Devin Di Dakta Tells National Security Minister Horace Chang To “Step Aside”

Devin di Dakta got into a war of words with a commenter on Instagram, after the 2016 Reggae Grammy Award nominee expressed disapproval of Minister of National Security Dr. Horace Chang retaining his position in the Jamaican cabinet.

The exchange began after the Rrri Bam Bi Deng Deng artist, in response to a newspaper article which stated that there were 37 murders in the first eight days of 2022, but that “despite the grim figures, Deputy Prime Minister Dr Horace Chang has kept his job as national security minister following a cabinet reshuffle that was announced yesterday”.

Devin in response to the Jamaica Star’s Instagram post, tagged the Minister in his comment, requesting that he vacate his position in Government.

“@horacechang Yuh fi cum dung now,” Devin wrote, using a line from Ice Coolio’s and Kenyata’s track Cum Dung Now which takes aim at politicians and deejays and which was recently popularised by fellow Dancehall artist Popcaan, after he used it in a meme.

While Devin’s comment evoked laughter from some commenters, it did not go down well with orreo_celebo, who argued that Dr. Chang by himself could not prevent criminal activities from taking place.

“Devin di Dakta, fi someone weh sing some uplifting songs famo me think u woulda smarter than that. Y him fi cum dung ? U feel like no man can stop crime ?? Ur comment sounded like a illiterate Person weh nuh really have much sense , n me find it hard fi believe seh a u write this. Tek eh dung dawg…,” he said.

However, Devin appeared unrelenting and declared that he was standing by his words.

“orreo_celebo, Why him fi cum dung? 🤔 Because obviously he’s a leader with no plans. Even if there’s a plan, it’s clearly no working, absolutely no effort is seen more than SOE & SOZO and neither is showing a reduction in crime,” he declared.

“I know what your next question might be, ‘If I know so much, why don’t I take the position?’ The answer in advance is, I don’t know either but these people are our elected leaders, they said they can do the job, we trusted them so it’s for them to deliver. So yes, I’ll stand behind my words until I’m proven wrong,” the System Matic artiste said.

He added: “The Minister Of National Security and/or whoever is responsible for putting measures in place to deal with crime should find people who are capable of doing the job and step aside. – Signed “Anthony Escoffery Devin Di Dakta Clarke!!!!!”

This is not the first time Dancehall artists have taken aim at Dr. Chang.

In August last year, Buju Banton and his compatriot Blvk H3ro mocked the Minister after learning that he had declared in a radio interview, that, to his knowledge, “there is no such thing as Maroon lands” in Jamaica.

Buju Banton, who had declared himself a “Maroon descendant of freedom fighters of Moore Town” in Jamaica’s northeast, had been caustic in his reply.

Blvk H3ro had questioned Dr. Chang’ knowledge of Caribbean history and alluded to a comical situation in June, when the Minister was caught sleeping during a sitting of the House of Representatives, in Gordon House in which Prime Minister Andrew Holness discussed the easing of restrictions associated with curbing the spread of the COVID-19.

“This man skull every history classs, this man barely can stay awake In parliament much less stay in the class,” Blvk Hero had mockingly said about the Cornwall College old boy.

Days later Blvk Hero had taken to the studio to voice a song aimed at the former University of the West Indies Guild President, titled Better Than That.

In lampooning Dr. Chang for disregarding the existence of Maroon lands, Blvk H3ro had included images of the slumbering politician in the accompanying music video.