At first, everyone said, “Darron who?” But now that we’ve gotten to know the New Day Progressive Liberal Party’s (PLP’s) candidate for Golden Isles a little better… it seems he’s the one who forgot which political organization he’s representing.

In a headline that could’ve been pulled straight from the Opposition’s press office — “State of Neglect” — The Nassau Guardian reports that PLP candidate Darron Pickstock spent his nomination day describing how the very constituency his own party has represented for over four years has been “ignored” and “neglected.”

Yes, you heard that right. The PLP candidate is campaigning by pointing out how terrible the PLP has been at governing his area. It’s almost poetic — if irony could vote, it’d be in line at the polls right now.

Standing on a rally stage after his nomination at Anatol Rodgers High School, Pickstock declared:

“I am tired of people being ignored… I’m tired of people calling for help and getting excuses… I’m tired of seeing our community wait years for simple things — a fixed streetlight, a paved road, a safe park for kids.”

Powerful words — until you remember that the PLP has been in power this whole time. It’s like a firefighter complaining there’s too much fire while holding the hose.

And then, as if to hammer home the point, he posts photos of himself fixing basketball rims — which, while commendable, raises another question: is that policy now? Should we expect the next PLP candidate to show up with a toolbox and a can of paint?

But let’s not overlook the most awkward part: Golden Isles wasn’t vacant because the PLP lost it — it’s vacant because of the untimely passing of the late Vaughn Miller, a man who represented the PLP in this very constituency. May he rest in peace.

So, when Pickstock says the area has been “ignored,” is he really talking about the opposition? Or is he… throwing the late Vaughn Miller under the bus to make himself look like a reformer?

Has the PLP leadership given him the green light to run over their own record — and their own former MP — in the name of “real progress”? Or will we soon hear that Pickstock “misspoke,” the universal PLP code for “he said the quiet part out loud”?

If this is the strategy — admitting the PLP’s own neglect and blaming it on the departed — then Golden Isles voters might reasonably ask: if this is how they treat their own, how do you think they’ll treat you?

Because if the New Day looks this much like yesterday’s neglect, maybe the sun never actually rose.

END