By Makhulu 

Players in the Jamaican entertainment industry have been demanding that the Government allow them to hold events and that people must pay to party or else their ventures will be in peril of being unable to recover.

The Government has entertained their entreaties and is sympathetic to their plight.

Though the party organisers are clamouring for everyone to get out there, cups in hand and shaking their thang, they must be mindful that there is a global pandemic out there and that the first task of any government is to protect the well being of its citizens and residents.

This is no time for people to get together to party and the Government must not give in to those selfish calls. As Prime Minister Andrew Holness has said, this is a health crisis turned into an economic crisis. COVID-19 is most virulent when people are in close proximity thus enabling the infection of others.

The very nature of how these parties take place makes them incubators for the virus. The questions the Government needs to ask itself are: Can the country afford to see mass breakouts of the virus? Can its present healthcare infrastructure cope with hundreds of thousands of infections?  Does it have access to adequate numbers of vaccines to inoculate Jamaicans? What will the multilateral agencies, indeed the world, make of Jamaica opening up to party while the rest of the world  abides by social distancing, curfews and puts in place measures to prevent the spread of the virus?

It is said that the entertainment industry contributes over five per cent of Jamaica’s GDP. Its multiplier effect makes it a significant contributor to the country’s economy.

Kamal Bankay, of Dream Entertainment, says the events and party business brings in revenues of J$10 billion a year.

It was a prudent decision to shut down partying and entertainment gatherings as both local and international infections and deaths increased. We can all party next year. These are turbulent times now and the Government cannot afford to take chances that see this virus getting out of control in Jamaica – because people must fete and party organisers must make profits. What about the safety of your fellow Jamaicans? Do you not care about their health? Do you want to see them sick and dying so that you can prosper?

“When extrapolated to the relative size of the industry, this represents loss to the arts and entertainment sector of conservatively J$19.2 billion for micro and small creative businesses and individuals. Coupled with losses from medium and large events such as Calabash Literary Art Festival, Carnival in Jamaica, Dream and Reggae Sumfest, the lost revenue increases to in excess of J$26.182 billion,” said Olivia Grange, minister of entertainment, culture and sport.

There are those who speculate that the industry is looking at a hit of J$100 billion if the local entertainment industry is shuttered till the end of 2021.

But rather than demand the country fully opens up so that entertainment can thrive, what about exploring alternatives?

Joe Bogdanovich put on a splendid virtual concert last summer and Shaggy’s Christmas show was popular. Then you had the virtual Beenie Man and Bounty Killer Verzuz faceoff getting tremendous viewership. The entertainment industry has to find creative and ingenious ways to survive until COVID-19 doesn’t pose an existential threat.

It would be disingenuous not to factor in the mass indiscipline, not to mention the horrendous crimes and murders that are already manifesting just five weeks into the new year. For the month of January there were 113 murders and 33 rapes. Just imagine what opening up the party scene would do to crime-fighting initiatives. It is throwing gas onto the flames and would take Jamaica to the ninth circle of hell.

Some of these party promotors are enterprising young entrepreneurs keen to get ahead and look good prospering but that cannot be at the expense of Jamaicans.

Developed countries have made it unequivocally clear that there will be no partying, mass gathering or events while the virus ravages their countries. They are better equipped from every conceivable perspective to deal with COVID than Jamaica is, yet Jamaica must ignore this, risk everybody’s health in order to allow fetes to take place.

There is no way you can social distance during a Jamaican party- that truly is dreaming!

Consider for a moment the naivety and utter shortsightedness from Scott Dunn, managing director of Dream Entertainment.

“We want to put food on our table like every other person in the labour force,” Dunn said recently in an open letter to the Government.

“A few days ago, I had to lay off more of my staff (my family). They need their jobs back. We need to reopen the events industry as this cannot continue!”

Does this sound like a man who cares about his country and what happens to the people who live in it? Is he aware that we are living in a pandemic the likes of which Jamaica has never seen?

He may well subscribe to the notion that we have to live with the virus and take our chances by partying so that he can make money. But is this a responsible stance from a business leader?

Scott Dunn, Andrew Bellamy and Kamal Bankay are lobbying hard for the country to get back to dancing. Meanwhile, Trinidad quickly announced no carnival in 2020 and certainly no carnival in 2021. It has closed its borders as it looks to keep out COVID-19 to better protect its people.

Jamaica cannot take the view that money must come before the health and safety of its people. It sends a foreboding message to Jamaicans that you do not matter and that you are all expendable.

The party promoters would be better served lobbying the government for a fiscal package rather than opening up, allowing people to congregate en masse in the streets. Yes, the entertainment industry has had to endure immeasurable hardship and its earnings have disappeared but it, like everyone else, must endure the pain for a while. Reach for the lifeboats and make plans for 2022.

“Some people believe that the entertainment industry is not an industry, but we are, and we are one of the biggest industries in Jamaica. With over 76,000 persons involved and an estimated economic impact of J$195 billion annually. I believe that after seeing all of this data and information, the prime minister is at a point where he is comfortable to access it.

“We recognise that the economy itself has to open up in phases and entertainment would not have been first naturally because obviously it is one of the most difficult to manage. But based on the excellent job that the prime minister, Ministry of Health and the other agencies and ministries have been doing so far, I think now is a good time as ever,” Kamal Bankay is reported to have told the press.

FlAWED REASONING

Numbers are spiking in the United States where over 26.5 million people being infected with almost 450,000 people dead. In Jamaica there have been 16,073 confirmed cases with 355 deaths. Jamaica will have nowhere near sufficient vaccine shots to protect its population and there are growing variants of the virus that may render the current vaccines ineffective.

Now is not a good time, Kamal. We are heading into an early spring period even more precarious than we encountered in the same period last year when governments around the world had to impose lockdowns.

We are in tough times where we all must stay in and stay safe. Everyone is calling on the Government to bail them out but there is only so much it can do, and this present administration is focused on finding solutions while trying to keep the country afloat. It needs patience and understanding from all of us and everyone lending a helping hand.

In times of great crises, countries show their mettle and character. They do not party and throw caution to the wind.

“ For 10 months, I have suffered in silence as the Government of Jamaica has left me and my ecosystem (my family) sitting on the bench. I’m not an idiot and I am generally unselfish, I understand the risks large groups would cause in a pandemic, but I’m also fair and I know hypocrisy when I see it. As I write this on January 22,2021 the ‘gathering orders under the
Disaster Risk Management Act in Jamaica only allows 15 people at a ‘party’,” said Scott Dunn.

This has got to be a case of solipsism that the Government would do well to ignore and put down to youthful exuberance.