Swearing-in Ceremony for the of Cabinet Ministers
Remarks
By
Dr the Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP
Prime Minister of Jamaica
At the
Ceremony for the Swearing-in of Cabinet Ministers
On
September 17, 2025
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The Excellencies the Most Honourable Sir Patrick Allen, our Governor General, and the Most Honourable Lady Allen
Members of the new Cabinet
Members of the new Senate
The Honourable Audrey Sewell, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Public Service, and other government officials in attendance
Bishop the Honourable Conrad Pitkin, Custos Rotulorum for the Parish of St James
Family members and support teams of the newly appointed Members of the Executive and the Senate
Other special guests
Representatives of the media
Fellow Jamaicans viewing these important proceedings at home and abroad, a very good afternoon.
Following on my swearing in yesterday as Prime Minister, today we begin the work of delivering on demanding as we gather to swear-in the women and men who will serve as ministers of the government of Jamaica. This is indeed a milestone, and it is right that we pause to celebrate the personal journeys that have brought each of you here. Your families, your communities, and your supporters share in this achievement, and they too deserve recognition but beyond the ceremony and the moment of pride, let us be clear, this is not a time to grow comfortable. It is a time to recommit to humility, to service, and to performance.
The Jamaican people have spoken loudly and clearly. They have looked beyond rhetoric. They have looked beyond tradition. They have focused and rewarded performance. It is because of measurable results, lower debt, stronger growth, record jobs, reduced crime, better wages, improved service, and I could go on and on and on that they have given us this historic third term. With that mandate comes expectations. Jamaicans are not looking for excuses, they’re looking for results: faster service, better infrastructure, safer communities, and more opportunities for their children.
So, to my ministers, let me be direct. This appointment is not a personal prize. It is not a reward for loyalty nor a platform for status. It is an assignment of national importance, heavy with responsibility and demanding of sacrifice. Let us remain grounded in humility and resist the temptation to see ministries as personal turf. We cannot afford progress to be slowed by lack of collaboration with ministries pulling in different directions. The truth is that the major challenges that Jamaica faces; crime, housing, education, energy infrastructure, digital transformation; they all cut across multiple ministries. Success will not come from working in silos but from collaboration and synergy. Our people will not measure us by how well we protect our portfolios, but by how well we work as one cabinet, as one government, as one Jamaica. I’m charging you to approach your responsibilities with humility, with discipline, but more so with teamwork.
The composition of this Cabinet has been thought out carefully. It represents a leveraging of the knowledge and experience of the previous government to continue the momentum to execute and complete efficiently projects, plans, and programmes already in place, and to initiate new plans and commitments in our manifesto. We’re not going to lose the momentum that we gained in our last term. However, this third term will also be about seamless succession and transition planning. And you would’ve seen this as a number of our ministers have indicated their timelines ensuring that there is significant renewal in leadership, thinking and approaches. I see Minister Vaz looking on in surprise, he was the first to indicate his timeline. DPM has indicated his timeline, Minister Grange I hear and others, and in the days to come, I’m certain you will hear more indications of timelines.
Organizations can only grow, remain relevant if they renew and the organization that I lead is in the process of renewing without disruption, but we’ll do it in a balanced way. Continuity gives us strength, renewal gives us dynamism, and we will have both. Together this will allow us to carry forward what works while creating space for what we can do differently. As time passes, you will see the momentum of renewal accelerating steadily reshaping not only the composition of the government, but also the way the government thinks, acts and delivers for the Jamaican people.
The commitment of this government is that we will always remain relevant to the struggles, dreams, and aspirations and solutions of the Jamaican people. We will never be archaic or unable to change, but we will always give the stability, the confidence, the assurance, and the certainty of good results for the Jamaican people. We have laid the foundations of stability. Now, we must build on that foundation. We’re moving from repair to renewal, from correction to creation.
This third term must be about unlocking Jamaica’s full potential and building a society that matches the greatness of our culture, of our people, and our history. Our vision is of a Jamaica where growth reaches every household, where our creative talent is rewarded as much as it is admired, where logistics, energy, technology, and agriculture are engines of our prosperity, where families are strong and communities are safe, where government is fast, fair, and responsive, and where Jamaica stands tall as a respected voice among nations.
The work ahead is urgent and interconnected driving inclusive economic growth that touches every household across the length and breadth of Jamaica, converting our unmatched cultural power into economic power through creative industries, establishing Jamaica as a logistic hub of the region, leveraging the Caymanas Special Economic Zone, expanded ports and modern airports, leading the energy transition with solar, wind, hydro, and nuclear, building a clean and resilient economy, investing in education skills and digital innovation to prepare Jamaicans to lead in the global economy, making government work faster and better through the SPEED programme cutting red tape, streamlining approvals, digitizing services, and matching the pace of our people’s ambition and building a peaceful society, not just by reducing murders, but by tackling social violence, strengthening families, restoring respect, and raising a generation that chooses peace over violence and disorder. These are not isolated tasks. As I’ve said, they are interconnected, and they demand that every minister sees themselves as part of a team.
In conclusion to my Cabinet, this is not about our legacy, it is about fulfilling Jamaica’s destiny. This is not about title; it is about service. The Cabinet will be judged by outcomes, not announcements, by results, not rhetoric. Each of you will have clear targets and will be held accountable for meeting them. The trust the Jamaican people have placed in us is sacred. We must guard it carefully, live up to it daily and never take it for granted. As you have taken these solemn oaths of responsibility, I remind you that corruption and arrogance are not just personal failings, they weaken the entire government.
Corruption drains resources, erodes public trust and gives our opponent the sharpest weapons to discredit everything we seek to achieve. Arrogance blinds us to the needs of the people we serve and distance us from the humility that leadership demands. If we allow this in our ranks, it is not only the government that will suffer, but the confidence of the Jamaican people in their democracy. Let us protect and preserve the public trust as the currency of our government and authority. Let us lead with integrity, humility, and discipline knowing that every action strengthens or weakens the trust that sustains us. Remember, corruption and arrogance are the quickest way to arm our enemies and disarm the people of their trust in us.
The people of Jamaica have already chosen performance over promises. They have chosen results over rhetoric. In giving us this third mandate, they have chosen Jamaica. Now it is for us to honour that choice by building a nation worthy of their faith. Let us create, let us build, let us lift Jamaica to the heights of greatness that our people deserve. Let us get to work.
Thank you and God bless Jamaica.