“PNC surveillance state”

Guyana Times – June 7, 2014 By Alexis Rodney

…WPA infiltrated by Police/Army double-agent assassins

Amid threats to his grip on power posed by the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), former President Forbes Burnham had employed an elaborate surveillance network here during the 1980s, with undercover cops being set upon political activists, some with instructions to kill, the Commission of Inquiry probing the death of Dr Walter Rodney heard on Friday.

Guyana Times was told that State surveillance during that era was so pervasive that ordinary citizens were spied on, creating an atmosphere of tension across the country, which reached its apex following the July 1979 burning down of the National Development Building, that had also housed the Secretariat of the People’s National Congress (PNC).

Burnham himself had declared publicly at the party’s Third Biennial Congress in August of 1979 that the arson happened because “We had not activated our full intelligence services that are part of the State Apparatus.”

Both Dr Rodney and Dr Rupert Roopnaraine along with other WPA activists were arrested and thrown in lock-ups for the incident. Addressing party faithful at the August 22-26 Congress, Burnham said: “While we number thousands, they number at most a few hundreds.

Must be suspicious

Therefore, we should be in a position to have a proper intelligence service which I shall discuss with you at a group level.” He continued: “We have already infiltrated them, so much that the Dr Walter Rodney does not sleep in the same place any two nights in succession; so much so that when he has his conspiratorial meetings, he shifts from downstairs to upstairs, but let him know that walls have ears where the People’s National Congress is concerned.”

Burnham had charged his members then to be vigilant. “We must be suspicious and all details must be reported. Up to now I would say that about 75 per cent of the WPA consists of PNC members, I do not want any more. But that 75 per cent there plus others must be reporting from time to time and we must ferret these mice out of their holes.”

Dr Rupert Roopnaraine

Allan Gates during his testimony

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It was also around this same time following the burning down of the PNC headquarters that Norman McLean was moved from being Director General of the Guyana National Service (GNS) to head the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), an appointment which shocked many. It was widely believed that due to reported family relations, McLean got the nod as Burnham had become distrustful of the high command in the GDF, as it was around the same time the WPA had begun to make significant inroads into the army. Current PNCR Leader, Brigadier David Granger was also appointed Commander of the GDF in that same year. Asked about this on Thursday when he testified at the inquiry, McLean said while he was surprised at Burnham’s move to make him Chief-of-Staff and knowing that the office of the PNC General Secretary was burnt down, he did not connect his appointment to that incident.

He said he was not sure about the reason for his appointment but disclosed that the head at that time, Colonel Price had passed the age of retirement. He said too that many senior officers were disgruntled as they had expected to be promoted.

Double-agent Gates

It is against this background that former Policeman Allan Robert Gates, who was used as a double-agent for both the WPA and the State, gave his testimony at the inquiry on Friday. Gates, who holds himself out as security expert, told the Commission that he was a bodyguard for Dr Roopnaraine, while at the same time working as a spy agent for the State. He told the inquiry at one time he was given overpacked ammunitions by his superiors whom he named as Laurie Lewis and Police Officer “Chico” to kill Dr Roopnaraine, but because of his love for the WPA Co-leader, he opted to abscond from the Force and instead disposed of the ammunition in the Berbice River during his escape to Sand Hills, Upper Berbice River.

He shared that he first met Dr Roopnaraine while the WPA co-leader was in the lock-ups for the burning of the PNC Secretariat. Allan Robert Gates alias Clive De Nobrega Gibbs , who is currently serving a 48-month sentence at the Camp Street Prison, for allegedly obtaining money by false pretence, said he was paid an extra $500 dollars on his monthly salary of $365 back in 1979 by the Guyana Police Force, to work as an undercover agent in the WPA. His role was to survey the activities of the political party, while being bodyguard to Dr Roopnaraine.

A section of the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry’s Terms of Reference speaks to the involvement of all security forces during late 1970s and early 1980s in surveillance of the political Opposition. Gates said he was told by his superiors also that he needed to take notes of all Dr Roopnaraine’s movements. “Wherever he went, whoever spoke to him,” Gates said.

He told the inquiry that his involvement in the surveillance activity came at a time when members of the WPA were going through a difficult period. He said following the burning of the building sometime on July 11, 1979, the morning after the fire, Dr Roopnaraine found himself in custody, sitting before him at a unit at CID headquarters.

According to him, his instructions were “not to allow him (Dr Roopnaraine) any phone calls”. Gates said he was surprised, since it was not the normal trend of the Police Force to refuse anyone in custody phone calls unless they were considered a threat to national security. He said he found himself in conversation with Dr Roopnaraine and it was then that he found out that the politician was in search of a bodyguard. The former Police Officer told the inquiry that he accepted the offer and had made plans to remove himself from the Police Force. However, that decision was shortlived, since, instead of him getting out, he was pushed in deeper.

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Resignation letter

He related that he went to the Head Office to hand in his resignation letter. After a brief interrogation by the Commander Cecile “Skip” Roberts, he said he was told “You are the man we want”. That was a changing point in his life, Gates told the Commission. He was briefed on his responsibility and went ahead as Dr Roopnaraine’s bodyguard. He made the choice because of the “lucrative offer”.

He reminded the Commission on Friday that his role in the surveillance he was carrying out these functions at the behest of the Police Force, whose head Cecile “Skip” Roberts, was closely connected to the Army Chief Mc CLean. Gates told the Commission that Dr Roopnaraine must have been a target of the PNC Government.

He recalled being taken to a white wooden building in the compound of the Ogle Airport, where he met former Police Commissioner Laurie Lewis, Inspector Henry Chester and the officer he referred to as Chichester also know as “Chico”. It was there he related that he was instructed to make notes of persons Dr Roopnaraine would make contact with, where he goes daily and who he meets.

WPA wanted arms and ammunition

Gates told the Commission also of his efforts to enlist more supporters for the WPA. He said his eyes fell on Dr Rodney’s personal bodyguard Bonny Skeet, a young man he described as a rogue. Another young man who also “hung” around the office had also fallen into the trap and was providing information on who were the daily visitors to the office. Gates revealed further information, stating that the WPA was procuring for itself arms and ammunition.

He confessed that he was sent by Dr Roopnaraine on several occasions to collect ammunition. He posited that the reason might have been that the party was probably planning some action against the Government, which had become a sore point for the political party. This, however, was never communicated to him directly.

Gates recalled one occasion when Dr Roopnaraine had requested some ammunition. He said this was communicated to his superiors in the Police Force. He said he took the rounds to his superiors who told him that they were going to do “stuff to it, before giving it back to him”. He noted that the rounds were overpacked. Dr Roopnaraine, he said too, was also interested in G3 Submachine guns. He said his superiors took that opportunity to try to kill Dr Roopnaraine.

He said he was instructed to go with Dr Roopnaraine on his trip to Corentyne and offer to demonstrate the use of the gun. He said the plan was for him to fire the first seven rounds then hand over the gun to Dr Roopnaraine. If successful, the plan would have seen Dr Roopnaraine “blowing his head off”. He said Dr Roopnaraine was a good man, so instead of following those instructions, he went home to the Berbice River, where he dumped the machine gun into the river.

(http://www.guyanatimesgy.com/?p=65343)

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