ANDREW Holness will this afternoon take the oath of office to become Jamaica’s ninth prime minister, replacing his embattled boss Bruce Golding in an often thankless job made even more difficult by a stubborn global economic crisis and a trust deficit that has been dogging the Government for over a year.
Local political analysts and interest groups say Holness’s first major hurdle when he sits in the prime minister’s chair at Jamaica House tomorrow morning will be the country’s troubled standby agreement with the International Monetary Fund.
Prime Minister Bruce Golding (right) and Andrew Holness, who will succeed him this afternoon, consult during a Cabinet meeting at Jamaica House
He will also be faced with the dilemma of whether to maintain the present Cabinet or make changes and risk a fallout of support. Added to that, he needs to decide when is the most appropriate time to seek his own mandate from the electorate.
Last night, in his final address to the nation as prime minister, Golding appealed to the country to give Holness full support and said that despite his youth, which ranks him among the youngest world leaders, he is well able to take on the challenges.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...#ixzz1bbQ8yBHf