St Vincent PM describes Vybz Kartel’s visit as 'an act of mercy'

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent, CMC – Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves says the decision to accommodate Jamaican dancehall artiste, Vybz Kartel, in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) is a "personal act of mercy".

There has been widespread speculation about the artiste's presence in SVG following his recent release from prison after 13 years. Kartel was acquitted of a murder charge by Jamaica's Court of Appeal.

The artiste has disclosed that he has Graves' disease, also known as hyperthyroidism and several videos of the 48-year-old artiste, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, have appeared on social media since he arrived at Argyle International Airport on board a private jet last Friday.

One of the videos shows the artiste seated at a dining table along with Gonsalves and his wife, Eloise Gonsalves, and other people, apparently at the Official Residence of the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Gonsalves, speaking on his weekly radio programme on the state-owned NBC Radio said he received a telephone call from Isat Buchanan, the artiste's lawyer, a few weeks ago.

Gonsalves, who like Kartel uses the moniker 'World Boss', said "He (Buchanan) called me and said that he understood that we have experts here in the field of dealing with the issue of Graves' disease, hypothyroidism, which is the condition publicly everybody knows that Mr Kartel, Mr Palmer suffers from.”

Gonsalves said Buchanan asked whether it would be appropriate for Kartel to travel to Kingstown “to see these experts in this field."

“So, I told him that, in fact, we do have a high-quality specialist, endocrinologist, a Cuban with a good supportive team, including specialists in internal medicine and I named the doctor… who is of Indian descent and who is also a teaching professor at one of the universities here….”

“And immediately I was prompted to say, 'Yes, we can facilitate him.' Naturally, the government is not spending any money for Mr Kartel, Mr Palmer, Vybz Kartel to be here staying.

“I mean, we're facilitating, because the impulse came from a simple word called mercy. Somebody who is in need is reaching out for help,” he said.

Gonsalves said he also spoke with Kartel by phone, saying “of course, he came on jovial, as usual, bantering…He happy to talk to the political world boss. Everyone knew he had been presented as the dancehall world boss.”

Gonsalves said that Kartel also told him he has a child with Vincentian roots.

“He said he has a child with a woman whose mother is from St Vincent and the Grenadines,” Gonsalves said, adding that he knows the woman, who is from the Cabral family.

“But my impulse was confirmed by his connection to the Cabrals. The Lord works in mysterious ways his wonders to perform. But I begin with the word because I was telling instinctively, I told his lawyer, yes, we'll facilitate because of mercy, is in my DNA. It's a noise in the blood, it's an echo in the bone.”

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