Jermaine Figueira endorses President Ali’s re-election, urges citizens to reflect on progress

…says “Be guided by what you would have seen”

Former A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Member of Parliament (MP) and Executive Member of PNC/R, Jermaine Figueira, is calling on citizens to reflect on the current PPP/C Administration’s track record and to vote based on vision, performance, and national interest – not party loyalties – he openly backs the re-election of President Irfaan Ali, citing tangible development under his leadership.

Figueira, who recently resigned from the People’s National Congress (PNC) and as an APNU/AFC Member of Parliament, ended weeks of political silence to announce his support for President Ali’s leadership on Saturday.
“September 1st is what could be considered one of the most consequential elections in our history. It’s very important. It will determine the trajectory of Guyana and more so how the people of this country are going to benefit, and therefore the voting experience – the voting exercise of all of the persons who are going to be participating in the process should be one that is guided by what they would have seen and what they would have experienced and not be based on political loyalty or personality because Guyana is at a place where significant transformation is happening,” he advised.
“It is from those observations and my own analysis of the politics of Guyana and where I would like to see my country go forward. I believe President Irfaan Ali – with some of his imperfections, like all leaders; there is no leader in this country who hasn’t erred, and President Irfaan Ali is no exception – but I believe his leadership far outweighs his imperfections. I believe he is committed to the development of this country, and honestly, I believe he wants to see the unification of our people, and therefore I would say right here and now… quite frankly, that I believe Irfaan Ali deserves to be given another chance to be elected to office,” the former MP said.
Figueira, who served 10 years in Parliament and chaired the Public Accounts Committee, has also urged voters to think critically and act responsibly, emphasising the need to “vote with intelligence”, placing country above partisan politics.
Against this backdrop, he offered his full endorsement and active support to President Ali’s re-election campaign.
“My endorsement of him goes beyond rhetoric. I’m going to actively involve myself in his re-election campaign because I think he deserves another opportunity to lead his country. I know it’s a lengthy response, but I think it needed to be said because, like I said, this is a very important election, and therefore people must engage in this process intelligently, and I hope I can offer some of that in my responses to help them make their decision,” he added.
Figueira now joins a growing group of politicians who have thrown their support behind President Ali for a 2nd term in office.
Among those persons who have recently come forward to endorse the PPP are former PNC General Secretary and Opposition Parliamentarian Geeta Chandan-Edmond; Alliance For Change (AFC) Regional Councillor Ismail Muhammad-Al-Cush; and Chairman of the Region Seven division of the AFC, David Daniels.
Additionally, Regional Vice Chairman for Region Four and member of the PNC, Samuel Sandy, has endorsed the PPP. He joined the Executive Member of the PNCR and Region Four Chairman Daniel Seeram, who also endorsed President Ali for a second term.
Former PNCR Central Executive member, Dr Richard Van West-Charles, said he believed that President Ali was the leader Guyana needed now. Dr Van West-Charles is the son-in-law of former President and founder of the PNC, Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham.
In April, former PNC member Thandi McAllister also threw her support behind the PPP.
In 2023, Lance Smith, former General Secretary of the Guyana Youth and Student Movement (GYSM), the youth arm of the PNCR, and former Georgetown Mayor and longstanding PNC member Patricia Chase-Green broke ties with the PNC and joined the PPP to contest the local Government elections.
Additionally, leaders of smaller parties – The Citizenship Initiative (TCI) – Shaz Ally; The New Movement (TNM) – Dr Asha Kissoon; and the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) – Lenox Shuman – have also joined the PPP/C ahead of the 2025 General and Regional Elections.