Election Night Acceptance Speech by PM Andrew Holness

 I had to transcribe this speech, given by Prime Minister Andrew Holness after his Party's victory in Jamaica's General Elections. It covered the challenge of the pandemic, the importance of national unity, the condemnation of corruption, and appreciation for the hard work of his team. 

Jean Lowrie-Chin 

ACCEPTANCE SPEECH BY MOST HON ANDREW HOLNESS, AFTER THE JLP VICTORY AT THE POLLS – 3rd SEPTEMBER 2020

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“We went into an election with the backdrop of a pandemic and you will notice that I am speaking to you while still wearing my mask as a symbol that we are still under serious threat of the pandemic. By and large, I think most Jamaicans tried to abide by the protocols. I want to give the assurance to Jamaicans tonight that our Government will continue its effective management of the pandemic to keep you safe and to protect your life and livelihood.

“No doubt we are entering into a new phase of the pandemic, an inevitable phase that will require a new strategy of management, but whatever we do, you can rest assured that we will keep you safe, we will keep our frontline workers safe, we will make the necessary allocations in our budget so that you can be cushioned and cope with the economic fallout that accompanies the pandemic.

“Tonight, the victor is the people of Jamaica. You came out in your hundreds of thousands and you participated in the solemn process of democracy. You voted, you expressed yourself through the ballot. There is indeed cause for celebration but there is also I would believe significant cause for consideration - that there are many Jamaicans who did not participate, that there are many Jamaicans who for fear of the virus decided not to come to the polls; but they are also many Jamaicans who for other reasons – apathy, frustration with the process decided not to participate.

“So even though we have this overwhelming majority and people have given us the mandate that we require, we are still considerate of those Jamaicans who still look on with some suspicion, some concern, some apathy on the political process. So, we are very cautious in our approach to receiving this overwhelming majority. It must never be that the government that emerges from this victory takes on any characteristics of arrogance, in humility. It must never be that the government that emerges from this victory takes the people for granted in any way. As I stand here tonight I am obviously happy to have won but I want to assure all of you that I do carry this burden with great consideration of the expectations of not just those who elected us, but those who are looking on us for future decision as to whether or not they will participate in the process and I want to see those persons who didn't participate this time that we as a new government with a mandate that is indisputable, that we will conduct ourselves in a way that will make you proud as well and make you want to participate the next time around.

“I raise this in my acceptance – I don't call this a victory speech because with such a large mandate it brings a whole new dynamic as to how we manage Government. In our last government, the narrative of corruption dogged us and it is not something that we can hide away from and I want to be clear because there are many persons who will now be assuming state authority who may not have the understanding as to how that authority should be used. They will know clearly that this government does not stand for corruption. We have as a country managed to come to consensus on fiscal matters, on monetary policy, there is an evolving consensus on crime and violence, national security, there is consensus developing around growth policy but there must now be a clear consensus, a strong position on corruption.

“The mandate is also a victory for conscientious and thoughtful policy, and we saw manifestos being presented that were poles apart in terms of their content and structure. The manifesto that won, is a manifesto that was realistic, the manifesto that was doable and what it says to me is that Jamaican politics, the Jamaican people are maturing in their outlook. They understand that populist policies can have a destructive impact on the national good. So, in that regard Jamaica has won. We had by and large a peaceful election that can be emulated by other countries, we cherish our democracy.

“I want to acknowledge the PNP. I received a call from Dr Phillips conceding and congratulating and I thought that was very sportsmanlike and very dignified and really reflects well on our politics and I too obviously commended him on a putting up a good fight. As I said today in an interview, politics can be like gladiator sport but after it is finished, we must all try to be good sportsmen and sportswomen and for good reason.

“The task ahead of us is not just for the Jamaica Labour Party – the task ahead of us is for all of us, including the PNP, and so tonight I also appeal to PNP supporters: do not feel dejected, join us in celebrating Jamaica's victory. You will have a very important role to play in Jamaica’s stronger recovery and I am clear that there should not be any victimization, any retribution, any malice in how we move forward as a Government. We must embrace everyone; we need everyone on board for Jamaica to recover stronger.

“As I close, I want to thank my family, my wife Juliet who is still in her constituency – I brought my younger son with me for him to get some insights into politics.  I want to thank the campaign team: you would have heard from Babsy and from Desmond and Nigel but I want to have a special commendation for Kamina and I want to thank the officers of the Party – Chairman, Deputy Chairman and our very hard working General Secretary and his Deputy General Secretaries and all who worked on participating. Tonight, we put a word of prayer out for our Deputy Campaign Chairman Rudyard Spencer who is in hospital at this moment. I want to welcome our newly elected candidates, and for those who were not successful at the polls to say that your effort contributed to the victory and you are a part of the winning team.

“There were some unfortunate events today, one of them I would acknowledge is the sudden death of a voter at the polls. I extend my sympathies to her family. But as I close I give the assurance that with this large margin, this solid mandate, that we will be responsible with the power that you have given to us, we will continue our good policies, we will keep Jamaica on the path to prosperity. We will usher in an era of stability on which we will grow, we will usher in an era where Jamaica can fulfil its true destiny.”