By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

MARIA Daxon, the deputy leader of the Coalition of Independents, claimed she inadvertently forwarded a WhatsApp message praising the death of Obie Wilchcombe, but did not author the crass post.

In the widely circulated message, which was originally sent in a WhatsApp group called Voice Your Opinion, the writer declared Wilchcombe’s death “one of the happiest days of my life”.

“The oppressive, dishonest, corrupt and incompetent, dishonourable Obie ‘deadbeat’ Wilchcombe is dead,” said the writer in the lengthy message Ms Daxon posted. “Good riddance, and don’t come back. One of my greatest enemies and oppressors of the poor, sick, needy, fatherless and widows.”

“No one should drop a tear for Obie’s passing. Let us all forget about him so that his filthy name may be blotted out of our remembrance. May he not see any pearly gates, but that he only sees and enters in through the gates of hell.”

According to a screenshot of the WhatsApp group where the message was placed, a user confronted Ms Daxon, saying it was insensitive. Ms Daxon responded by telling the person: “Please don’t you tell me what to do or pass. Are you serious”.

In an interview with The Tribune yesterday, Ms Daxon denied writing the message, but claimed she forwarded it to the group without reading it.

She claimed when she “see certain things and they forward it, I usually copy and I paste and I forward a lot of stuff.”

“I forwarded this message and couple other messages,” she said.

“I forwarded couple things with this.”

“No, I didn’t read over everything I forward.”

Nonetheless, she defended the writer’s right to express the harsh views.

“This is a free country, right? People have the freedom of views,” she said.

“I believe in my constitutional rights, freedom of opinions. And that’s what this is all about. I don’t take glory for anything that nobody says.”