Figueira declares that “blind loyalty” is ending as PPP gains momentum in Linden

– says “I feel valued, I feel respected… I come to you with only the truth”

In a fervent address at the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) public meeting in Linden on Sunday, former A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament and ex–People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R) executive, Jermaine Figueira, claimed that the growing wave of support for the PPP/C in Linden is disrupting traditional political strongholds and instilling a sense of unease within the APNU camp.

“I feel valued, I feel respected, I am part of something great. I am part of a team that is putting the people and this country first,” Figueira said to rousing applause during the PPP/C’s public meeting in the mining town of Linden.
Speaking in his first address at a PPP/C public meeting since leaving the PNC/R, the Lindener said: “Linden, I come to you with no mask, I come to you with only the truth. This election is about competence, experience, vision and the ability to deliver.”
In a historic first appearance at a PPP/C platform in his hometown, Figueira, who once served as PNC/R Region 10 Chairman and Regional MP, signalled a dramatic political shift in one of the country’s most symbolically important opposition strongholds.
Region 10, traditionally aligned with the PNC/R and now APNU, saw a sea of red as PPP/C supporters turned out in large numbers, signalling what Figueira described as a breaking of “blind loyalty,” racial rhetoric, and “fear-mongering.”
“They will call you all sorts of names. They will want to embarrass you. Shame you and make you feel bad because you want your life and that of your family to be better,” Figueira told the crowd. “They are afraid that you will break the back of what they depend on: blind loyalty, party rhetoric of race voting and fear mongering… They are afraid that you will vote intelligently.”
Figueira praised President Dr Irfaan Ali’s leadership as “unmatched, unprecedented and incomparable,” urging Region 10 residents to “vote solidly” for the PPP/C on September 1. He hailed the administration’s investments in roads, agriculture, housing and sports infrastructure as evidence of real transformation, not marginalisation.
“This is not discrimination, this is development,” he said. “This is not marginalisation, this is transformation.”
Minister of Foreign Affairs Hugh Todd also spoke, calling on supporters to “stay focused” and emphasising that no other party “can compete with us on policy or ideas.”
“We are on the right track to paradise and we aren’t stopping,” Todd said. “We bring value and you know it. No other party demonstrated that they can run this country and bring stability and prosperity to your lives.”