Madam Speaker,
Today, we pay tribute to two Bahamian giants: two men who loved their country and demonstrated their love through acts of service that uplifted those around them.
Though we mourn their passing, we celebrate what they were able to achieve during their time on this earth, and it is now up to us to carry on their legacies.
Tribute to Vaughn Miller
Madam Speaker,
The shock has still not subsided when it comes to the loss of our friend and colleague, Vaughn Miller.
His passing has left a void that will not easily be filled.
He was a fellow family island boy whose values were shaped by that early experience – values like faith, family, community, and service above self stuck with him throughout his life.
Many Bahamians first came to know him through his voice on the radio. For nearly two decades, from 1986 to 2005, he worked at the Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas. He led the ZNS-1240 AM gospel station, and his powerful, distinctive voice became a fixture in Bahamian homes.
People loved Vaughn Miller because he knew how to encourage, motivate, and lift spirits.
His voice carried conviction.
He used that platform, not to elevate himself, but to speak truth, offer hope, and demand accountability.
Of course, he was much more than a broadcaster. He was a man of God.
Decades ago, he founded Resurrection International Tabernacle Ministries and served as its Senior Pastor until his death.
But his ministry was not confined to Sunday mornings. For him, it was a way of life.
He carried compassion into every space he entered. He saw his calling, not as an opportunity to lead but as an opportunity to serve and lift up the marginalized, the downtrodden, and the voiceless.
As a man of many talents and areas of expertise and leadership, he was also a trade unionist and social activist.
He founded The Vision Group Ltd. in 2001, a motivational organization dedicated to impacting and influencing the lives of young people, encouraging them to maximize their potential and fulfill their purpose.
If we stopped here, this list of accomplishments is more than enough to demonstrate a life well lived.
But Vaughn Miller wasn’t done serving.
In 2017, he entered frontline politics when he was first elected as Member of Parliament for Golden Isles, serving as Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Social Services.
In 2020, he joined the Progressive Liberal Party, believing that this Party, at its best, represented the values he lived by. Of course, at the time of his passing, he served as the Member of Parliament for the Golden Isles Constituency and as Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources.
As a Cabinet Minister, he carried our country’s message to the world: that we are stewards of God’s creation, and that protecting our land and waters is not a choice but a duty.
He signed landmark agreements, including a Memorandum of Understanding with the Bahamas Sports Fishing & Conservation Association and the Environmental Defence Fund to map marine nursery systems across The Bahamas. This initiative is transforming our understanding of our ecosystems and setting a new standard for evidence-based environmental management.
In the House of Assembly, Vaughn Miller was a man of principle.
He took stands that were not always popular, and he often voted according to his conscience. That cost him politically at times, but it earned him respect.
People believed him, even when they disagreed with him, because they knew he was sincere.
In Cabinet, he offered counsel that was wise and grounded. He did not speak for the sake of speaking. But when he did speak, his words carried weight.
Vaughn Miller’s life was defined by service. He never used his platforms to elevate himself. He used his platforms to uplift others.
Whether behind the microphone, in the pulpit, in the union movement, or in this Chamber, he had one mission: to advocate for people and stand up for those who felt they had no one to stand for them.
With all that he had on his plate, he was also a devoted husband and a proud father. He did not let his work on the grand and big things he was doing professionally interfere with his duty to love and care for his home. That is a testament to his values and the things he truly held up as important in life.
As we reflect on his life, we would all do well to learn from his examples of service above self, speaking truth to power, placing conscience before convenience, and leading with humility and faith.
On behalf of my family, the Cabinet and Government of The Bahamas, as well as the people of Cat Island, Rum Cay, and San Salvador, I extend our deepest condolences to Cassandra and the entire Miller family. May they find comfort in knowing that Vaughn lived a life of purpose, guided by faith, and dedicated to his country.
And may we, as a Parliament and as a people, honour his legacy by remaining true to the values that he fought for and lived by.
Tribute to Dr. Norman Gay
Madam Speaker,
Today, we are also here to honour the life and legacy of Dr. Norman Gay, a man whose service to our nation spanned medicine, politics, sports, and community. He was a true pioneer who leaves behind a legacy that will endure for generations.
Dr. Gay was a son of San Salvador, another Family Island boy, who made significant contributions to our nation.
In 1973, just nine days after Independence, Dr. Gay made history by becoming the first Bahamian to win an election in an independent Bahamas. He won the Bain Town constituency with an overwhelming 92 percent of the vote, succeeding Sir Milo Butler.
From that moment, Dr. Gay dedicated himself to building an independent Bahamas.
As the longest-serving Minister of Health from 1984 to 1990, Dr. Gay’s vision transformed our healthcare landscape.
He spearheaded a grant-based research initiative that produced a comprehensive 40-volume plan for health in our country.
He created the Bahamas AIDS Secretariat at a time when the world was grappling with a crisis that many did not yet understand.
And he led the creation of a nursing school that became the nursing programme at what is now the University of The Bahamas, ensuring that Bahamians would be trained to care for Bahamians.
But Dr. Gay’s influence extended far beyond our shores. As Chairman of the Pan-American Health Organization and as a presenter at the World Health Organization, he carried The Bahamas’ voice to the world stage.
He was a pioneer in every sense.
Long before our country recognized the risks posed by poor diets, unhealthy lifestyles, and non-communicable diseases, Norman Gay was sounding the alarm.
He was a voice crying in the wilderness, urging us to embrace preventative care rather than merely treating diseases.
Through his work at the Bahamas Anti-Aging Medical Institute, he promoted a holistic approach to health that was truly ahead of its time.
Of course, his contribution went far beyond health and medicine.
As Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture from 1990 to 1992, he guided the Boxing Act through Parliament, establishing the Bahamas Boxing Commission, which he later chaired.
He was a champion bodybuilder and an exceptional volleyball player who served as president of the Bahamas Olympic Committee, the Bahamas Confederation of Amateur Sports, the Bahamas Bodybuilding Federation, the Caribbean Bodybuilding Federation, and the Bahamas Volleyball Federation.
As much as he contributed locally and regionally to the field of medicine, you could convincingly argue that his contributions to sports were equally significant.
In 2013, during our nation’s 40th anniversary of independence, Dr. Gay was inducted into the National Sports Hall of Fame, in recognition of his dual contributions as both an athlete and policymaker.
What made Dr. Gay truly exceptional was that he never separated his roles. Whether he was a physician, a minister, an athlete, or an administrator, his work was guided by the same philosophy of prevention, empowerment, and education.
He believed that any system is doomed to fail unless we help people take responsibility for their own health and well-being.
With such a brilliant mind, Dr. Gay could have practiced medicine anywhere in the world after completing his education, but, as a true patriot, he chose to return home. And he never once felt that choosing The Bahamas limited his prospects. He demonstrated that he could thrive anywhere. And for more than three decades, he placed his skills at the complete disposal of his people.
The tributes that poured in from across the political divide upon his passing speak to the respect he commanded. He was the true definition of a nation builder and a servant leader.
Dr. Gay served in the clinic and in the Cabinet.
He served on the volleyball court and in the halls of international health organizations.
In every arena, he pursued the same mission to help people live better, healthier, more fulfilling lives; and he lived a life that could serve as the ideal example of what a healthy and fulfilling life actually looks like.
On behalf of the Government and people of The Bahamas, I extend our deepest condolences to Dr. Gay’s family and to all who knew and loved him. May his pioneering spirit continue to inspire us. We will continue to build on the foundation he left for us.
Thank you, Madam Speaker.