The Council of Presidents of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), in their recent call for a specific timetable to achieve commitments given by the prime minister in his national address in which he was contrite and apologetic, urged citizens to “speak out and actively contribute to the political, economic and social transformation of the country”.

In a radio interview on Friday, May 14, preceding the prime minister’s address to the nation, I was asked if I supported the calls from various organisations and commentators for his resignation. My response was that whilst this would be a step in the right direction, the environment that led to this debacle had its roots in the very capture of the state and all its various organs by ‘narco criminals’ and this is the fundamental problem that has to be addressed. I also expressed my doubts that any of our current parliamentarians, on either side of the political divide, could lead the process of dismantling the garrison features of our communities, that provided safe havens for these criminals.

In his well researched article, in the latest issue of the Jamaica Journal, Dennis Howard states that “I am of the opinion that dancehall has been a major political force with all its attending biases and partisan elements, and that the glorification of gun violence is not merely metaphorical or a theoretical pose.” Further in his article, he goes on to say that “in all music centres island-wide, there existed alliances of music and politics”. Dennis’s article details the embryonic and symbiotic links between dancehall, politics and the gangster underworld. By highlighting the various roles of the Don in the entertainment industry — by the use of well known examples — he adequately demonstrates the influence and power which they leverage and have wielded, over the last 30 years; as owners of sound systems, show and dance promoters and music producers. Dennis concludes this section of his article, with the statement that “artistes who live in these areas invariably have no choice but to become the mouthpieces of the area Dons and, by extension, their political representatives”.

The truth is that in order for us to extricate ourselves from the mire in which we have found ourselves, and to begin to re-orient the lyrics and behaviour of our dancehall culture, we first have to acknowledge the significant influence on the industry, of political tribalism and gangsterism in the warping of our values and norms. What is even more debilitating is the effect this has on well thinking people. Even within the entertainment industry, where people are so wont to demand and protect their rights for freedom of expression, without acknowledging it, we are in fact, intimidated from speaking out publicly against the corruption of the various organs of the Jamaican state for fear of victimisation or retribution. Unfortunately, it is not possible to develop effective counter-measures, without a comprehensive understanding of the social, cultural, political constructs of our communities, and a concerted attempt to arrest these negative features.

I believe though, that, the country now finds itself with a golden opportunity (no pun intended) to begin to dismantle the garrison features of our communities. This, in and of itself will go a far way in liberating the minds of our youths; to explore more constructive issues and horizons in their lyrics and lifestyle. But we must hold our politicians to their promises and demand a realistic time frame for their implementation.

Email: che.campbell@gmail.com