One day after Minister of State, Joseph Harmon said a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into killings which occurred between 2000 and 2008 is still on the cards, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo said his party members who were in Government during that period will “give as much as we can.”
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, January 27, 2018, Jagdeo was asked whether his party will be open to give evidence if called upon during the course of the CoI, to which he responded “if there is something that we know specifically of, definitely.”
However, he is of the view that the report of the inquiry will be thrown aside as was done with the report of the CoI into the murder of political activist, Dr. Walter Rodney and the Guyana Sugar Corporation.
“Want to bet that this one, if the findings are adverse again, then they (the Government) will throw it away or say it’s not gospel.”
He also called for proper Terms of Reference and for the members of the commission to be credible.
Jagdeo said that the information which is needed in relation to the murders is with the police force but also alleged that efforts may have been made to “clean” the records by the current Government.
Asked why his party did not keep records of such information given his allegations, he said “we didn’t think that anyone would want to politicize this period. In fact…our focus was on development.”
Thorough inquiries into the extra-judicial killings of the 2000 and 2008 period was one of the many campaign promises of the APNU+AFC coalition leading up to the 2015 General and Regional Elections.
The killings referred to include the death of former Agriculture Minister with responsibilities for Fisheries, Satyadeow Sawh, the death of a number of police officers and the Bartica, Lusignan and Lindo Creek Massacres.
