Screenshot of Jamaican dancehall deejay Vybz Kartel (left), and Chief of the Accompong Maroons Richard Currie (right) on stage at the opposition PNP's party conference in Kingston on September 15, 2024, taken from this YouTube video posted by Humans of Jamaica.

Once a year, each of the two main Jamaican political parties holds a major conference at the National Stadium in Kingston, which is partly open to the general public and media. These events draw thousands of supporters in an excited and celebratory atmosphere, with rousing speeches — and on September 15, it was the turn of the opposition People’s National Party (PNP) to rally their support base and outline their policies.

While party conferences always attract a considerable amount of attention, this particular conference stirred an unusual amount of commentary and controversy. While music — especially popular dancehall tunes — has always played a significant role, with relevant lyrics interrupting speakers’ presentations and increasing the excitement, the crowd erupted in applause and partly flooded the stage as dancehall deejay Vybz Kartel (real name Adidja Palmer) made an appearance. Kartel was freed from prison on July 31, having served 13 years for the murder of Clive “Lizard” Williams in 2014.

After a 65-day trial, Kartel was initially sentenced to life imprisonment with no eligibility for parole for 35 years. The sentences were appealed in July 2018, but were upheld by Jamaica’s Appeal Court in 2020 — but the UK Privy Council, still Jamaica's highest court of appeal, overturned the sentences on the basis of jury tampering, and the case was returned to the Jamaican courts, which decided against a retrial.

The PNP's General Secretary Dayton Campbell welcomed the deejay and his entourage — which included Chief of the Accompong Maroons Richard Currie and Kartel's high-profile lawyer Isat Buchanan (also the son of a veteran deejay, Big Youth) — onto the stage. Kartel, who has been wearing bandannas in the party's trademark orange colour since his release, repeatedly raised his hand in the PNP's clenched fist salute as his songs played. Buchanan also declared his support for the PNP.

Chief Currie, meanwhile, himself a controversial public figure, declared his support for the party on behalf of all the Maroon communities in Jamaica. The Maroons are descended from formerly enslaved Africans who escaped and fought to preserve their freedom. While noting that Maroons had been involved in politics in the past, however, the head of the Moore Town Maroons said that Currie did not necessarily speak for all Maroons on this occasion.

Of all the personalities who took to the stage, however, Kartel was the most high-profile. Over the course of his career and throughout his imprisonment, he has developed a loyal following, and some PNP supporters see him as a useful political ally to help draw in the youth vote.

Whatever the political motive, influential commentators on X (formerly Twitter) expressed shock and condemnation over the move. While Palmer's fans assert his innocence, many Jamaicans maintain that he was released “on a technicality.”

Columnist and attorney Gordon Robinson argued:

The issue of PNP's disgraceful parading of Vybz Kartel on its annual conference stage as an approved political influencer has NOTHING to do with Dance Hall music. It has EVERYTHING to do with whether this is a man who shd b the beneficiary of a political party's stamp of approval

— Gordon Robinson (@TheTerribleTout) September 19, 2024

In a diatribe on radio and YouTube, influential talk show host Cliff Hughes suggested that the PNP's motive was “to win and win at all costs.” Observing that “the middle class has already abandoned the political process,” and that this incident will further turn them away, he described the PNP as “politically desperate” and inexperienced. Hughes also quoted former culture minister and PNP member Lisa Hanna, who has spoken out against violent dancehall lyrics in the past.

One popular young broadcaster suggested that neither party can claim moral high ground:

Morals are morals.
Right is right.
Wrong is wrong.

I hate to see the duality of morality that exists in our society.
I have to call a spade a spade

Both parties used this man’s songs, lyrics, slangs and popularity for political leverage. They’ve hopped on his creative…

— YT: Bwoyatingz By Kareem (@BwoyaTingz) September 16, 2024

Attorney Clyde Williams condemned Palmer's appearance as a major error of judgment:

All of what was said about crime, gangs, law & order was undone by that one act. Leadership is not simply about competence. A big part of leadership is judgment. When to say no. Not now. Wrong time. Sends a wrong message etc. Not voting for that kind of leadership. I vote less.

— Clyde Williams (@ClydeWilliams46) September 16, 2024

Not all Jamaicans agreed, noting that Palmer's star power cannot be discounted:

The Biggest Dancehall Artist in the world attends your function and he must hide in a corner…..😂😂😂😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂😂😂politics funny bad.

— Lex retro non agit (@ekralc22) September 17, 2024

One Jamaican commented wryly:

PNP draw fi fi dem Taylor Swift.

— Kelly Katharin (@KellyKatharin) September 15, 2024

The PNP's culture spokesperson sought to explain:

Culture and creativity are complex. Often they involve controversy and opposing perspectives. As a people we need to be able negotiate through these situations, people and ideas. Leadership requires the ability to face them head on and embrace diversity while distilling issues. pic.twitter.com/x9IIi6P8GE

— PNP || Culture Spokesperson (@PNPCultureSpeak) September 15, 2024

She shared video footage of the conference, defending the “creative economy”:

Taking the #creativeeconomy seriously. #PeopleTimeCome pic.twitter.com/8yyWIubggh

— PNP || Culture Spokesperson (@PNPCultureSpeak) September 15, 2024

Some PNP officials regarded Palmer's appearance as a great moment:

#PNP86: The appearance of dancehall giant Vybz Kartel at today’s People’s National Party annual conference will go down in history ! So says Manchester councillor Mario Mitchell who says only Michael Jackson or Bob Marley could top such a monumental moment. pic.twitter.com/YRO04nlBqZ

— Jamaica Star (@jamaicastar) September 15, 2024

This is all happening against the backdrop of increased anxiety over crime and violence. After several recent incidents in schools, there have been heightened concerns over the influence of gangs on schoolchildren. Dancehall lyrics, often violent and misogynistic, are also seen as negative influences on Jamaican youth. Although the Jamaican police report that violent crimes have declined in 2024, an atmosphere of insecurity persists.

Jamaica's general elections are constitutionally due by September 2025. With a maximum of one year to go — under the Westminster system, the prime minister may call the election date at any time — the political stakes are high and tensions have risen in the week following the PNP's conference.

On September 18, police were called to Prime Minister Andrew Holness’ home in response to a “legitimate security threat.” Meanwhile, the tabling in Parliament of a long-awaited Integrity Commission report on the prime minister's finances has caused a political uproar and prompted intense media speculation.

So, do celebrity endorsements of political campaigns really work, or can they backfire? In examining the history of the issue, The Caribbean National Weekly opined:

Historically, Jamaica’s main political parties have had traditional associations with individuals identified as criminals. These associations surged in the late 1960s and were quite evident during the politically turbulent years of the 1970s. Alleged gunmen served as informal bodyguards for political candidates from both the PNP and the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), and criminal elements, popular as ‘dons’ or leaders of their inner-city and garrison communities, were instrumental in mobilizing votes for the political party they were associated with.

Whether acknowledged or not, and whether liked or not, it is a fact that individuals popular with the public—including notorious criminals or former notorious criminals, sportsmen and women, and entertainers—can help mobilize votes for a political party or candidate, especially in close elections. This is why popular U.S. entertainer Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is so welcomed by the Harris/Walz campaign.

With Jamaica's general elections not far away, the ballot box will decide whether or not what some describe as a gamble by the PNP has paid off.