Swearing In Ceremony for Senators and Members of Parliament
Remarks
By
Dr the Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP
Prime Minister of Jamaica
At the
Swearing In Ceremony for Senators and Members of Parliament
On
September 18, 2025
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Thank you, Madam Speaker, and my congratulations on your election to the seat of Speaker of this House.
It is with profound humility and renewed resolve that I rise to address this honourable House on this historic day. The swearing-in of the newly elected Members of Parliament and the swearing in of the members on this side who will form the government for a third consecutive third. Today is a reaffirmation of the mandate given by the people, a recommitment by all of us in this House to service and a solemn reminder of the weight of responsibilities that rest upon us all.
First, Madam Speaker, I give thanks to the Almighty who continues to guide our steps as individuals. But more so as a people without his providence and mercy, neither I nor any member seated here today could have reached this moment.
I extend gratitude to the people of West Central St Andrew who have sent me here, but to the people of Jamaica who have participated in the Democratic process, whether or not they voted for me, that they have participated is the important thing. It is they who have established the government.
Of course, Madam Speaker, I express gratitude to you and the rest of my family. And indeed, to my colleagues in the Jamaica Labour Party, the tireless campaigners, workers and supporters who have kept faith with our mission, vision, and movement.
Honourable Members, whether you sit on the government benches or on the Opposition side, let us never forget that we are here, not for ourselves, but for Jamaica. Each of us sent here by the people to carry their concerns, to amplify their aspirations, and to frame into law and policy the hopes and dreams of all our citizens.
Madam Speaker, I extend congratulations to all members on both sides, those who have been re-elected and particularly to those who are newly elected. Allow me to welcome the newly elected members to the House.
Just yesterday, I stood before the nation at King’s House and pledged to serve with vision, wisdom, and integrity in the third term of our government. Today, as we inaugurate the new parliament, the themes remain, but the setting gives fresh weight for it is here within these walls that vision must be translated into legislation, that wisdom must be sharpened through debate, that integrity must be lived out in the decisions and in the actions we take.
Together, over the last nine years, we have walked a long road, as the leader of the Opposition pointed out. We have halved the national debt, restored fiscal stability, created historic levels of employment and halved poverty. We have built new infrastructure, increased wages, invested in health, education, and we have halved murders in this country, and we have brought crime down to 30-year lows. Yet, as I’ve said before, today is not about resting on our laurels. This new parliament is charged not with maintaining the status quo, but with advancing to a higher plane of national development.
Madam Speaker, for too long Jamaica has struggled with the legacy of insecure land tenure and informal settlements. Generations of Jamaicans have lived, farmed and built on land without the security of a title limiting their ability to access credit, pass on wealth, or invest with confidence. Informal settlements have multiplied often without proper infrastructure or services, creating conditions of disorder and vulnerability. This is why I’ve appointed a minister without portfolio within the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development with specific responsibility for land titling and settlement.
Land titling is not simply about paperwork. It is about reducing urban blight, enabling community upgrading, and ensuring that every new home rests on firm ground- not on sand or in a swamp, but on the firm ground of legality and security. Formalization also has a deeper meaning. Communities without a clear ownership are more prone to criminal exploitation while communities with secure tenure are more invested in order stopping criminals from operate. Formalization through land titling strengthens the rule of law at the community level giving residents a stake in order and reducing the likelihood of their community being used as a safe haven for gangs. In this way, housing and land titling are not just economic policies, they are violence reduction strategies.
To signal the priority of violence reduction, the Ministry of National Security is now the Ministry of National Security and Peace. This reflects our conviction that the task before us is not simply to enforce law and order, but to build the conditions for lasting peace. I’m happy that the leader of the opposition in his presentation pointed out, as I pointed out several times in this House, that Jamaica has had several successes in its development. One that I’m particularly proud of is that we have managed to eliminate political violence from our society. It’s a major achievement, and it was done in a cooperative way. I believe that this generation of leaders also has the capability to eliminate social violence from our society. So while homicides have fallen to levels not seen in decades, we must address the underlying conditions that cause and sustain violence and the new Ministry of National Security and Peace will be focused jointly with other ministries on ensuring that, once and for all, we tackle this issue of social violence.
The work to reduce crime is not only about saving lives, it is about changing the entire trajectory of the country. Every murder prevented is not just a life saved, but a community stabilized, an investor reassured, a professional encouraged to stay, a business able to expand. Madam Speaker, we are already seeing this peace dividend occur. The Member of Parliament for Central Kingston is a witness to the peace dividend in his constituency when he can point to certain developments taking place. So too the Member from East Kingston and Port Royal, where he can point to certain residential developments taking place. Once we establish peace, our economy will grow. I see the Member from Western St Andrew also pointing out that there are developments taking place.
Madam Speaker, for the first time in decades, Jamaica is no longer the most homicidal country in the Latin American and Caribbean region. This is a major change. This is progress, but it must not be a passing phase. The decline must be sustained as we not only root out the gangs, but also transform the communities where they once had safe havens. By removing their habitat and changing the conditions, volatile communities and indeed all of Jamaica can become safer and more prosperous. Indeed, Jamaicans will be able to sleep with their windows and doors open.
