KINGSTON, Jamaica — Member of Parliament for St Andrew East Rural, Juliet Holness, was reappointed as the Speaker of the House of Representatives during the ceremonial opening of Parliament on Thursday.

Member of Parliament for St James Central, Heroy Clarke, was appointed as Deputy Speaker of the House.

In her address following the appointment, Holness noted that meaningful progress was achieved in her previous term in the position.

“In my previous term as Speaker, we made meaningful progress from fostering robust debates on legislative reforms to renovating the members lounge and enhancing the comfort and convenience of our parliamentary physical space. I assure you these accomplishments are just the beginning, this term I am committed to pursuing even greater reforms and transformative initiatives to make our Parliament more efficient, dignified and accessible,” she said.

Holness reminded the Members of Parliament, who were sworn in along with senators during the ceremony, that the Speaker of the House does not make rules but ensures that they are followed by members.

“The speaker does not make the rules but humbly and, if necessary, firmly ensures that they are followed by all members without fear or favour. It is with this in mind that I will continue with our partnership within the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association for the comprehensive review of the standing orders for the House of Representatives to plug any gaps identified, modernise procedures and give clearer guidance on complex processes,” she said.

“Now that the dust has settled, the people have spoken and the competition is over. Let us combine the fire within our blood, our passion for prosperity to work diligently on behalf of the Jamaican people,” she continued. “While we may not always agree and often disagree on the best route to achieve outcomes, I invite every member of this honourable house to keep our discourse respectful, compliant and focused on our singular objective. That is the interest of our people of Jamaica.”

The Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) on Wednesday had objected to the possible reappointment of either Juliet Holness or Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert, arguing that it has no confidence in their ability to serve as “impartial umpire of parliamentary proceedings”.

READ: PNP says it will not support reappointment of Juliet Holness or Dalrymple-Philibert as House Speaker

However, the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) said it would not be “bullied” into excluding two potential candidates for consideration for the post of Speaker of the House of Representatives.

READ: JLP rejects PNP’s ‘strong-arm’ tactics on House Speaker appointment