kingston - Xinhua
Andrew Holness was sworn in as Jamaica\'s new prime minister on Sunday, replacing Bruce Golding. Born in July 1972, Holness is the youngest prime minister in the history of the Caribbean island nation. Holness graduated from University of the West Indies. Before entering politics, he worked as the executive director of one of Jamaica\'s oldest non-governmental organizations -- the Voluntary Organization for the Uplifting of Children. In 1995, he was invited by the then leader of the opposition Jamaica Labor Party, Edward Seaga, to be his assistant and assume responsibilities for developing poverty reduction and social investment policies. He became a member of parliament in 1997 and education minister in 2007. Holness was designated as Golding\'s successor days after the former prime minister declared to step down in September. Now as leader of the Jamaica Labor Party, Holness will lead his party to compete in the general election in 2012. He has vowed to remove inefficient bureaucracy in the government and establish a better business environment in Jamaica. The 39-year-old new prime minister is married to a businesswoman named Julie, and the couple have two children.