By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party leader Philip “Brave” Davis said criticism of Golden Isles MP Vaughn Miller does not “go to the root of whether he will be nominated or not.”

He was speaking to reporters after touring the new Macfit360 facility near Cable Beach yesterday.

Sources have told The Tribune that Mr Miller is favoured to get the nomination in Golden Isles.

The likely nomination has been heavily criticised by some PLP supporters and residents of the constituency.

“The negative views don’t go to the root of whether he will be nominated or not,” Mr Davis said when asked about the matter. “Whether he will be nominated or not is a question that will be made by the Candidates Committee based on the fact, first of all, that he is now an incumbent, secondly, that he meets what we need for that particular constituency. I know him to be a man of compassion. He is a caring individual. Those are the qualities that we are looking for in candidates so he meets those criteria.”

Mr Davis said the negative views, which have been expressed through the media and a petition, “just demonstrate the robust democracy we have in our party”.

“There are always views being expressed, some are passionate, not passionate but I don’t think Vaughn Miller has anything to concern himself about because it’s the process,” he said. “Once you engage in a democratic process, you will have views being expressed, some hurtful, some not hurtful but at the end of the day democracy will prevail.”

Mr Miller admitted to The Tribune earlier this month that he has not been as visible a parliamentarian as he would have liked.

“In terms of going throughout all the constituency, that has been a challenge,” he said. “It’s a very big constituency. Have I been as visible as I wanted to be? No. And of course, the process of moving from FNM to PLP was challenging because being in the governing party puts you in a more favourable position to assist people. Once you’re no longer in that group, everything changes and that’s one of the consequences of moving.”

Many PLP supporters in the constituency favour the party’s previous standard bearer Michael Halkitis, but Mr Halkitis has been nominated to run in St Barnabas this cycle.

The Free National Movement’s candidate in the area is Brian Brown, a Coral Harbour resident and the chairman of the party’s constituency branch since 2010.

Mr Brown recommended Mr Miller for the constituency in 2017 after Kenyatta Gibson withdrew his candidacy.

Mr Miller resigned from the FNM in December 2019 and joined the PLP last September.

Mr Davis could not say yesterday when the PLP will have its next ratification exercise.

However, he said: “By (the) end of next week we should have all done.”

The party has ratified 18 candidates for the next general election so far.