- claims to have had premonition about Rodney’s death

By Latoya Giles

Reverend Rueben Gilbert yesterday told the Rodney Inquiry that he had a premonition about his friend’s (Walter Rodney) death three days before the explosion which killed him. Gilbert, 78, told the Commission yesterday that he “had a terrible, uncomfortable feeling” that the politician would be killed.

Gilbert said that he hesitated at first to tell his friend, but later visited Rodney and told him of his intuition, as he called it.

“He came to the door after I knocked and I told him: you are going to be killed… he dropped his head and when he raised it again he asked if I knew of any situation and I said no and left” Gilbert told the Commission yesterday.

Gilbert, who was being led by attorney at law Latchmie Rahmant told the Commission that he suffered personal victimization from the People’s National Congress, who was the ruling party then in the 1970’s.

According to the witness, he secured a job at the Ministry of Economic Development in early 1970 but was dismissed within two weeks after a letter from the Office of the President informed the Permanent Secretary that he was a security risk.

Within the next few months, finding a job was an uphill task, the witness said. Even though he was qualified, Gilbert said that his applications to the Ministry of Education could not be found. Gilbert told the Commission that he later secured a job from the then Guyana Telecommunication Corporation (TELECOMS.)

However, he later found out that there was a letter at that telephone company as well as other state agencies from OP, barring him from being employed.

The witness further told the Commission that he was being victimized owing to an article which he had written in the Mirror Newspaper which was operated by the PPP. The article was entitled ‘Unselfish hands to mold the nation’.

Gilbert told the Commission that he later attempted to meet with Prime Minister Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham which he succeeded to do after much hostility from workers at the official’s office.

According to him, he was asked by Burnham about his politics.

He said Burnham questioned “what is your politics comrade?” to which Gilbert said he answered “anything for the upliftment of the people.”

The witness claims that Burnham looked at him with “pity” adding that he could not comprehend the sudden change in his face. Gilbert claims that he was questioned by Burnham as to why he didn’t put the article in the New Nation paper, which was run by the PNC.

Gilbert told the Commission that he was made to work his car as a taxi after not finding any work. He said that he later went to the then Opposition Leader Dr. Cheddi Jagan at Freedom House. It took just one visit after which Gilbert said that he was given a job.

The witness continued to tell the Commission that at that time Guyana was a police State, where people were very “fearful” of the ruling party. The witness recounted several occasions during public meetings held by the WPA, when persons were “beaten” by the police.