Portia Lucretia Simpson Miller was yesterday sworn-in as Jamaica’s first woman prime minister and immediately pledged to advance human rights and individual liberty, and to work with the Opposition to eradicate crime, widely perceived as the nation’s most pressing problem.

Simpson Miller, 60, also pledged to “work tirelessly” to rid the country of corruption and extortion and to create the conditions for employment opportunities and wealth creation.

She portrayed her achievement as a “true manifestation of the Jamaican dream” and suggested that a spirit of hope was dominant at yesterday’s swearing-in at King’s House, framing her speech under the theme of unity and co-operation.

The new prime minister also promised to:

. keep hope alive

. recapture the nation’s cultural roots in terms of traditional courtesy, decency and good manners

. break the power of criminals and restore power to communities and

. launch a new era of cooperation with the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).

But, even as the newly appointed prime minister was being sworn-in the theme of unity was already under threat, as Opposition Leader Bruce Golding and his wife were missing from the proceedings, having left King’s House prematurely after failing to secure seats among the thousands of guests who filled virtually every seat on the lawn.

The former opposition leader, Edward Seaga and his wife Carla, remained to the end as they were seated in the front row beside the visiting leaders from Caricom and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.

Dressed in a champagne-coloured suit, Simpson Miller smiled broadly as Governor-General Kenneth Hall hailed her formally as prime minister. The announcement was greeted by a deafening roar from the large crowd, which took up every square inch of the lush, green lawn.

None of the newly elected female leaders from around the world, including Liberia’s Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Chile’s Michelle Bachelet, who were listed among possible guests, were present. But the Caribbean Community (Caricom) was well represented by prime ministers Patrick Manning of Trinidad and Tobago, Owen Arthur of Barbados and Ralph Gonsalves of St Vincent and the Grenadines. A US congressional team and chief minister Michael Misick of the Turks and Caicos Islands also attended.

Governor-General Hall called the event the “most momentous transition in our nation’s history” and suggested that it should be regarded as a “defining moment”.

Former Prime Minister Patterson said that he was particularly gratified that the country has experienced “a seamless and transparent” leadership change which had enhanced “the best and most wholesome of our Jamaican political traditions”.

Said Patterson: “I am confident that the country will be able to rise to new levels of economic growth and witness upward social mobility, as we continue to build on the foundations which have been well and truly laid.”

The singing of the local gospel anthem Can’t Even Walk, featuring former Grace Thrillers lead singer Shirley Willis, supported by the Kencot Youth Choir and saxophonist Dean Fraser, heralded Simpson Miller’s maiden speech as prime minister of Jamaica.

She opened with a prayer before wading into her speech, highlighting the many social and economic problems facing the country and promising not to betray the people’s trust.

“The first pledge to the Jamaican people is to advance human rights and individual liberty,” she said. “Each individual life is sacred. None is more important than the other. Money should not make one person more important than the other. Learning should not make one person more important than the other, nor should class, colour or gender. We are all equal in the sight of God.”

In a veiled reference to brutality ascribed to the security forces, she said that while the state has a responsibility to protect society as a whole, “it must never, in the execution of that responsibility, sacrifice individual liberty”.

“We cannot build the harmony and peace that this society so desperately needs unless all Jamaicans know that they will be treated with dignity and respect,” she added.

She pledged to work tirelessly to eradicate corruption and extortion.

“I am committed to their eradication, as I am committed to uplifting the poor,” she said.

She also pledged to do everything in her power to break the power of criminals over communities.

“I will be working closely with the minister of national security, the law enforcement officers, the Opposition and our 780 identified communities to successfully tackle this problem in the interest of all Jamaicans, including those in the Diaspora who want to see a peaceful Jamaica,” said Simpson Miller.

“I believe that if we create the right conditions for people to flourish; if, as government, we see ourselves as facilitators, then we will experience the unleashing of the Jamaican creative spirit that can move this country forward,” she said.

The prime minister pledged, too, to facilitate conditions for employment opportunities and wealth creation.

“I want to say directly to the private sector, both here and overseas, that we treasure the gains which have been made through our macro-economic policy and international credibility. It is our intention to build on these hard-won gains of pain and sacrifice,” she said.

She promised to “balance people’s lives” while balancing the books and to expand opportunities for all Jamaicans to share in the fruits of macro-economic stability.

Simpson Miller also pointed out that critical to economic transformation was the need for education transformation.

“I pledge to the people an unyielding commitment to education, including programmes in character education to build a society committed to the highest ethical principles,” she added.

However, she admitted that to do this she would need to build on the legacy of co-operation between the major political parties.

She said that she would ensure that “victimisation never rears its ugly head in any way under my administration”.

“I say to the Opposition, let us launch a new era of co-operation. Let us work together in the interest of all Jamaicans. Let us put the people’s hopes and aspirations before our own interests,” she said.