It is an ambition, an aspiration from which we must not resile. As we succeed in driving down murders and we seek to reap the peace dividends, we’re seeing increased investments as capital flows into safer, more predictable communities and environment, businesses can look forward to higher profits as they are no longer burdened with extortion and the high cost of security, but most importantly, peace and a reduction in crime encourages our best and brightest to remain here in Jamaica. It reduces the brain drain and secures the human resources necessary for the development of the country.
This parliament must therefore see violence reduction as central to our economic future. It is not a matter of security alone. It is key to unlocking our prosperity, and therefore, when it comes to the strategies for violence reduction, I again call for a non-partisan, non-political space to be created where we can work collectively and jointly to reduce, if not eliminate, social violence in our society. Yes, it is worthy of applause.
Just over a decade ago, we set out to restore economic stability and put our country on a sustainable path. Today, we can say with confidence that we have achieved what we set out to do. Our debt-to-GDP ratio is now approaching 60%, two years ahead of schedule; inflation is stable, reserves are strong, and our fiscal accounts are among the most disciplined in the world. With stability secured, the next step is growth.
In this term, the government will be engaged in crafting a new medium-term economic plan. One design, not just to preserve discipline, but to unlock opportunity. This plan will focus on boosting long-term growth and productivity, deepening financial inclusion and resilience, and strengthening social protection for vulnerable households. It will seek the right balance, fiscal responsibility alongside catalytic investments in infrastructure, human capital, and innovation.
The leader of the opposition in his presentation, made an observation that though we have achieved these significant things; reduction in debt, increased expenditure and infrastructure, there are many Jamaicans who are not seeing this translated into a substantial improvement in their quality of life, and this will always give opportunity for political advantage. But once the political competition has ended, we must all refocus our efforts on the practical and the reality.
I believe we all want to see a substantial improvement in the quality of life. We had a competition of ideas for this. Now, let us ensure that the best ideas are formed into policy and law and implemented effectively and efficiently so that the people can truly get the improvement in the quality of life that they deserve.
So yes, there has to be a balance between the fiscal management and expenditure on creating social safety net, welfare and promoting growth. It is this house through debate, through exchange of ideas, through collaboration that will determine what that balance is, and each of us must recognize our role in determining this delicate balance because if the delicate balance is not achieved, we risk going back to the dark days when this economy struggled to deliver the very benefits that we now are preaching that we can achieve for the people. So, the balance, Madam Speaker, is important.
This parliament must therefore continue to support investments in education, innovation, and technology to increase national productivity. Our creative and ambitious young people must be equipped to thrive in the digital economy. Our systems of government must work faster and more transparently. Through the SPEED programme, we will reduce red tape, digitize processes and eliminate inefficiencies that frustrate growth and breed corruption. But let us be clear, productivity is not only about individuals working harder; it is about creating the enabling environment in which efficiency is possible, but more importantly, where effort is rewarded.
Two important things that we should take from that statement, Madam Speaker, are that productivity has to be a focus of the new administration of the government, of the entire Parliament. And secondly, we have to move to more performance-based systems. There is a lot of empty talk about growth, but growth is a matter almost wholly and solely about how much more you can produce, and until the minds of our parliamentarians, our policy makers, are focused on this question, how much more can we produce and put the systems in place to encourage greater production than it is only mere rhetoric about growth. Madam Speaker, that is why we have, as I’ve said, put in place the SPEED programme to reduce red tape, digitize processes, greater networking, and build cross-cutting systems to ensure that we can increase productivity in this country.
Madam Speaker, infrastructure is critical to growth, and we have been investing heavily in infrastructure. No doubt, I think if any analysis were to be done, we would have to conclude that this government has, probably than more than any other government in the last 50 years, would have spent more on structure, but I must address a matter of national concern.
The South Coast Highway Improvement Project in St Thomas, one of the infrastructure projects, which is so important; this project is more than asphalt and concrete, it is a statement of equity. For generations, the people of St Thomas have felt neglected, cut off and left behind. The highway is a promise that no parish will remain on the margins of national development. During the campaign and as I tour the country, it was clear that there were parishes that felt that they were left off, left out, and ignored.
Madam Speaker, bringing infrastructure to all the parishes in Jamaica does help to strengthen the sense of national unity that I am a part of the growth and development, and so we have put forward not just national plans, but parish-based plans, local plans that will ensure that every square inch of Jamaica will benefit from the infrastructure, investment and the growth; and we use St Thomas as the first example of this kind of investment. I see the member from South Trelawny saying, “Please hurry up and come to Trelawny”, and I’m sure every member here, certainly members from Westmoreland and Hanover and Clarendon, particularly the northern sections of Clarendon, would all be saying, please hurry up and bring the infrastructure development to my neck of the world.
