Man of moment controls emotions
Published:Monday | October 24, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Gary Spaulding, Senior Gleaner Writer
Andrew Michael Holness remained characteristically cool, collected and composed, with no hint of youthful exuberance as he was propelled by energetic cheers to take on the mantle of leadership.
Well, almost.
As protocol dictated, Holness and his wife, Juliet, descended the stairs of King's House to the well-decorated platform to thunderous cheers which reverberated from the well-attired crowd, bringing with it an atmosphere of renewed hope.
It was amid this ambience, pregnant with great hope, that they took their seats.
Holness remained composed as Governor General Sir Patrick Allen read the instrument that would appoint the 39-year-old prime minister of Jamaica.
The man of the moment controlled his emotions as he declared, "I, Andrew Michael Holness, do solemnly swear ... "in a steady voice that belied the emotions that must have been swirling through his entire being as he took the oath of allegiance.
But there was just the faint sign of a crack and the briefest of hesitation in his voice as Jamaica's ninth prime minister took the oath of office on the lawns of King's House.
Stone-faced golding
Only Bruce Golding remained more consistently stone-faced, or so it seemed, even when Holness and Sir Patrick regaled the gathering with stories of the outgoing prime minister's commitment and dedication.
Not even a protracted acknowledgement and farewell cheer seemed to be able to move Golding.
His successor eventually permitted the glimmer of a smile to slip through the seemingly calm façade, only after Sir Patrick acknowledged his ascension.
Along with the smile came a brief wave to the assembly of high-profile visitors as the governor general said, "I now present to you the prime minister of Jamaica."
Bishop Herro Blair had earlier prayed that wisdom would be endowed on Holness to make the right decisions at this critical time.
Even so, Holness' most energetic action throughout the evening was the vigorous fanning of himself to combat the warmth.
Like a proud dad, the camera held by Edward Seaga, Holness' political mentor, clicked away in seemingly gleeful abandon.
With the former Governor General Sir Kenneth Hall, past and recent Cabinet members, the gamut of Jamaica Labour Party parliamentarians, workers and activists, along with some members of the Opposition led by Portia Simpson Miller, greeting each other with chit chat and handshakes, the atmosphere at King's House took on a paradoxically celebratory and solemn atmosphere.
"This is the first time that a prime minister is being appointed from among the post-Independence generation," asserted Sir Patrick of Holness. "This is an instant generation exposed to information being transmitted in nanoseconds and who can be easily frustrated, (and made) impatient and restless with snail's pace."
The comment should be a lesson to Holness, whose hour-long inaugural address has been considered by some to be too long, causing him to lose the attention that was riveted on him earlier in the day.
"Our new prime minister will be tasked with the responsibility to catapult us in a rapidly changing world and allow us to be comfortable in doing business and interacting without losing our identity as a unique group of people," declared Sir Patrick.