Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley endorses Vybz Kartel
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has given a ringing endorsement of controversial dancehall artist Vybz Kartel, who was recently released from prison and is scheduled to perform in the BVI next year.
While justifying his sponsorship of $220,000 to host a concert in March 2025 featuring the dancehall artist, the Premier stated that he believes Vybz Kartel can have a positive impact, despite concerns in the BVI.
“We have been preaching a message of condemnation. Let me say to you, I don’t advocate anything Vybz Kartel has been accused of, but he spent time in jail, he went through the legal process, they set him free,” the Premier explained.
“All that I know about Vybz Kartel now is that he has been given a second chance, and I want to see him make the most of his opportunity to have a positive impact on others,” he continued.
In his endorsement, Dr. Wheatley noted that Kartel wants to focus on more conscious music, referencing the hit song “Thank Yuh Jah,” which the artist released over a decade ago.
He also mentioned that Kartel plans to visit prisons and schools a week before his performances to speak with troubled youth and offer encouragement.
“Somebody like Vybz Kartel has more opportunity to affect someone in a positive way because it is only the person who has gone through the test that can give you the best testimony,” he stated.
“One of the things he did that I was encouraged by,” the Premier stated, “since he was released from prison, he made a gesture of unity. He went to a dancehall event where they weren’t playing any Mavado music, and when asked why, he requested to pull up a Mavado tune. That gesture alone has caused two rival factions, the Gaza and the Gully, to come together,” added Dr Wheatley, who now joins a small number of political leaders like St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, who has public shown support
The Premier noted that it is now part of his government’s strategy to collaborate directly with private promoters, rather than having the BVI Tourist Board manage events like the Music Fest, as it had done previously. He emphasized that the Vybz Kartel concert is intended not only to boost the economy and promote tourism but also to positively influence youth who may be heading down the wrong path.
Vybz Kartel, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, was released from a Jamaican prison earlier this year after serving 13 years, following the quashing of his murder conviction by the UK’s Privy Council. His first known concert is set to take place in Jamaica later this year.
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Is this what you get for paying your Trini Spin Doctor $10,000 a month to write your press releases?
You don’t have $220,000 to give away of the ‘Peoples’ money.
Start investing into the BVI as opposed to writing cheques to foreigners!
Took which toll on his family? Does this man study he family? Strupes.
FLOCK TOGETHER AND YOU’RE KNOWN BY THE COMPANY YOU KEEP
UP TO YET HE CAN’T GO LOOK FOR ANDREW BUT HE IS HERE ENDORSING ANOTHER KRIMINAL CALLED KARTEL
Ole fuul
Don’t let your friends borrow your illegally held firearms, they may end up mysteriously disappearing leaving you with a difficult and very expensive legal problem. Luckily God forgives everyone otherwise it wouldn’t be fair!
Mr. Premier, are you intentionally sabotaging your own position, or have you simply lost interest in the responsibilities of your office? It’s hard to believe you would double down on this issue. The controversy was dying down, yet you’ve chosen to revive it unnecessarily.
Your desire to help Mr. Kartel after his situation may be well-intentioned, but it’s not the public’s responsibility to foot the bill. You’ve already disclosed that the Buju concert still carries unpaid debts—an ongoing financial burden that hasn’t been resolved. It’s time to face reality and accept the loss.
Are you really willing to gamble your legacy and political capital on this issue?
And he just told us they going to put that man and his entourage up for a week or more when he comes here. Lawd a mussy.
“The Premier noted that it is now part of his government’s strategy to collaborate directly with private promoters, rather than having the BVI Tourist Board manage events like the Music Fest, as it had done previously.”
But YOU are the minister of tourism.
You make no sense.
??