Jermaine Figueira Quits PNCR, Citing Rise in Ethnic Antagonism and Leadership Failures
Antonio Day | HGP Nightly News
Former Member of Parliament and senior member of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Jermaine Figueira, has officially broken ranks with the party, citing profound ideological differences and growing concerns about the party’s direction under current leadership.
In a strongly worded statement to the media on Wednesday, Figueira said his decision was motivated by the PNCR’s apparent tolerance for ethnic antagonism and a troubling shift toward divisive, ethno-political rhetoric.
“What was once a platform for unifying vision now flirts perilously with sectarian dogma. This is not the movement I joined,” he wrote, adding that the abandonment of inclusive nationalism represents a “moral failure.”
Figueira, who formerly chaired the Public Accounts Committee, lamented what he described as a decline in intellectual leadership and the erosion of progressive vision within the PNCR:
“The PNCR was once a vanguard of transformative ideas… Today, it suffers from intellectual inertia and political pettiness.”
He emphasized his unwavering commitment to the people of Region 10 and Linden, pledging to serve the public with integrity and purpose, even outside party lines.
“I remain steadfast in my commitment to the people of Linden and, by extension, the people of Guyana… I do so not with bitterness, but with renewal that we may yet build a politics defined by substance over spectacle.”
At a PNCR press conference on Friday, party leader Aubrey Norton addressed the resignation, stating that Figueira had been invited to join the APNU’s candidates list for the September 1 elections, but had not yet confirmed.
“I have always said there is a place for German Figueira in the PNCR and APNU,” Norton said.
The departure of Figueira is likely to fuel further debate over the PNCR’s internal direction and its readiness to address Guyana’s evolving political landscape.
