Is Vaughn Miller Fighting for Political Survival?

Golden Isles Member of Parliament Vaughn Miller announced in the House of Assembly on Wednesday that he will become a member of the Progressive Liberal Party, having left the Free National Movement in 2019 to become an independent candidate.

Miller who is also a pastor of Resurrection Ministries International Church, said he sought consultation with God, his wife and church leaders before he made his decision to join the opposition party.

Miller has offered to run 2022 in the Golden Isles constituency for the PLP, and will now be seated near the opposition in the HOA until the next general election.

Vaughn Miller’s history in Golden Isles

Miller won the Golden Isles constituency in 2017 by 3,374 votes, beating PLP’s Michael Halkitis by 56 percent of the vote.

But when Miller left the FNM in 2019, he lost the support of the area’s association.

The association’s president Brian Brown said Miller was never physically or mentally in the constituency, even before he resigned from the party. “After the firing for him voting against the VAT, things went downhill and that was it.”

Miller was fired as a parliamentary secretary in 2018, after he voted against the increase of Value Added Tax.

Brown said the constituents were disappointed in Miller’s representation, after giving him their full support in the May 2017 election.

Brown has now become the FNM’s candidate for Golden Isles and has began campaigning for the 2022 general election.

Where Miller stands with the PLP? He once called the PLP corrupt

Miller’s career as a politician began in 2017, as his party campaigned against the “inprecedented corruption” of the PLP, as they exposed evidence of financial mismanagement, neligence and nepotism.

As Miller jumped ship to the PLP, a new question arises. What changed about the PLP? The PLP has not yet proven that they have changed and that they can lead the Bahamas . Why now?

Was the switch for political survival? Miller can now be expected to be used as a prop by the PLP.

Miller in his speech during the debate, never gave his reasoning for joining the opposition, only to say he talked with Opposition Leader Philip Davis and that he always desired “to help people.”

“It is time to do what is best for me,” Miller said.

Davis in a press statement, said, “I have been speaking to Miller for some time. I think his experience mirrors that of many Bahamians who wanted to believe the promises made by the Free National Movement in 2017, but who came to realize that his governemnt has neither the intention nor the capacity to keep those promises.”

Chester Cooper described Miller’s switch as a “jubilant day.”

“A glad day, a glorious day as we welcome Miller to the party,” whom he said he always admired.

What’s next for Vaughn Miller?

Miller’s chances of winning in the 2022 as an independent candidate was slim to none, as Bahamians rarely select independent representatives for their constituency.

His chances of winning as a PLP candidate is also slim.

Although Miller offered to run as a PLP candidate for Golden Isles, it is yet to be seen if he is the party’s strongest candidate for the area in 2022.

Will his constituency follow his path to the PLP or will it remain an FNM stronghold in the next general election?

Miller will face an uphill challenge from the FNM candidate for Golden Isles.

Featured Image: The Tribune