Latest update April 25th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jun 13, 2010 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon
Today marks 30 years since the murder of historian, Dr. Walter Rodney, by the Government of that day. I attended the Walter Rodney lecture at the National Library last Friday delivered by Dr. David Hinds.
What was frustrating for me is that I entered the lecture hall without a drop of food in my mouth on Friday afternoon after Mark Benschop and I spent the entire day of Friday, June 11 from 9.00 hours to 17.00 hours, working with two lawyers to get the police to release the canter-truck that brought the protesting school children from Patentia to Georgetown to demonstrate against the police killing of one of their school friends.
At the time of writing this essay here on Saturday morning, the vehicle is still inside the Brickdam police station
As I was entering, Donald Ramotar was leaving. Had he stayed I would have demanded that the WPA leadership that was present and the audience raise with him the unlawful seizure of this poor man’s truck.
Mr. Ramotar knows fully well that I consider the Government of Guyana to be characterized by strong features of fascism. The confiscation of that man’s property is yet another manifestation of how horribly fascist the exercise of power has become in this land
One particular aspect of that event struck me – the lamentation of those present at that lecture that today’s children do not know who Walter was, what he stood for, what he did for his country. This is indeed a huge tragedy!
I want to say most boldly for young people who read this column that Walter Rodney is my hero and if I have a number of Guyanese heroes, he will be at the top. For this commentator, Walter Rodney towers over small men like Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham.
As I listened to those cries in the audience for Walter’s name to be transmitted to the present young generation of this country, I thought of how unfair both life and history can be.
As you travel around this country you see places named after Cheddi Jagan, but nothing of Walter Rodney. And I don’t see a Walter Rodney Chair at UG and the archives being named after him as indicating anything substantial. Missing also from the landscape is the name Desmond Hoyte.
Something eerie, sinister, and sickening stalks this land and its people that you can have the airport named after Cheddi Jagan but nothing similar for Walter Rodney when there can be no comparison between the two men in terms of nationalist contribution to the deepening of freedoms for the Guyanese people. Rodney remains and will remain Guyana’s quintessential hero. One day these wrongs will be righted. That I am sure of.
For those of you reading this, let me inform you that the official ceremony to rededicate the monument built in his name on Hadfield Street will begin at 3 o’clock this afternoon. I urge you to attend this event and listen to the presentations about this man who gave his life so that we the present generation could have enjoyed a future free from fear and racial degradation. Unfortunately Walter’s struggle didn’t bring about the dreams untold numbers of Guyanese nurtured in their bosom. We live in a country today where evil men and some of their evil female friends have virtually destroyed the psychic integrity of the Guyanese people.
If Walter was alive today, knowing him to be the passionate person he was, I believe he would have been murdered by those who reign like invincible monarchs over the Guyanese people because he would have confronted them over their evil rule. Nothing redemptive can be seen in our present leaders.
I do not know if I would have been able to control my emotions at question time if Donald Ramotar was still there. During the period allocated for questions and comments, you felt that indeed you were living in a fascist state.
Things were described by members of the audience about what is taking place in this country that were monumentally embarrassing to those of us who struggled with Walter against Forbes Burnham.
Today, Burnham’s bad ways have morphed into little sins when compared to the monstrosities that the present little fascists have heaped upon this tragic land.
I knew only too well about that. I had come to the lecture hall straight from the arena of hell fighting to get the man’s canter-truck back.
As I write this piece here I can still see the sadness on the face of the man’s wife and daughter as I gave the police the bail receipt to have him released from the lock-up. The struggle goes on! Long live Walter Rodney!
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