of Parliament to establish a commission of inquiry, to the now insulting and shocking amendments from the WPA/GAP to the Government's motion in order to win support from the PNC, the party that has always been linked with Rodney's death.

The original motion for the commission of inquiry, as moved by minister of home affairs, culture, youth and sports Gail Teixiera, reads as follows:

"Whereas as on June 13, 1980, Dr Walter Rodney, a distinguished Guyanese scholar, was 'assassinated' by an explosion which occurred in his car at John and Hadfield streets, Georgetown;

"And whereas Dr Rodney was, at the time of his death, an eminent political leader engaged in a struggle against 'authoritarian rule for democracy and social justice;

"And whereas there have been calls for a full investigation into the 'assassination' of Dr Walter Rodney, which have received broad support;

"Be it resolved that this National Assembly, in paying tribute to the memory of this illustrious son of Guyana, and on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of his untimely and tragic death, supports an inquiry being conducted into the circumstance surrounding the death of Dr Rodney."

In contrast, the amended motion, truncated of key words and a whole clause, as passed with the Government benches abstaining, requested:

"Whereas on June 13, 1980 Dr Walter Rodney, a distinguished scholar and champion of the multi-racial working people, was 'killed' by an explosion which occurred in his car at John and Hadfield streets, Georgetown;

"And whereas there have been calls for a full and impartial investigation into the 'death' of Dr Walter Rodney, which have received local, regional and international support;

"Be it resolved that this National Assembly, in paying tribute to the memory of this illustrious son of Guyana, and on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of his untimely and tragic death, supports an international inquiry being conducted without delay into the circumstance surrounding the death of Dr Walter Rodney."

The day after the amended motion passed with the Government MPs abstaining, President Bharrat Jagdeo announced that he would go ahead with the establishment in two months' time of a commission of inquiry into the death of Walter Rodney.

One Caricom prime minister who would most certainly be shocked and outraged by the significant changes to the Government's motion for the commission of inquiry is Ralph Gonsalves of St Vincent and the Grenadines.

He was the featured guest speaker at the ceremonial launch in Georgetown of the 25th Anniversary of Rodney's death when, to applause from the audience that included those involved in last week's tricks in Parliament, he said:

"We must not forget that Walter Rodney was not killed. He did not merely die. He was assassinated.... He did not die of old age in his bed. He was cut down in the prime of his life by assassins.

And you know that while the alleged assassin may be dead, those who set the context for the assassination are still around in the region. It doesn't make sense that we speak, unless we have a commitment to truth."

Well, for those who chose to play games with words at the expense of "truth", should reflect on what Gonsalves had to say. Especially if they wish to continue speaking about, or in Rodney's name.

Neither the political interest nor political activity of Sheila Holder, who formally proposed the amendments, was known when Rodney was leading the WPA in the fight against authoritarian rule and working for unity of the Guyanese masses.

But it must be evident to all who are familiar with the social and political realities of Guyana that for all practical purposes, the WPA of which the slain historian was its most outstanding co-founder and co-leader, is no longer what parades as the party of Rodney.

Rodney, whose body was severed in two by that assassin's bomb concealed in a walkie talkie, must now be turning in his grave over what could correctly be viewed as a most sickening act of political collaboration and opportunism by what remains of a once bright spot on the Guyanese political landscape.

Today's WPA is a far cry from the party Rodney so courageously led from the frontline against Burnham's dictatorship under the heinous doctrine of "party paramountcy".

No one familiar with some leading figures and well-meaning activists of what is left of the WPA would wish to question their honest claims that Rodney was a victim of assassination under "the Burnham dictatorship".

There is, however, this crucial question: Why, in the name of a highly dubious "unanimous" vote in Parliament to secure support from the PNC - the very party that had openly threatened the likes of Rodney that "our steel is sharper" at the height of his campaign for "People's Power, No Dictator" - should today's remnant of the WPA seek to accommodate the inheritors of Burnham's party?
I do not accept that some of these elements are preparing the groundwork for future political alignments with the PNC, ahead of general elections in 2006.

However, while sleeping in the same bed with an arch political foe may be acceptable within the context of "all things are possible in politics", it is disturbing to know that to this day, the accommodated PNC is yet to offer even a muted apology, or show some remorse for its many misdeeds, including political murders, institutionalised electoral fraud and for reducing Guyana to an economic basket case among the world's 20 poorest nations, during its long 28 years in government.

We await the commission of inquiry into the June 13, 1980 death of Walter Rodney.

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