He will also be called upon to outline his own vision for the country and to state clearly, the roadmap that will take Jamaica to developed-country status.
It will be no easy job for the 39-year-old career politician, and it is the view of The Gavel that publishing his integrity declaration of income and assets and liabilities would be a great place to start.
For it would set Holness apart from Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller, and Prime Minister Bruce Golding - who promised such disclosure, among other things, and failed to deliver.
Let us recall what Golding told the 67th annual conference of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) last November. "If we are going to call for public disclosure of contributions (to political parties), we must be prepared to publish our own integrity declaration of income and assets and liability.
"I am prepared to publish mine tomorrow. As a matter of fact, I don't need any law to do it because there is nothing that I own that I have anything to be concerned about," Golding said.
Nearly a year has passed and Golding has not acted on this promise. There is every possibility that Holness will address that conference on November 20 as leader of the JLP.
Comprehensive declaration
The Gavel hopes that by then he would have made public a comprehensive declaration of his income and assets and liabilities.
It would be a positive sign of the transformational leadership the country is demanding from the new prime minister.
We have no reason to believe the Cabinet he selects will be vastly different for Golding's.
Holness has already indicated that he will be continuing the same policies of the Golding administration. It is from this view point that we think he will not have a major change in personnel of the Cabinet.
One wonders whether he would keep the portfolio of education minister. Another interesting thing to look out for in Holness' Cabinet is whether there will be any space for Golding, providing he continues as member of parliament for West Kingston. That fate of veteran politician Karl Samuda will also be interesting.
Constructing his team
Samuda opted out of the Golding cabinet after he was moved from the industry, investment and commerce portfolio, and one wonders if Holness will offer him a portfolio that he will accept.
Beyond his Cabinet, we wonder how Holness will construct his parliamentary team. He may want to consider replacing Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert, who has proven each day that she is not ready for the job of Speaker.
Holness will also have to decide whether his long-time sidekick, house whip Andrew Gallimore, is ready to step up as leader of Government Business. Somehow, we feel that job is best saved for Golding, who knows the Standing Orders like the back of his hand.
But as to whether Holness chooses to have a politically damaged Golding at his side in Parliament is another matter.
Whatever decision Holness makes we hope he bears in mind that he is coming into the big chair because of the trust deficit between Golding and the Jamaican people. Holness now has the task of restoring trust to the governance process.
We hope that as prime minister he will do what he has not been able to achieve as leader of Government Business. This includes resurrecting the Special Prosecutors Bill and securing the drafting, tabling and passage of campaign finance reform laws.
thegavel@gleanerjm.com
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