Political activist and former Democratic National Alliance hopeful Rodney Moncur is one of the most bold and courageous activists this country has ever had.
His is an example of one being able to raise eyebrows in high places without having millions of dollars or without being a successful politician or without having a college education.
The former Workers’ Party leader is in no way, shape or form a master of the Queen’s English, yet he is erudite and commands the attention of thousands of grassroot Bahamians when he opens his mouth.
The past year has been challenging for Moncur. As with the case with all 37 of his fellow DNA candidates, he failed to win a seat in the general election.
I believe Moncur lives in the Bains Town and Grants Town area of Nassau.
This is likely the reason for him being fielded in that community by DNA Leader Branville McCartney.
Moncur went up against the Free National Movement’s John Bostwick II and the Progressive Liberal Party’s Dr. Bernard Nottage.
From what I understand, both Bostwick and Nottage do not live in that community. Yet Nottage gained 2,856 votes and Bostwick got 1,754 votes to Moncur’s paltry 333 votes.
Seeing that he understands the pulse of that community, one would think that Bains Town and Grants Town residents would have at least given one of their very own enough votes to get back his election deposit.
But they didn’t even do that, even though he has fought for years to improve that area through his courageous activism.
In addition to being rejected by the very people he has fought for, Moncur was hauled before the courts for allegedly posting photos of a dead man on his Facebook page and spent a night in Her Majesty’s Fox Hill Prisons after failing to post bail on the day of his arraignment.
That case went before the courts.
And if that was not enough for the activist, his Black Village home was recently destroyed by fire. Moncur believes that the fire was set by an arsonist.
He further claimed to have received several death threats in recent times and that an explosive device was thrown at his home and that his office was destroyed by fire — also the work of an arsonist, says Moncur.
I wonder how many Bahamians really took notice of Moncur’s claims of receiving death threats and of his home being intentionally set on fire.
If his hunch is right, then whomever is responsible for the destruction of Moncur’s home and for issuing the death threats has set a very dangerous precedent in The Bahamas.
This is the first time that I have ever heard of a prominent citizen claiming to have received death threats just for simply challenging the status quo.
The Bahamas has one of the most peaceful democracies in the entire world.
If there is a change of government at election time, the transition is mostly peaceful. We are not accustomed to acts of political violence, as is the case with other nations around the world.
That is why all Bahamians who love democracy should be gravely concerned about Moncur’s troubling claims.
If these people are willing to do this to him, they will do it to others.
Whomever is responsible for threatening Moncur must be caught and punished to the fullest extent of the law.
We cannot sit idly by and allow our peaceful country to degenerate into a republic of fear because of a few thugs who hate true democracy.
K. E.
