St. Vincent’s Prime Minister: Visit to Vybz Kartel a personal act of kindness

KINGSTON – Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves says the decision to admit Jamaican dancehall artist Vybz Kartel to St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) is an “act of personal kindness”.

The artist was recently released after serving 13 years in prison and speculation was rife as to whether he worked for SVG. The Jamaican Court of Appeal acquitted the cartel of murder.

The artist revealed that he suffers from Graves’ disease, also known as hyperthyroidism.Since the 48-year-old artist, whose real name is Adija Palmer, arrived at Argyle International Airport on a private jet last Friday, several videos of him have appeared on social media.

One of the videos shows the artist sitting at a dining table with Gonsalves, his wife, Eloise Gonsalves, and others, apparently at the prime minister’s residence.

Prime Minister Goncalves said in his weekly radio show on state-owned NBC Radio that he received a call from the artist’s lawyer, Isat Buchanan, a few weeks ago.

Gonsalves, who like Carter uses the nickname “World Boss,” said: “He (Buchanan) called me and said he knew we had specialists for Graves’ disease and hypothyroidism, which Carter was known to have.”

The premier said Buchanan asked whether it would be appropriate for Carter to travel to Kingston “to meet with experts in the field.”

“So, I told him that, in fact, we do have a highly qualified specialist, an endocrinologist, a Cuban, with a good support team, including internal medicine specialists, and I gave him the name of the doctor… He is of Indian origin and a professor at one of the universities here…”

Gonsalves said other internal medicine experts include Dr. Resa Tewana Brown-Caesar, wife of Agriculture Secretary Saboto Caesar, and that these experts have excellent support staff and ample investigative tools.

“I think Marlon Samuels has probably shown us that we understand, and I’ve known him since my West Indies cricket days,” Gonsalves said of the Jamaican batsman, adding that Samuels had visited Jamaica to show support for the country after Hurricane Beryl struck on July 1.

“I immediately said: ‘OK, we can facilitate it for him.’ Of course, the government is not going to spend any money for the cartel to stay here.

“I mean, we are helping because the impulse comes from a simple word, which is kindness. People in need are looking for help,” he said. (The Jamaica Gleaner)