Speeches by the Prime Minister

The Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP Prime Minister of Jamaica Address to 1st Form Students At Jamaica College On September 3, 2024 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For the next 10 minutes, I will take the mantle of principal. Let me acknowledge the Chairman and the Board of Jamaica College. I am supported here today by Minister Vaz and Minister Williams and indeed, my presence here was meant to be a surprise and I'm happy to say that we did surprise you.  It's a good surprise. Now,  it was not so long ago that I too was making preparations with my mother to go back to school and as I stood this morning at the transportation centre in Half Way Tree observing parents moving about with their children, and just looking at their faces, I could tell there is a sense of pride; my child is going to school, he's going to a school that I wanted him to go to or she's going to her first day in primary school but I could also see  that sense  of lingering concern. The challenge is to get our children back to school.  For some, it's the cost of the uniform and books. For…

Address By The Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP Prime Minister of Jamaica At Press Conference, Cherry Tree Lane, Clarendon On August 14, 2024 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   Good morning, everyone. The brutal killing of 8 innocent Jamaicans which has prompted the government to mobilize all its resources to respond is something that I make a priority and all our security forces, the JCF, JDF, MOCA, our intelligence services; all our security forces have been mobilized in this regard. The deputy prime minister has just given an update on the declaration of a State of Public Emergency for the parish of Clarendon. This is as a result of our analysis of the intelligence available and the very high probability. Indeed, I would go as far as to say, even though it was not said by Acting Commissioner Bailey, attempts at retaliation and reprisals.  As Minister Chang pointed out that when incidents like these have occurred in the past, when you take the accumulated murders that are connected to the initial event, you end up in tens and twenties and thirties, so we are very careful in ensuring that this incident does not spark a string of additional murders and therefore the…

Remarks By The Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP Prime Minister of Jamaica At the Press Conference on Brutal Murders in Cherry Tree Lane, Clarendon On August 12, 2024 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Good morning, everyone. It is indeed a sad day for all Jamaica. First, let me begin by extending my deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those whose lives were brutally snuffed out in this dastardly incident. I feel the pain and share the distress of the families, the loved ones, the communities and indeed the entire Jamaica, and I also pray for the recovery of those who were injured. I stand here today with firm resolve that everyone, and I mean everyone, who was in any way involved in this incident will be brought to justice.  I want to make that absolutely clear. The incident is one which cannot be allowed to stand in any way, lest it become the normal routine of criminals. It is a criminal act.  It is against our laws.  It is an attack on the public order, but I want you to consider for a moment that it goes beyond the victims, it goes beyond the community in which it was…

Keynote Remarks By The Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP Prime Minister of Jamaica At the Official Launch of the Rebuild Jamaica Initiative August 5, 2024 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you, Fae.  The Government of Jamaica has decided to make cash payments as grants to persons whose houses were damaged by Hurricane Ivan.  Instead of using the voucher system, which was previously announced, Minister of Water and Housing Donald Buchanan made a disclosure in the House of Representatives yesterday, October  12th, during his updates on the programme of relief and national reconstruction. Mr Buchanan told the House that having decided on the quantum of assistance for affected persons, our next challenge was to decide on a system of distribution which would ensure as far as possible that the funds allocated were used for the purpose intended. He said on closer examination and with discussions, it was agreed that the voucher system method of payment was not adequate given the present circumstances.  He went on to say while there was the perception that the voucher system provided guarantees against corruption, this had not been the experience since in the past there had been occasions where beneficiaries and suppliers had collaborated to substitute…

Main Address By The Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP Prime Minister of Jamaica At Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial, and Food Show On August 6, 2024 _______________________________________ It is always a pleasure to address our farmers at Denbigh. It is our Independence Day, it's a special day for Jamaica.  We are now  62  years old. Denbigh is a little bit older at 70. The two things are connected because you can't really say that you're independent if you can't feed yourself so our farmers are critical to our independence. In the 70s  we used to use a term called self-reliance. How many of you remember that? Self-reliance, we must rely on our own resources to satisfy our needs. Indeed, self-reliance was a buzzword at that time. Mark Golding would not know that. I'm just teasing the leader of the opposition. Indeed, it was a term championed by Michael Manley.  Yes, sir, I was in short pants then but my father who is still a farmer, would always talk about this self-reliance so from very early in my life I realized the connection between our independence as a people, our pride, our ability to stand on our own, that it is…

