Tufton Says Yes To Vybz Kartel On ‘Every Vax Counts’ Campaign
Jamaica’s Minister of Health and Wellness Christopher Tufton says he would welcome the support of Vybz Kartel onboard his Ministry’s Every Vax Counts campaign. This comes after Vybz Kartel’s attorney Isat Buchanan said that the incarcerated Dancehall deejay would be inclined to take the Covid-19 vaccine, a revelation which was met with disbelief and disdain by many of his Gaza fans.
Over the weekend, cultural expert Professor Carolyn Cooper revealed that Howard Mitchell, Chairman of the National Health Fund, had advised Health Minister Tufton that he should “go and reason with Vybz Kartel in prison to see if he would compose a song to encourage people to get vaccinated.” The University of the West Indies professor was very confident in her position that Kartel would be the best person given his influence.
Responding to the advice, Tufton told The Star today that he would be willing to work with the penal system so that the Mr. Officer singer could help to promote the Ministry’s campaign, which has already recruited Dancehall artist Ding Dong.
“Any support for the vaccination efforts is welcomed. We want all persons who qualify to take the vaccines and to lend support to encourage others to take it,” Tufton said.
He added: “There is no doubt that Vybz Kartel is an influencer, with many fans throughout the country. For his protection, I would like him to take the vaccine and if he can influence others to take it that would be good. I would be willing to work with the penal system to explore how it could be done.”
Opposition Spokesman on Health, Morais Guy, was also in agreement.
Guy told The Star, “Despite the fact that he is a convicted person, there is still an amount of influence he might have, and if he can make a jingle to encourage a significant portion of the Jamaican population to take the vaccine, then I am on board with that.”
Despite being behind bars since September 2011, Kartel’s influence over Dancehall has not dwindled. During his recent jailhouse interview on Fox 5 NY, which spurred its own controversy in Jamaica, Kartel said he believed that it was his influence that caused his imprisonment.
“The system really wanted me thrown away, it was never about me being charged for a murder, it was about getting rid of Vybz Kartel, not Adidjah Palmer, the person,” Kartel told FOX5’s Lisa Evers.
“Because they [the system] told us… they say we have too much influence. If you remember when Mavado and I had that little feud a few years ago, we even went to King’s House which is like the home of the Prime Minister and they were telling us that we were leading the kids astray and that if we don’t stop what we’re doing we’re not going to get any permission to do shows and stuff like that. So it has always been about the influence that Vybz Kartel has.”
While there’s no word yet on whether Kartel would be prepared to join the Health Ministry’s campaign, the artist’s lawyer, on Monday, said that “the Government should recognise that dancehall is the biggest influence on the people, and if they are incapable of inciting the masses, then they should seek guidance.”
“Vybz Kartel, and every entertainer in the entertainment industry, they have value,” Buchanan added.
Unlike many of his fellow Dancehall stars, Vybz Kartel has previously indicated that he was against doing dubplates for a politician. Perhaps, he might make an exception to help Jamaica improve its vaccination rate.
According to the Jamaica Gleaner, the Health Ministry reported on Tuesday that it hit a record one-day tally of 21,000 COVID vaccinations administered. Overall, more than 480,000 doses of COVID vaccines have now been administered in Jamaica. The government is seeking to get 65 percent of Jamaicans inoculated against COVID-19 by March 2022.