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JAM | May 28, 2021

Beenie Man calls out ‘double standard’ amid Mocha Fest controversy

Juanique Tennant

Juanique Tennant / Our Today

Reading Time: 2 minutes
Dancehall entertainer, Beenie Man

What a Mocha mess!

As tensions continue to rise about who is to be blamed for the breach in the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA), which allowed the 2021 staging of Mocha Fest to go on as scheduled in Negril, Jamaica, despite existing COVID-19 restrictions, dancehall entertainer Beenie Man is calling the government out for its “double standard”.

In a tweet made earlier today (May 28), Beenie Man stated, “I guess my apology was not good enough. I am not above the law, but some people are. #Jamaica #DoubleStandard”.

Beenie Man, born Moses Davis, was fined JMD $150,000 or 35 days in jail when he appeared for sentencing before the St Elizabeth Parish Court in Black River on May 18, having previously pleaded guilty to breaches of the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA).

The 47-year-old entertainer was charged by the police for DRMA breaches last December after hosting an illegal party at a location in Shrewsbury district, St Elizabeth, on November 29, 2020.

In handing down the sentencing, the judge told Davis that as the ‘King of the Dancehall’, his ‘kingship’ comes with responsibility.

“I hope when you leave this courtroom today, you will let Jamaicans know that not even the king is above the law,” said the judge to Davis.

He continued, “Mr Davis, you can either be the ‘King of Dancehall’ in this case, or you can just be the other guy, and I hope you are not the other guy.”

Thursday’s Daytime Urban Splash, a hip-hop themed pool party, held at Rick’s Café in Negril, Westmoreland. (Photo sourced from social media video)

Davis informed the judge that in this case, he was indeed the king, not the other guy, and thanked the court for not being too harsh on him.

Controversy continues to swirl around the Mocha Fest party, as Jamaicans fume at how a full-blown event was allowed and approved to be held at Rick’s Cafe in Negril. The week-long festivities, held for the Memorial Day weekend celebrations, saw scores of patrons flouting anti-coronavirus protocols in now-viral social media footage.

Like all of Mocha Fest’s parties, Thursday’s hip-hop themed Daytime Urban Splash, is being staged exclusively for tourists.

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