Keynote Address By The Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP Prime Minister of Jamaica At Land Title Handover Ceremony – Clifton St Catherine July 30, 2024 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you very much, Madam Master of Ceremonies, for your masterful conduct of the ceremony so far. Clifton is a special place for me. Clifton is an example, Member of Parliament Jackson, of the energy and enterprise of the Jamaican people. I am here today to support that energy and enterprise. Yes, I am prime minister of Jamaica, but I am also the minister of housing and I administer the housing portfolio directly. I spent a lot of time dealing with housing policy, all the issues regarding land settlement, development of communities, social housing, spend quite a bit of time with the private sector trying to ensure that the private sector is a powerful engine of growth and development in housing in Jamaica.  I'm sure you will all agree that housing is expanding rapidly in Jamaica, particularly in the private housing market. We have some developers with us here today and we have developed the Bernard Lodge master plan, which will facilitate the development of private housing.  We have done quite a…

Jamaica to the World, 62 Years of Records and Achievements Gather together, brothers and sisters, we are independent! Today I have the great honour, of wishing my fellow Jamaican brothers and sisters a very Happy 62nd Independence Day! This year the Olympics coincide with our celebrations. On behalf of all Jamaicans, I take this moment to recognize the Jamaican Olympic Team and honour athletes who have been making us proud on the world stage, even before we were an independent nation. I know our current athletes, draped on the colours of our flag, continue the great tradition of giving their best in competition, making us all proud of their accomplishment. As we begin the festivities against the backdrop of a hurricane, we must be mindful that many Jamaicans across the island have been significantly affected and may not be able to enjoy the celebrations as usual. We the God-fearing people of Jamaica, give thanks that we were spared the catastrophe of a direct hit from Hurricane Beryl. As a caring nation and government, we are sensitive to the needs and displacement of those worst affected, and we stand in meaningful solidarity with our brothers and sisters who have lost their…

The Sam Sharpe Rebellion: A Beacon of Resistance Let me tell you a story of how Jamaica changed the world. By 1831, the system of forced labour, mainly through chattel slavery, would have existed in Jamaica and most of the other colonies in the Americas for close to 300 years.  Almost all production of value in the colonies, involved the use of forced and unpaid labour. This meant that all the profit and wealth created in the colonies which went to enrich the European empires, whether from mining of gold nuggets, production of sugar, or domestic work, came from the subsidy that unpaid labour provided. To justify denying labour a share of the profits from production by not paying wages, the enslaved person was dehumanized, and considered the property of the slave master. However, in the heart of our island, amidst the sugar cane fields and the oppressive weight of colonial rule, Sam Sharpe emerged as a beacon of enlightenment. A Baptist deacon, a visionary, and a man of unwavering faith, he challenged the status quo on a fundamental and profound level. With his sermons he elevated the minds of his fellow enslaved by showing them that Christianity did not…

Remarks By The Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP Prime Minister of Jamaica At the Governor General's Independence Reception  On July 25, 2024 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sir Patrick Allen and Lady Allen, Members of the Cabinet, President of the Senate, Chief Justice, President of the Court of Appeal, Members of Parliament, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, good Evening.   First, let me thank His Excellency for allowing us the use of the lawns of King's House to have this very lovely reception to mark the beginning of the celebration of Jamaica's independence and emancipation celebrations. Excellency, I almost thought that you would break out in a dance. I'm very happy to be here this evening to mark the start of the celebrations for our emancipation and independence as I am sure all who are gathered are.  But as we begin the celebrations, we also bear in mind that it is against the backdrop of a hurricane that has affected many Jamaicans across the country in significant ways and they may not be able to enjoy the celebrations as the rest of us may be able to do.  So, as we celebrate our independence, we also bear in mind a thought for those who…