Andrew Holness takes oath as new Jamaican PM

Andrew Holness became Jamaica's ninth prime minister on Sunday, vowing to combat poverty and improve business environment in the country. At the swearing-in, Jamaican Governor-General Patrick Allen said it was the first time that a prime minister was appointed from among the country's post-independence generation since 1962. "Our new prime minister will be tasked with the responsibility to catapult us into a rapidly changing world," he said. "We must position and understand ourselves in the context of global economy and geo-political relationships." The 39-year-old new prime minister promised to fight poverty and improve employment and income. He also pledged to improve business environment by increasing labor force productivity, removing inefficient bureaucracy and promoting investment. Holness said he would try to reach the goals of "better politics, better policies and better people." The government would be committed to developing the nation upon previous achievements, correcting past errors and gathering courage and energy to chart new courses to success, he said. As the youngest prime minister in the Caribbean island nation's history, many people have expressed the belief that Holness could rejuvenate the country. After former Prime Minister Bruce Golding announced his resignation in September, Holness, who had been education minister, was designated as the successor of the outgoing prime minster and leader of the Jamaica Labor Party. Golding became the country's eighth prime minister in the 2007 general election. He used to be considered as a hot candidate for the 2012 general election despite low approval ratings. When explaining his resignation, Golding said that the criticism he faced after his decision to accept the U.S. request to extradite Jamaican drug kingpin Christopher Coke was the main reason. According to analysts, Golding's resignation decision was to maintain the Labor Party's popularity and guarantee its triumph in the 2012 general election.