We acknowledge that the dividends of peace, which results in greater space in our budget, have to be spread equitably both in terms of the social structure of the country, but also in terms of the geographic allocations. Yet Madam Speaker, the South Coast Road Improvement Project has unfortunately been marred by interference, intimidation, and attempts by individuals to unlawfully insert themselves into the works. I bring it here, Madam Speaker, because it is important to set the policy, the procedures, and the standards so that there is no ambiguity. The government has made it clear, and I repeat it here in this House, that no one has the authority to hijack national projects, intimidate contractors, or substitute political muscle for lawful governance. That way of doing things is the old politics. It is the very political violence that we celebrate that we have got rid of and we can’t return to it at all.
Now, we have had a practice established many, many years ago that Members of Parliament must be notified in writing about projects in their constituency, and I’m sure every member of parliament including the new ones that are coming in, you would want that to be the case that every project in your constituency, and I’m speaking it here for the heads of agencies who are here, that you must alert, notify, Members of Parliament about things that you’re doing in their constituency. That must be the case.
There has also been a longstanding convention that where these projects or programmes generate employment, that a privilege is extended- I’m not going to say a courtesy, but a privilege is extended to the Member of Parliament to recommend persons to work. And there is even a further convention of asking the Members of Parliament to recommend liaisons, and it has worked well. We have not had any challenges with it, but we have to be practical. Where projects are already entrained and especially on the South Coast Road Improvement Project, which is deeply entrained, that any disruption or disturbance would not be in the national interest.
And in any event, I want to assure Members of Parliament that this administration is not about trying to deprive MPs of the privileges that are established in conventions, but this administration is about order. It is about ensuring that systems are in place that work to preserve and protect public resources, and so I want to just make it absolutely clear here that there must not be, it will not be countenanced, and where it crosses the law to become an illegal or criminal act, the government will pursue.
Madam Speaker, honourable members, if this house is to be a part of the engine of growth and development, the leader of the opposition says it must be growth, I have said there must be growth, if this house is to be part of the engine of growth then its members must operate with the highest standards of efficiency and productivity and integrity and accountability. That is why during this term, we will advance the process to formally institute job descriptions.
This reform will make clear what the public rightly expects its elected representatives to do: regular attendance and active participation in sittings and committees, diligent oversight of ministries and agencies, transparent and ethical use of public resources, and continuous visible engagement with constituents. It will also create a framework to measure performance, improve accountability, and strengthen public trust in institutions. This is not about restricting members; it is about elevating the standards of service. It is about ensuring that every seat in this house is not just occupied but actively contributing to Jamaica’s progress and prosperity.
This third term is not about legacy; it is about destiny. It is not about what I leave behind, but what Jamaica must achieve and what Jamaica must achieve is nothing less than greatness. Jamaica must end absolute poverty in the land, and we can do it. We can build a Jamaica where every family has access to housing and secure title to their property. We can build a Jamaica where the infrastructure is first-class and opens opportunities in all our parishes. We can build a Jamaica where our bureaucracy does not frustrate enterprise. We can build a Jamaica where peace replaces violence and order replaces disorder. We can build a Jamaica that takes its rightful place among the leading nations of the world.
Madam Speaker, honourable members, this is not a task for one party or one side of the house. The elections are over. The time for the contest has passed, and I dare say, Madam Speaker, the time has come for cooperation, for partnership, for unity in the national interest.
I extend once again my hand of partnership to the opposition parliamentarians. Let us together complete the journey to republic status. Let us work together to reduce violence, let us work together to strengthen our economy, strengthen our institutions, raise the standard of living for all Jamaicans, and to deliver real results for the people.
Madam Speaker, the strength of any parliament lies not merely in the force of argument, but in its civility. Civility, Madam Speaker, is sometimes absent from our conduct, and as we go into a new term into a new parliamentary session, it behooves all of us to remember that the society is watching us and we are the exemplars. We are the role models. We must never lose our civility.
Madam Speaker, debate at its noblest is not combat. I will repeat that for some members here to ruminate on. Debate at its nobles is not combat, it’s not fighting, but a dialogue of conviction where truth is tested, yes, but not trampled and persuasion is achieved through reason rather than ranker. If we lose civility, we lose the very essence of our democracy, for cooperation is not weakness, but wisdom and respect across the aisle does not diminish one’s position. It elevates the dignity of this house.
Let us remember, the people did not send us here to perform discord but to deliberate on their behalf with clarity of mind and charity of spirit. My fellow Jamaicans, my colleagues in the House, we are a people small in number, but tall in influence, rich in culture and boundless in potential. Let us not be paralyzed by doubt, distracted by cynicism or divided by partisanship. Let us instead seize the horizon before us with faith, vision, discipline, hard work, and continued prayers.
May God bless you all. May God bless this honourable house, and may God bless Jamaica Land.
Madam Speaker, please permit me to express my condolences. I discovered this morning, reading the news of the tragic passing of Councillor Patrick Forrester of the Petersfield Division in Westmoreland. Please allow me, Madam Speaker, to extend on behalf of the entire House, condolences to his family, and of course to the Westmoreland Parish Council and to the People’s National Party.