Speeches by the Prime Minister

Address By Dr the Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP Prime Minister of Jamaica At the Commissioning of Mason Hall Water Supply Project On March 28, 2025 ______________________________________________________________ Allow me to do the formalities and recognize the hardest-working Minister of Water, the Honourable Matthew Samuda, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation Allow me as well to recognize your Member of Parliament Robert "Bobby" Montague Allow me to recognize all the other councillors who may be here from the St Mary Parish Council, and I see as well from the St Ann Parish Council who have joined us in celebration, Mr Omar Sweeney, Board Chairman of the Rural Water Supply Limited. Good to see you, Mr Chairman. I was particularly impressed with the performance of the students from the Mason Hall Primary and Infant School, particularly the little ones who did the rendition of 'carry mi ackee go a Linstead market.' And, of course, you, the wonderful people of Mason Hall and let me thank you for the very enthusiastic and robust welcome and greeting. I know that you were so happy to see me, but you are very happy to have the commissioning…

Keynote Address By Dr the Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP Prime Minister of Jamaica At the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for The Nitram of Waterloo Apartments On March 25, 2025 ______________________________________________________________   The Honourable Deroy Chuck, our Minister of Justice, but more importantly for this purpose, the Member of Parliament for this area, Father Richard Brown, for prayers Allow me to acknowledge as well Mr Ryan Parks, Acting Chairman of the Jamaica Mortgage Bank, Anake and Family, Directors of Nitram, Mr Michael Willacy, Senior Vice President, Corporate Banking of Sagicor, Other representatives of the public and private sector who are here. Members of the media. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, it is indeed a good morning.   Today is a reminder that when public purpose meets private initiative, we can deliver real results for the Jamaican people. It is a celebration of what we can achieve together when vision, partnership, and the national strategy align. The Nitram of Waterloo is an example of how my government is leveraging public-private partnerships to transform the Jamaican housing landscape, and I want to begin by commending the key players who brought this project to life, the Martin family: Mrs Sandra Martin and daughters…

Speaking Notes for the Most Honourable Andrew Holness Prime Minister of Jamaica Press Statement: Meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio Wednesday, March 26, 2024  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Good afternoon, It is my great pleasure to welcome United States Secretary of State, the Honourable Marco Rubio, to Jamaica. I have known Secretary Rubio for some time, and I have always been impressed by his deep knowledge and understanding of the region.  Secretary Rubio, we are deeply honoured that you have chosen Jamaica as your first official stop in the English-speaking Caribbean. This visit so early in your term confirms the strength of the historic friendship and strategic partnership between Jamaica and the United States—one built on shared values, democratic ideals, and deep people-to-people ties. Our nations have long been united by a common commitment to freedom, prosperity, and security, and your visit today reaffirms that bond. Today, we engaged in productive and constructive discussions focused on strengthening this partnership and expanding opportunities for collaboration. During our meeting, we addressed several critical areas of cooperation: Security: We reaffirmed our commitment to enhancing cooperation in combating transnational crime, ensuring the collective safety of our citizens and mutually secured borders. We discussed a Global…

Keynote Address By Dr the Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP Prime Minister of Jamaica At the Launch of Infiniti Co-operative Credit Union Jamaica Limited On February 25, 2025 _______________________________________  Executives and members of the Jamaica Cooperative Credit Union, Other special guests, Representatives of the private sector and public sector bodies, Representatives of the media, Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. What a joy and privilege it is to be here with you this afternoon as we celebrate a historic milestone, the official launch of Infiniti Co-operative Credit Union Jamaica Limited. This momentous occasion marks the coming together of two exceptional institutions, Educom Co-operative Credit Union and Gateway Co-operative Credit Union whose shared vision and dedication have given rise to something truly extraordinary.  Infiniti represents more than just a name, it symbolizes limitless potential, boundless opportunities, and a future where every member has the tools to thrive. I might steal that name, Infiniti. Today, we celebrate not just a merger, but the beginning of a new journey, one built on strength, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to financial inclusion and empowerment. As we celebrate this occasion, let us take a moment to honour the rich history of the credit union…

