EDITOR, The Tribune.

  The alleged death threat against Free National Movement (FNM) Leader Dr Hubert Minnis (Killarney) in North Abaco may very well be an indication that some hate-mongers in this country would stop at nothing to silence the opposition and put to an end our democratic way of life. Four months after the general elections and the country is still deeply polarized. One of the leading dailies has reported that it is being targeted by hardliners of one of the major political organisations. Obviously something is wrong with The Bahamas. What has happened to democracy and free speech? People should not be afraid to say that they support the FNM or any of the other opposition parties, for that matter.

 Regarding the alleged death threat against Minnis, I wholeheartedly concur with Prime Minister Perry G Christie when he told the Press that there is no place for that in this country. As a free and democratic society, every law-abiding Bahamian citizen has the right to openly express his political views without the fear of being physically, emotionally, psychologically or verbally harmed by anyone. Some Bahamians need to understand that this country is a democracy. The word democracy is defined as the free and equal right of every person to participate in a system of government, often practised by electing representatives of the people by the majority of the people. But there are some in this country who would prefer an apartheid system instead of democracy.

An apartheid is described as a social policy or racial segregation involving political and economic and legal discrimination. Apartheid is an Afrikaans word. It comes from two Dutch words, ''apart'' and ''heid.'' Do we want a country where opposition party supporters are discriminated against? One only has to look at the tragic results of this diabolical system in South Africa from 1948 to 1994.

According to New Testament scholar Gary M Burge, any country that de facto excludes a segment of its society from its national benefits on the basis of race can hardly qualify as democratic. The same thing can be said about a country where opposition supporters are disfranchised because they are opposition supporters. Such a nation cannot qualify as democratic. I long to see the day that Bahamians are judged by the content of their character and not by their political persuasion.

If you support the FNM or the PLP or the Democratic National Alliance, that's your business.  Anyone who thinks that snuffing out the life of any of the leaders of the official opposition party would sound the death knell of the FNM is sadly mistaken. The FNM isn't going anywhere. It is here to stay. Why would anyone want the FNM party to fold up its tent anyway? Why would anyone want every seat in both Houses of Assembly to be occupied by governing party members of Parliament and senators?

When the first leader of the FNM, Sir Cecil Wallace-Whitfield, passed away in 1990 his political organisation which he helped to form in the early 1970s went on to win an important by-election that same year in Marco City and the 1992 general elections. Sir Cecil's death was not the end of the FNM. If anything, the party grew by leaps and bounds. No man is bigger than a party.

The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) is another case in point. The nation recently bid farewell to William "Bill" Cartwright, one of the founding fathers of the PLP. Yet that political organisation continues to dominate our national political landscape, notwithstanding the fact that many of the founders of that party have passed away. If this alleged incident is true, intimidating Minnis or any other FNM official for that matter will in no way, shape or form cause the political pendulum to swing in the PLP's favour in the North Abaco by-election.

I have already given the PLP party the edge in that race for the sheer fact that it is the government of The Bahamas. If the PLP loses, it will be because North Abaconians would have judged the party on its own merits. Threatening the leader of the FNM will not help the PLP to win that contest. And judging from the amount of time and energy the governing party has put into that campaign, a loss could very well portend disaster for the PLP in 2017.

The prime minister must be commended for distancing his party from the person who is alleged to have threatened the leader of the opposition party. We don't want this country becoming a society where political leaders are bumped off by hacks. Because if an individual could threaten or harm a member of Parliament in this country or a leader of a major political organisation, what would he do to persons who are not considered to be prominent citizens of society?

Anyone found guilty of threatening a leader in this country should be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law. Such an individual should be taught a lesson that such behaviour will not be tolerated. As the prime minister said, there is no place for that in this country. There is no room in this country for political intimidation or victimisation or political persecution. There is no place in this country for the apartheid system. Every right thinking Bahamian only wants democracy and freedom of speech.   KEVIN EVANS

Freeport,

Grand Bahama

September 18, 2012.