Speeches by the Prime Minister

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…

Keynote Address By The Most Honourable Andrew Holness, ON, PC, MP Prime Minister of Jamaica At the Jamaica Government Pensioners Association AGM On July 17, 2024 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ladies and Gentlemen, it is indeed a pleasure for me to address you this morning.  And as I sat and listened to the report and to the questions that were generated from the report, I must say that I was very impressed by the level of management and organization of this grouping, but it also struck me that Jamaica has an incredible repository of talent in our retirees. It is untapped, but if we could find a way to utilize it, it could be quite useful for the society.  And I was giving some thoughts to how this could be done, and I may share a few of them as they mature in rumination. Before I start my presentation, however, I must acknowledge the impact of the recent hurricane, hurricane Beryl, and I trust that all our pensioners were spared any significant damage. And indeed, that none of our pensioners lost their lives as a result of this hurricane. Beryl has left a significant impact on many of our communities, particularly St Thomas,…

Main Address By The Most Honourable Andrew Holness, ON, PC, MP Prime Minister of Jamaica At the Contract Signing of St Catherine Divisional Headquarters On July 23, 2024 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thank you very much, Superintendent Lindsay, for your mastery of the ceremony. Allow me to acknowledge the Honourable Minister of National Security And the Honourable Minister of Gender, Entertainment, Culture and Sports who is the Member of Parliament for the area that will largely benefit from this police station. The Honourable Juliet Cuthbert Flynn, who is the Minister of State in the Ministry of National Security. Ambassador Alison Stone Roofe, our Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security. Dr Kevin Blake, our Commissioner of Police Mr Peter Melhado, Chairman of the West Indies Home Contractors Limited and other members of the WIHCON team. Other specially invited guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, this is indeed a good morning for Jamaica. Today marks a significant step in our ongoing journey toward a safer, more secure Jamaica and as we gather to sign this contract we also bear in mind that there are several other projects of this nature, of this magnitude which we have already signed contracts for, we are out of ground…

Keynote Address By The Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP Prime Minister of Jamaica At the 10th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference On June 18, 2024 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First, allow me to adjust the mic to the appropriate height. You will agree with me that the mastery of the ceremony has been excellent so far. Dervon is one of our premier hosts  and he does an excellent job. Not many people know that the Leader of the Opposition and myself share a birth month which is coming next month but maybe that's all we share. Marky? No, that's how we do it.  And that's how we should do it. A sheer force of nature in foreign affairs, that's just how I have to describe my Minister of Foreign Affairs Senator the Honourable Kamina Johnson Smith. And the Honourable Alando Terrelonge. Just as an aside, Jamaica has two languages, our Patois and English, but as the world expands and we realize our place in the world,  we really should  have other languages, which more of our population would be articulate in.  It's very important, the more that I travel, the more I engage in international affairs, you see it is an indispensable…

Remarks By The Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP Prime Minister of Jamaica At the Launch of Building Jamaica Better Fund; Hurricane Beryl Relief Coordination Committee On July 8, 2024 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today should not be a day of too many formalities, but since I have the Honourable Michael Lee Chin here, I will acknowledge him with his full formal title, but generally we just say Mike. And of course, the Members of the Cabinet who are here with us, our permanent secretaries and members of the private sector. I'm seeing the president of the PSOJ, Metry Seaga here and other members of civil society who have joined us. Mike tried to give you an assessment as to what the cost of the hurricane could be. I'm not in a position to do that just yet. We have varying estimates, but I'm certain that if agriculture were to give you what their full estimate is versus what the utility companies would give versus what health would give, it would be far more than the damage brought on us by Gilbert.  It's a different kind of damage that hurricane Beryl caused. Certainly, there is more to damage now than then and…

Main Address By The Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP Prime Minister & Minister of Economic Growth and Job Creation At MEGJC General Staff Meeting On June 26, 2024 __________________________________________________________________ I promise you I will serve you a feast of information  that you will leave here filled  with nutritious facts and tidbits sumptuous information that you will chew into and the good thing about what I will serve up, is that you won't put on any weight.  It's exercise for the brain and hopefully you will leave here motivated  to do even greater things. So first of all, let me acknowledge our...I didn't realize she was such a motivational speaker, she grabbed the mic on went down onto the floor showing me up so I may very well have to do that and then, of course, our two ministers Minister Mathew Samuda and Minister Morgan,  who are like my left and right hand in the ministry  to get things done.  And then to you, the loyal, committed, hardworking, faithful staff of the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation. If you didn't fit into any of those categories,  then see me later. It is my pleasure to address the…

National Address By The Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP Prime Minister of Jamaica About the Preparation for Hurricane Beryl On July 2, 2024 ______________________________________________________________   My fellow Jamaicans, Huricane Beryl maintains its path to impact Jamaica early tomorrow morning.  In an Emergency Meeting of Caricom Heads this morning, we were briefed on the destructive impact of the hurricane on our Eastern Caribbean sister islands. We expressed our solidarity and willingness to support, even as we make our own preparations. Jamaica must take this hurricane seriously! Early this morning, the Cabinet reviewed our plans to manage the threat of the hurricane, and a caucus of Parliament was also briefed on our state of readiness and provisions for emergency response. In this regard, the government has made a special allocation of $5m per constituency to assist with emergency cases for food and building supplies through the CDF. After careful review of the trajectory of the storm, the likely strength and impact, the potential threats emanating, and having been notified in writing by the Minister responsible for Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, I am now declaring the whole of Jamaica to be a Disaster Area, in accordance with Section 26 of…