KINGSTON, Jamaica — Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness says he is not ready to pass on the leadership baton just yet, as there is still more to be achieved under his stewardship.

“My fellow Jamaicans, there are those who say, ‘Prime Minister, you have achieved so much. You have nothing left to prove. It is time to hand off the baton.’ I hear those voices. But I also hear 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; not just survival, but success; not just resilience, but prosperity,’” he said.

Dr Holness, was speaking during his swearing-in ceremony held at King’s House on Tuesday.

The prime minister, who has led the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in its third term following the recently concluded general election, said there is more to build.

“This term is not about me proving that we can build; we have proven that already. There is much more to build, and I am here to build it. This third term is not about my legacy. It is about Jamaica’s destiny. That is why I stand before you today, not as a man who feels he has completed his work, but as a leader who knows that the greatest work still lies ahead. Yes, we have proven that Jamaica can rise and recover from adversity. But now, we must prove that Jamaica can soar to heights that we have all dreamed of but never before attained,” Dr Holness said.

This is the fourth time Dr Holness is being sworn in as the country’s prime minister. He is also Jamaica’s ninth prime minister.