Two years ago, at the height of his popularity, Prime Minister Andrew Holness confidently changed his Twitter handle to the ‘Most Hon Brogad’, linking the nation’s most powerful office to street lingo popularised by Jamaica’s dancehall.

It was an acknowledgement of the social phenomenon he had become, having successfully charmed his way into the hearts of Jamaica’s masses in a demonstration of brand-building prowess.

‘Brogad’, the slang made popular in song by 6ix member Daddy 1, refers to a friend who becomes family. In a 2019 media interview, the dancehall entertainer himself endorsed Holness’ adoption of the term of endearment while lauding the prime minister for his effort to connect with the masses and even extending an invite to the PM to ‘roll’ with the 6ix.

So strong was his brand that ‘Brogad’ soon became synonymous with the Clarks-wearing, football-juggling prime minister. He was such a phenomenon within the age cohort who are drawn to dancehall culture that his counterpart, Dr Peter Phillips and the Opposition People’s National Party became non-factors.

But, in recent times, it seems the relationship has been strained and Holness has become less ‘Brogad’ and more ‘Anju’, the latter term often used by Jamaicans on social media when expressing disappointment in his governance.

But what exactly accounted for the shift? Entertainment insiders cite the economic situation during the COVID-19 pandemic which has hit the masses, especially those associated with the entertainment industry, hard. The livelihoods of a large number of Jamaicans are linked to the sector which for the most part has been corked shut throughout the crisis, briefly reopening on a couple of occasions before being shuttered again due to rising coronavirus cases.

“The problem is economics. Entertainment has been sidelined and people can’t host their events. They expected that the industry would be back up by now, but there has been a lot of pussyfooting around,” a dancehall producer, who asked to remain anonymous, told OBSERVER ONLINE.

Heavy D, a renowned artiste manager whose clientele includes Daddy 1, explained that Brogad had represented everything Jamaicans envisioned in a leader.

“Brogad stands for friendship so di people dem have the prime minister as dem bredren because a how him relate to people. He was the prime minister of the people. He was the real man doing real things,” Heavy D shared. “But when people bruk and hungry, dem nuh have no allegiance to nobody.”

Highlighting that the last two years have been extremely difficult for the majority of Jamaicans, the artiste manager said Holness has had to make some tough decisions, some of which have not gone over smooth with people who once embraced him.

“I think what is happening to Holness has happened to a lot of other leaders across the globe who have put the system under pressure because they have no other choice. When the country inna lockdown, him name Anju and when the country free up, him a Brogad,” said Heavy D. “In truth and in fact, nuff people under the pressure. The lockdowns have been excessive and exhausting and when people frustrated, you and dem anuh fren no more.”

Public relations guru and fellow artiste manager, Cara Vickers of Creed Music Global agreed. She explained that with Jamaicans being some of the most strong-minded people on Earth, it takes a lot to stay in their good graces.

 “Jamaica is built of some of the smartest people. They are asking questions, they are growing as independent entrepreneurs, they are more involved in e-commerce and they want to know what is going on in the world and what the prime minister is doing to benefit the masses. They want him to discuss things that are relevant and they just want clearer communication from the Government,” she said.

 “Jamaica has been failed so many times from so many different leaders, we have trust issues and that has to be taken into account. If it feels like our leader is not being transparent, if it feels like he’s not connecting with the people, they are going to feel uneasy,” Vickers continued, adding “When Brogad was running the country, everyone was happy but now that he’s doing the things he needs to do as a leader, he’s Anju. You can’t please everybody but he’s doing his best with who he has and what he has.” 

Vickers suggested, however, that over the past few months, a lot of love has been lost between the PM and the public that needs urgent attention.

“The bridge needs to be built back between the powers that be that are running the country. We just need to fix things because there was a time he was the people’s champ. Now he’s just ‘Anju’. He needs to remember why he was the people’s champ and that people were happy with who was running the country,” she said.

The dancehall producer expressed similar sentiment, suggesting that Holness needs to directly engage people in the entertainment industry.  According to the producer, it is widely felt in dancehall circles that the entertainment sector was reopened in August to benefit certain large entertainment promoters, charges which the PM has previously denied.

“It is felt Brogad is now a member of the money class and doesn’t care about them. Remember, dancehall is anti-establishment, so all the hero worship was unusual in the first place, and then all of a sudden he is not engaging them,” the producer said.