Our disappointment is real. Our frustration is at peak levels. At this juncture, my friends and colleagues on both sides of the political divide who are involved in the entertainment industry are echoing the same sentiment. We have passed outrage and anger. At this point we are completely despondent.

The Government’s handling of the “tourists-only” series of parties in Negril, Westmoreland known as “Mocha Fest” this past week is the latest in series of painful examples of disregard for a critical industry.

The Government of Jamaica’s unequal treatment of local and tourist entertainment groups is unacceptable. The events, which took place in Westmoreland, were a slap in the face of members of the local entertainment industry who have been lobbying the Government for even a discussion on reopening.

For a year and three months the entertainment industry has been petitioning the Government at every level to provide the necessary protocols to guide the reopening of the sector so players can maintain a reasonable balance between life and livelihood. This was done in hopes that the over $25-billion industry, which contributes so much to Jamaica, can have some hope of surviving, despite the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The entertainment industry is not just about parties. The industry spans a range of creative spaces including theatres, cultural programmes in schools, and gospel concerts, to name a few. Entertainment is not just business, but therapy for many Jamaicans. We have to treat our people and our culture with higher regard, more than the Government has done for the last year.

Over the past year, several sectors have lamented the loss of significant income because of the closure of the sector and nightly curfews which have cut into the earnings of street vendors, craft services and the beauty industry. These areas are suffering from the ripple effects of poor planning.

As big a disappoint as the failure to even have a conversation has been, the biggest disappointment has been the clear hypocrisy displayed by the Government when it comes to things to their own benefit. We all can remember last year in the very first phase of stringent lockdowns, when folks could barely move around and curfews had just been introduced, a prominent Government member passed, and an event or “nine night” was kept until the wee hours of the morning with several members of the Government in attendance and no observance of COVID-19 protocols.

Now, I’m not going to debate the right or wrong of the curfews at that time, but it smacked of hypocrisy when several events had been cancelled that weekend, even though promoters were more than willing to enforce protocols. Fast forward to just this past week when a “memorial” service was held and attended by no less than the prime minister in breach of his own orders that no such event should take place. This, while many other Jamaicans had to say goodbye to loved ones at a graveside only or via some online platform or the other.

Over the last few months Jamaican party promoters have taken the decision to create and produce events in Florida and New York in order to earn and survive and feed their families. The events which attracted thousands were successfully staged with full protocols and no reported spikes. All we have been asking for is a chance to show that this could be replicated in Jamaica. It is nonsensical to keep the industry closed when the statistics all point to other areas as being the main vectors of COVID-19 transmission.

Our Government officials who have in many cases benefited from this aspect of our culture have failed to see a bigger picture and, sadly, may not have the creativity to ensure our industry’s survival.

I invite principals of the ministries of Tourism and Entertainment to resume dialogue on the issue of the reopening of the entertainment industry. I say to our prime minister, show us that you care equally for foreigners as you do for locals. Let us put our people first.

Marlon Campbell is the People’s National Party’s junior shadow Cabinet spokesman on tourism, culture and entertainment.