Holness goes biblical, asks Labourites to ‘hold the faith’
Published:Wednesday | June 4, 2025 | 12:09 AMAdrian Frater/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
In an appeal to supporters of the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) who may be growing disillusioned due to delayed improvements in their communities, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has turned to biblical references to reinforce his message of patience and faith.
Speaking at the JLP’s St James West Central conference in Montego Bay on Sunday, Holness said: “It is this administration that is making the transformation. It can’t happen overnight, It is not a snap of the finger, but you can rest assured that your community will be reached. Have faith.
“The Bible tells us what is faith - Hebrews 11:1, ‘Now faith is the substance of things hoped for’ … . We are hoping for water, we are hoping for crime to reduce, we are hoping for poverty to be reduced, we are hoping for our roads to get fixed.
“But what else is it (faith)?” Holness asked the audience. “It is the evidence of the things you have not yet seen in your community. The crime is going down in a significant way. That is evidence of the prosperity that is to come. Hold the faith, keep the faith. The SPARK Programme is repairing two roads right now in every constituency, 10 before the end of the year. Massive transformation. The REACH programme is patching out almost every pothole right across the country. Yes, you are frustrated now, but hold the faith, hold the faith. Your road is going to be fixed because the evidence of the work is there.”
ACKNOWLEDGING HARDSHIP
Addressing the concerns of struggling citizens he has met on the campaign trail, Holness acknowledged the hardships many still face.
“Yes, Mama, you quarrel and you bawl, ‘I am not on the PATH programme, and I am poor.’ But the evidence is there, the poverty rate cut in half, meaning that the people who were considered absolutely poor because they consume less than $290,000 a month, that number cut in half. More people are consuming above that now, so the evidence of the government policy in reducing poverty is there. Hold the faith. Hold the faith.”
He also sought to distance the JLP from long-standing national inequalities, stating that his administration was working to correct historic imbalances.
“I believe we must have an equitable system. You know why I believe that? Because when the country of Jamaica, the State of Jamaica, was formed, the mass of the people were deprived,” explained Holness. “They didn’t have any endowment, and some people have everything, and the mass have nothing. So my political philosophy is that we must do everything to make sure that everybody can rise, that everybody gets something. That is what I believe, and that is what I have dedicated my life and every muscle in my body and every cell in my brain to achieve, an equitable Jamaica where everybody can prosper.”
MEANINGFUL STRIDES
Holness countered opposition criticism from the People’s National Party (PNP), arguing that while challenges remained, the JLP is making meaningful strides in key areas like healthcare, transportation, education, and poverty reduction.
“For a very long time, we have been struggling – water, roads, hospital, schools, transportation, garbage collection, you name it. Poverty, the markets, and when you are in the struggle, even if there is transformation taking place, meaning even if things are getting better, you can lose patience and you can lose hope, and you can lose faith,” said Holness.
“Governments, especially if you are achieving and you are doing well, governments have to constantly place the achievements in front of the people. Even if there are those who would want to reject them. But not only that. We have to give you hope and show you that more is to come, how better things are going to be,” explained Holness.” The Opposition is going to point you to the bottom of the glass, to show you how bad things are, to say things are not getting better. In other words, there is a battle for your minds. One is going to be negative, and the Government is going to be positive.”
Emphasising his commitment to a constructive approach, Holness said he refused to be drawn into negative discourse.
“And that is why it puzzles a lot of people that I don’t get into any argument. I just keep saying the good things that we have done. Where we have fallen down, we acknowledge and commit to do better, but we will not be distracted by the negative, by the lies, by the falsification, by the manufactured crisis that the PNP is trying to push in your attention,” said Holness. “Our party will continue a positive message, and our party will continue to be focused on the good, on our achievements”