Statement By Dr the Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP Prime Minister of Jamaica At the 48th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM On February 19, 2025 _______________________________________ First, let me say thanks to your government and the people of Barbados for the excellent arrangements and hospitality. My own view, Mayor, is that the meeting went very well. And I join with my brother Irfaan in filing a claim to your Labour Department for having us work till one o'clock in the morning but it was all good for the people of the region and I believe the people of CARICOM can feel confident in the leadership. The issues that were addressed were relevant issues, issues for the development of the region and we grappled with them in real ways to seek solutions. One area of grave concern would be the declared change in US trade policy. Many businesses have reached out, the private sector is indeed concerned. I believe that the posture of CARICOM is that we must be prepared. We can't approach this with any panic, and we should also accept that with these changes, the concern shouldn't only be that there…

Keynote Address By Dr the Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP Prime Minister of Jamaica  at the 2025 National Security Seminar On February 6, 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ We're too late in the year for me to wish you a happy new year, but I wish you, nonetheless.  And I thank our moderator and those who have spoken before me for greeting everyone. This is the third year that I've had the privilege of delivering this keynote at this important seminar and I commend the Office of the National Security Advisor for consistently bringing together the minds working on what is arguably the most pressing national issue.  The theme of this seminar, "Security Without Borders: Aligning Local, Regional, and International Efforts to Build a Resilient Future", encapsulates the fundamental reality that the major security threats we face are not confined to national borders. They are transnational, requiring cooperative and often coordinated solutions that transcend borders, ideologies, and institutional silos. Jamaica, like many of our Caribbean neighbours, faces the acute threat posed by organized crime, which is responsible for the extraordinarily high murder rate with which we have lived for decades. This problem was initially made worse and has been amplified by…

Keynote Address By Dr the Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP Prime Minister of Jamaica At the Jamaica Union Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists Religious Liberty Summit On January 30, 2025 _______________________________________  Protocols have been well established, but allow me to acknowledge the leader of the opposition, our cabinet secretary, ministers, members of parliament, senators who are here, Dr Adlai Blythe, Treasurer of the Jamaica Union of Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Bishop Michael Smith, Chairman of the Jamaica Umbrella Group of Churches, specially invited  Pastor Nelu Burcea from as far as Romania; welcome,  Associate Director of Religious Liberty  Department Adventist World Church,  members of the media, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, all. Allow me to repeat my earlier wish for you, a happy, peaceful, prosperous, productive and victorious 2025. Good morning, and thank you for the opportunity to join you at this important gathering dedicated to advancing religious liberty in Jamaica. I extend my warmest greetings to the leadership and membership of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, as well as to representatives from other faith communities, trade unions, businesses and civil society. It is indeed an honour to address you on this significant occasion as we observe the theme "Fostering Unity: Respecting…

Greetings By Dr the Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP Prime Minister of Jamaica At Heal the Family, Heal the Nation On January 8, 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you, Custos Pitkin. Let me acknowledge my colleagues in the Cabinet, Minister Chuck and Samuda, MP Robert Miller, Mayor Swaby. And allow me to return the wish of blessing to the leader of the opposition and to my good friends Bishop Delford Davis and his wife for putting on and organizing this event. I was reflecting that I've been to possibly more than 10 of these events. It's been a little while and it is always, for me, the best way to start the new year. Allow me to acknowledge Reverend Courtney Gordon, Chairman of the Jamaica Umbrella Group of Churches and other leaders of the faith community, locally and internationally, who are attending this event and to you, the important people in the room, the people who make it happen. As we assemble for the 5th gathering of the National Day of Prayer, we also mark the 19th year of the Heal the Family, Heal the Nation service; this is our fixture on the annual calendar. And as I said, I've…