The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

SEVERAL Golden Isles residents, including longtime Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) supporters, say they do not want Vaughn Miller to seek re-election, citing broken promises, neglect, and a lack of youth support in the community.

Residents expressed frustration to The Tribune yesterday over what they described as years of decline and unmet expectations.

They said Mr Miller, who now serves as Minister of the Environment, had been underwhelming, even when first elected under the Free National Movement (FNM). Still, they gave him a second chance in 2021 after senior PLP leaders campaigned for him and urged voters to support his re-election.

“I don’t really think it’s fair for him to come back for a third term and to do the same thing,” said a man who identified himself as Tyler, a longtime resident and PLP supporter who once campaigned with Mr Miller. “He have a big post where he’s in charge of environmental, yeah, and, and you can look at the community and see there’s nothing being done inside this community.”

At Bacardi Road Park, residents pointed to broken fences, cracked walls, and overgrown grass as proof of neglect. They said Mr Miller campaigned on promises to fix infrastructure, clear bushes, and build new recreational spaces — none of which, they claimed, had materialised.

Some now refer to the minister by a new nickname: “The lying pastor.”

“They saying he’s a lying pastor, because he telling the people one thing and then showing them another thing, and that doesn’t look good. It doesn’t look good for a man of God,” Tyler said.

He raised safety concerns about uncut roadsides, claiming overgrowth had turned two-way streets into single-lane hazards.

As Minister of the Environment, Mr Miller has largely kept a low profile, with reporters often directing questions to junior minister Zane Lightbourne instead, doubting they will reach him or receive a substantive response.

Some of the frustration surrounding him is not new. Ahead of the 2021 election, several PLP supporters in Golden Isles told The Tribune they feared he would lose the seat for the party. At the time, he admitted he had not been as visible as he wanted to be and acknowledged that transitioning from the Free National Movement to the PLP had posed challenges in serving constituents effectively.

Residents said they feel voiceless under him and now support aspiring FNM candidate Brian Brown, who they claim is more active in the community.

Some lifelong PLP voters said they would rather support Mr Brown than back Mr Miller again.

Jacob, another longtime resident, said people are tired of empty promises. Other men nearby nodded in agreement. One,in a moment of dark humour, remarked that things had gotten so hard under Mr Miller’s watch that he had “almost turned to coke.”

“The people are tired of the MPs pissing on them and telling them it’s rain,” Jacob said. “We can’t fall for these lies anymore. We are fed up.

“Plenty of the young man aren’t working and if you give some of the senior men in the community contracts, it could help feed younger fellows in the community. That’s why a lot of crime is being committed.”

Another resident, who goes by the name Juggle, said he also wants Mr Miller gone. He claimed he struggles every day to make ends meet without a job. He believes the constituency office could play a greater role by providing more supplies and serving as a recreational space for elderly residents.

Residents also renewed calls for a fire station in the constituency, citing the frequency of seasonal fires. They said Mr Miller had once promised to hire locals as forest rangers to monitor the area, but nothing came of it.

“If you’re the MP or in the government, I think that’s one of the most important things that needs to be down here right now,” said one longtime resident who asked not to be named. “But I don’t think he’s the man for the job right now.”

The Tribune also visited residents along Bacardi Road, including members of the Johnson family — said to be the largest in the community and owners of much of the land.

Mr Johnson, a longtime PLP supporter who is partially blind, said Mr Miller has done nothing for their family, despite their loyalty at the polls. He said his niece, who holds a degree in environmental science, and his nephew have both been seeking work, but their appeals for help have gone unanswered.

Their home’s roof is also in need of repairs, but no help has been offered, he said.

“I’ll give (Lincoln) my vote before I vote for him again,” Mr Johnson said.

“From Brave walk him through, that was it. He never even been here and Brave know me personally. I am staunch PLP. I am a general and with Frank Smith, I worked with them for years.”

His relative, known in the area as “Mama” Johnson, also voiced frustration as she drove through the area. When asked about the MP, she had just one word: “Useless.”

“He’s hopeless. That man ain’t making no kind of sense. He’s a waste of time,” she said.

Many PLP supporters in the constituency now favour Economic Affairs Minister Michael Halkitis, the party’s former standard bearer for the area. Mr Halkitis was nominated in St Barnabas during the last election but lost to FNM MP Shanendon Cartwright.