Prime Minister Andrew Holness was sworn in for a third consecutive term on Tuesday after his Jamaica Labor Party (JLP) won general elections held in the northern Caribbean island on Sept. 3.

Delivering remarks after, Holness 53 made it clear that he has no plans to hand over to a new leader during this term, noting that a number of development goals still need to be achieved.

In winning at the polls, however, the JLP dropped 14 seats to the main opposition People’s National Party (PNP) of attorney Mark Golding, which will return to the new parliament in a vastly improved position with 28 seats, compared to a mere 14 when it was vanquished in the 2020 contest.

Holness argued that party members and others have suggested that he has done as much as possible and should now pass on the baton to a new leader. “Prime minister, you have achieved so much, you have nothing to prove, so it’s time to hand over the baton. But I’ve also heard another voice, the voice of Jamaica itself, the voice that says we are not yet where we need to be, the voice that says we are destined for more; the voice that says our children deserve to inherit not just hope, but opportunity.”

He also complained that Jamaica’s global cultural and other reaches through music, sports, and films have not been matched by economic achievements, contending that, for example, making the island of nearly three million people a financial hub for the Americans is a significant development plan in this new term.

“We must take the same discipline, creativity, and ambition that gave us musical and sporting legends and channel that into building one of the most dynamic economies in the global south,” he said of the country which has produced world renowned performing artistes like Bob Marley and sporting icons like Usain Bolt, Shelly Ann Fraser and Elaine Thompson among a host of others. Jamaica won its first gold medal while still a British colony in 1948 through Arthur Wint, who nabbed gold at the London Olympics in the 400-meter race.

He said his administration is establishing an economic and logistics hub and a special economic zone that “will make Jamaica the gateway to the Americas,” reminding his audience that 70 percent of the economy is linked to the services sector.

“We have stabilized the ship, set the destination, and laid the foundation upon which we must build a greater vision. We have only begun to scratch the surface of Jamaica’s immense potential.  The next chapter is not about maintaining the status quo.”

The JLP had made much of a 30 % reduction in felony crimes, the elimination of some notorious gangsters and the removal of dozens or weapons from the streets, while reducing unemployment and stabilizing the economy.