A section of the large crowd numbering in the thousands at yesterday's swearing-in ceremony of Bruce Golding as Jamaica's eighth prime minister at King's House. -Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer.

They rang bells, waved fingers in the air and shouted cheers at the top of their lungs. Many members of the crowd that packed the seats at yesterday's swearing-in ceremony were thrilled to see Bruce Golding officially take over as Prime Minister of Jamaica.

It was clear from the crowd response when the Jamaica Military Band started playing Bob Marley's hit single Coming In From The Cold that, for the most part, those who turned out were in good spirits. The cheers that punctuated the new Prime Minister's inaugural address showed that they were behind him 100 per cent.

A bit of heckling

Some members of the People's National Party, who turned up to witness the event, had toendure a bit of heckling from some outspoken attendees but, for the most part, they were also well received.

A billionaire banking mogul drew stares and excited finger pointing as he walked around snapping pictures of the proceedings

Representatives of the Nation of Islam, who were at the ceremony, became the subject of many camera-phone pictures.

There was a touching moment when former Prime Minister and one-time leader of the Jamaica Labour Party, Edward Seaga, hugged his former Cabinet colleague, Bruce Golding. This drew stares and the place lit up with camera flashes.

Former Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller was the target of a bit of jeering from the crowd at times, but seemed to handle it well.

All in all, things went smoothly during yesterday's ceremony, which, as many persons who were there openly expressed, is, hopefully, a positive sign indicating the start of a new chapter in the nation's history.