Political commentator Kevin O’Brien Chang says it is too early to determine the type of impact the attendance of Vybz Kartel at the People’s National Party’s (PNP) 86th annual conference will have on the party.

The popular entertainer made a surprise appearance at the political gathering on Sunday, September 15, at the National Arena, wearing an orange mask as he graced the stage, pumping his fist as the crowd roared in excitement.

While acknowledging that this is a move to stir up support among young supporters, Chang said it will be interesting to see how Vybz Kartel’s appearance will be received by the silent majority.

“We are having a national conversation; it will be very interesting to see how this national conversation plays out. The question being asked now is, did the PNP do a good thing by inviting Vybz Kartel to stir up the young people or a bad thing by bringing someone up there who was jailed for murder and he got out, but apparently only technically, and how will the so-called silent majority react?” Chang said.

He added: “We know the young folks like the hype and Vybz Kartel, but there is a silent majority in Jamaica that does not like what Kartel stands for, and that’s the question that is being asked now, and there’s a national conversation going on. It will be very interesting to see how it plays out. Our freedom of speech is being used to the maximum, so let us see how the national conversation plays out. Did the PNP blunder by bringing Vybz Kartel to their conference on stage, or was it a good move to energize the young? We shall see how it plays out.

“Today you get a feeling that a lot of questions are being asked not only nationally but the PNP themselves are wondering, did we blunder here or not? Somehow Mr Kartel has dominated Jamaica longer than any other musician in our history, and he has come out now, and he has been a topic of conversation. There is something about this man that attracts attention and he is becoming a litmus test for Jamaica. A Jamaica that wants excitement and vibes; they don’t care about law and order; and a Jamaica where we want discipline and order. It is almost like gospel and dancehall, which is bigger in Jamaica? That is the question, and people are saying, What is the soul of Jamaica?”

Vybz Kartel was released from prison in July of this year after the Court of Appeal ruled that he should not face a re-trial for murder over the killing of Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams in 2011.

The Privy Council quashed the conviction of Kartel and his co-accused Shawn Campbell, more popularly known as Shawn Storm, Kahira Jones and Andre St John due to juror misconduct and sent the case back to the Court of Appeal to decide on a retrial.

Kartel, whose given name is Adidja Palmer, and the men were convicted for murder in the Home Circuit Court in 2014.