By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

RESIDENTS across Mayaguana, Inagua, Crooked Island, Acklins, and Long Cay want the MICAL constituency to be returned to its former division, saying the five-island seat has left their communities especially forgotten, underdeveloped, and impossible to represent effectively.

From crumbling clinics to neglected airports, residents say decades of decay and dwindling opportunities have made life in the southeastern Bahamas feel like an afterthought. They argue that restoring the old boundaries, which once split the islands into separate constituencies before they were merged, could give their communities better representation.

The call comes after Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper recently discussed the government examining the constituency’s makeup, noting that officials are studying geography and population sizes across the country.

From Acklins to Mayaguana, residents told The Tribune that MICAL’s vast geography alone makes it nearly impossible for one Member of Parliament to stay visible or effective.

“It’s extremely hard work for one person to represent five islands,” said Acklins Chief Counsellor Marvin Campbell. “Sometimes if you want to go from Acklins to Mayaguana, you have to fly through Nassau and that’s supposed to be the same constituency.”

Others echoed that view, saying the strain on resources and travel budgets makes meaningful representation impossible. The MP’s allowance “is hardly anything at all to share between five islands,” Mr Campbell said, adding that even small upgrades like a park or bus shelter “eat up the funds”.

Long-time Crooked Island resident Timothy Thompson, 69, said the existing boundaries ignore the natural geography of the southern Bahamas. “When God created the geography of this place, it was Acklins, Crooked Island and Long Cay and that was a good fit,” he said.

Residents say that lack of funding is visible everywhere. Government buildings leak when it rains, docks are in disrepair, and some airports are so rundown that locals say they are embarrassed when tourists visit.

Mayaguana chief councillor Vincent Murphy said his community depends heavily on local government funding, which often runs out before the end of a financial cycle. “Sometimes the money run out and we have to wait two or three months to get funds,” he said. “It’s one of the only islands where, on a Friday, there’s not a payday.”

For many, the frustrations are not just about geography but about the sense of being left behind by successive governments. Inagua resident Ken Rolle said the island’s government offices have been operating out of rented space since a hurricane destroyed the old complex years ago. “The administrative building was destroyed in a hurricane years ago and never repaired,” he said. “The government rents space from the salt company for offices and the courthouse. He said “the government now rents space from the salt company for offices and the courthouse,” calling this a “disgrace.”

Despite being home to Morton Salt — one of the country’s oldest industrial operations — residents say Inagua has become a one-company town. “Nothing has changed under any government,” Mr Rolle said. “The same promises, the same neglect — we just want someone to pay attention.”

On Mayaguana, resident Iris Charlton described her island as “one of the most neglected out of the five”. She supports a split, saying a smaller constituency would make it easier for MPs to focus resources. “Our roads are full of potholes, the clinic and police station are run down, and the mosquitoes are eating us alive,” she said. “The island has not grown in terms of economics in over 20 years.”

Ms Charlton noted that while Mayaguana’s population has remained relatively stable, opportunities for young people have not, forcing many to leave.

Businessman Henry Rolle, also from Acklins, said splitting the constituency could spur development by making budgets more manageable. “If a candidate wants to catch a plane and come to Acklins, he can’t serve Crooked Island off that one plane,” he said. “When you have $100,000 or $250,000 to split between five islands, how far can that go? If you change the boundary, each could focus on their own area — it would benefit us.”

Not everyone believes dividing the seat will make a big difference. Former Crooked Island chief councillor Kirkwood McKinney said the population across all five islands has declined so sharply that two constituencies may no longer be viable. “Since the change was made, the population in Crooked Island has declined drastically,” he said. “There’s only four or five persons living in Long Cay, and the populations in Inagua and Mayaguana have gone down. So my question is, what’s the justification? If we’re talking about numbers, we definitely don’t have them.”

He recalled that the islands were first joined in the late 1990s because each lacked enough voters to meet the minimum threshold for representation. He noted that at one point the total population of the islands was under 3000, but has since dropped nearly below 2000.

Mr McKinney, who has served more than 15 years in local government, believes the greater problem is economic stagnation and migration. “Job opportunity is scarce,” he said. “That’s the major factor for the young people leaving school. What we need is investment and private-sector support, not more boundary lines.”

Inagua resident Scott Nixon shared that view, warning that splitting the constituency would not fix the region’s long neglect. “Right now, we are MICAL and we can’t get the attention of the government to do anything for us,” he said. “You can imagine how bad it’ll be if it’s two constituencies.”

Still, others believe change — any change — could bring a new sense of urgency. “Every MP will have a budget and would only have to share between two islands,” said Mr Rolle of Acklins.

For those on Long Cay, where just a handful of elderly residents remain, the concern is more basic. “Sometimes you don’t see anyone come here at all,” said Kenneth Farquharson. “If the weather bad or the plane don’t come, we might as well don’t exist.”

The old government buildings on Long Cay are shuttered, the clinic closed, and the post office silent. “We ain’t leaving,” Mr Farquharson said. “But we just wish people would remember Long Cay still here.”