By EARYEL BOWLEG 

Tribune Staff Reporter 

ebowleg@tribubemedia.net

THE country was stunned yesterday by the sudden death of Environment and Natural Resources Minister Vaughn Miller, 64, who collapsed without warning in the early hours of the morning, becoming the second sitting Cabinet minister to die during the Davis administration.

Police said Mr Miller, the MP for Golden Isles, collapsed on Hawkins Hill around 1am. CPR was administered before he was taken by private vehicle to Doctors Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. No foul play is suspected. An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.

Cabinet colleagues rushed to the hospital in the early hours as news spread. Condolences poured in from across the political divide, with tributes highlighting Mr Miller’s faith, character and service.

His brother, Bradley Miller, said the two last spoke at a cousin’s funeral in Grand Bahama the previous weekend. He believed his brother was in good health and unaware of any major medical issues, though later learned he had complained of chest pains and undergone inconclusive tests.

Former Tall Pines MP Leslie Miller, who helped Mr Miller with his re-election campaign, recalled that the minister had spoken of chest pains for months. “I think he might have been sick all the time and hide it, you know. I don’t know,” he said. “I just got off the phone from a friend who told me that he, one day he almost fell out at the airport with him, and he had to give him some Aspirin. He didn’t know what is wrong.”

Mr Miller’s death has significant and immediate political implications. Under the Parliamentary Elections Act, a by-election must be held within 21 to 30 days of a writ being issued, sending some voters to the polls at a time when a general election must be called within the next year. Already there is chatter about what strategy Prime Minister Philip Davis may adopt in light of this development, and whether it could affect his calculus on when to call the general election.

Golden Isles is regarded as a swing constituency, with a history of flipping between the PLP and FNM. Political observers will likely treat the by-election result as an early referendum on the Davis administration’s standing and a signal of what may lie ahead in the national vote.

Names circulating yesterday as top PLP contenders included Senator Darren Pickstock and Joe Johnson, chairman of the party’s Men’s Branch. The FNM has already ratified Brian Brown as its candidate for the general election, and he is expected to be the party’s standard bearer in the by-election as well.

Mr Davis, who is out of the country, said he and his wife were “lost for words” over the loss of Mr Miller. “Our country has lost a man whose life was dedicated to lifting others,” he said in a statement, noting Mr Miller’s career as a pastor, broadcaster, trade unionist and social activist. “His voice may now be silent, but the example he leaves behind will echo for generations.”

Zane Lightbourne, Minister of State for the Environment, described Mr Miller as a respected national voice. “Vaughn was not only a friend and a colleague, he was also my family,” he said. He was a respected national voice and a family man of strong Christian faith. While coming to terms with this loss, I take comfort in knowing that Vaughn loved God and served his community and country with diligence.”

Opposition leader Michael Pintard called him a man of faith, a devoted husband, and a decent family man. “Though large in stature, Vaughn remained soft spoken and approachable — and unfailingly sought common ground despite political differences,” he said.

Mr Miller entered frontline politics in 2017 as the Free National Movement’s candidate for Golden Isles. He was fired as a parliamentary secretary in 2018 after voting against the Minnis administration’s

VAT increase and resigned from the FNM in 2019. He joined the Progressive Liberal Party the following year, citing his principles and disillusionment with government decisions, including the controversial Town Centre Mall lease.

A cancer survivor, he said the disease strengthened his resolve to stand by his convictions. He later served as environment minister in the Davis administration.

Mr Miller had recently indicated he would not seek re-election in 2026, citing a desire to spend more time with his young son, who lives in the United States with his wife.

His decision to step away from frontline politics also came as some PLPs in his constituency expressed a desire for a different candidate.

His death comes nearly two years after the sudden passing of Social Services, Information and Broadcasting Minister Obie Wilchcombe in September 2023, which triggered a by-election in West End, Grand Bahama and Bimini. In the November 2023 West End election, the PLP retained the seat when Kingsley Smith captured 2,150 votes to the FNM’s Ricardo Grant with 1,276— a margin of 874.

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An earlier print edition carried an incorrect photograph of Mr Miller. An image of Basil McIntosh was published in error, and we apologise to Mr Miller’s family and colleagues, Mr McIntosh's family and colleagues and our readers.