December 13, 2012Dear Sir,We must collectively respond to your editorial comments in today’s Royal Gazette. Quite frankly, we are not surprised at this type of journalism — use the boogieman (fear tactics) approach and discredit a real threat to our partial democracy — by using your influence to change public opinion.Clearly, to the contrary, our message is to provide a balanced change in our political process by affording the independent-thinking voter another option. The current two-party system is divisive and polarising, and your attempt to suggest that this is not the time for Independents is a deliberately biased attempt to put the fear of God in the unsure voters who are the real game changers in this whole political process.The ex-United Bermuda Party stalwarts are individuals who live on principle and believe strongly that there is still a place for individualism in our political process. After all this wisdom is provided for in our constitution which provides for three independents in the Senate and appointed the Governor. We, as independent candidates, are only trying to extend this wisdom to also include independents in the House of Assembly to give the people of Bermuda a third voice, instead of the same old two-party system status quo.Your comments on best candidates suggest that we will prevent the best candidate from winning. So, if we read you correctly, you are advocating that criminals and drug individuals in both political parties are the best candidates than independent candidates. Wow! What a slap in the face for independent candidates.Finally, your attempt to influence public opinion does little if, anything, to further and enhance a stronger democracy, in fact, it only perpetuates a continuation of marginalised democracy in order to maintain the status quo for special interest groups.With further regard to marginalisation of democracy we note with interest and disdain the fact that your newspaper sat idly by without indignation, when the UBP was allowed to be dismantled without permitting the rank and file, dues-paying general membership to participate in the decision to finally dissolve the party. That definitely was not democratic and further, without a word of indignation you sat by and allowed the OBA to be formed and operate under a constitution that selects its constituency candidates without permitting the card-carrying constituency membership to participate in the selection of the candidates that will represent this so-called new party. And you were well aware that such a process flies in the face of democracy. Give the independents a break!You have sought out our opinions and responses to your headline stories, only to be selective in your editorial and criticise and demean the character of the majority of independent candidates who are trying to make a real difference in improving our democratic process by offering themselves to be a moderate voice to improve our democracy by giving the people of Bermuda a third option for their voice to be heard in both houses of the legislature.ERWIN P ADDERLEY/DAVID TAVARESIndependent CandidatesPembroke West/Smith’s South