By LAMECH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

A FORMER Democratic National Alliance candidate believes that opposition political parties must put aside their egos for the greater good of the country if they wish to defeat the governing PLP in the next general election.

The statement by Rodney Moncur, the former DNA candidate for Bain and Grants Town, follows on the heels of the Free National Movement’s convention when Dr Hubert Minnis was re-elected leader of the party over former Deputy Leader Loretta Butler-Turner.

Mr Moncur recently left the DNA to join the FNM.

Now that the hotly contested race is over, party officials have called on FNMs to be unified.

Mr Moncur, who was present at Friday’s convention, told The Tribune yesterday that the country “needs a united opposition force.

“I don’t believe the PLP can be defeated unless the FNM strongly reconsiders the DNA and Branville McCartney factor,” he said.

“I’m excited to join the FNM at a point in time where a new generation of leaders have been chosen. I hope I’ll be able to play my role within the party,” said Mr Moncur, who added that “unity” was his reason behind joining the FNM.

In May of this year, then FNM Deputy Chairman Dr Duane Sands told The Tribune his party needs to reach out to DNA supporters, whom he believes are former FNMs.

Mr Moncur said yesterday that he, Roscoe Thompson and Nicholas Jacques, DNA candidates for South Abaco and Englerston respectively, have decided to rejoin the FNM.

He said others from the DNA were likely to do so in the near future.

While he declined to elaborate further on what prompted his departure from the third party, he emphasised that “now is the time for emotionalism and egos to be set aside on both sides and for core strong principles to become the guiding light for every member of this united opposition”.

“The DNA can put up a fight and they did so in the last general election,” he added.

“The DNA lost. Branville McCartney who had won the Bamboo Town seat under the FNM was not able to hold onto his seat and was defeated. All of us who ran with him were defeated. And though the FNM only won nine seats, they had only lost the election by a minority amount of votes.”

In the May 2012 general election, the PLP won 29 of the 38 seats in parliament while the FNM secured only nine.

Though figures released by the Parliamentary Registration Department showed the PLP received 75,806 votes while the FNM secured 65,518 votes – a difference of 10,288. The DNA, despite not securing any seats in the House of Assembly, received 13,186 votes.

The PLP later captured the North Abaco seat in a bye-election after former area MP Hubert Ingraham resigned from the position.