At least two local music industry players are calling on Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment, Damion Crawford, to be more vocal on matters concerning the preservation of reggae/dancehall culture.

However, Minister Crawford says he is not silent, but he must first do the groundwork to find a solution that can facilitate equilibrium.

However, selector Foota Hype and veteran reggae/dancehall artiste Frisco Kid are convinced that the minister has succumbed to the pressure of his peers and have become silent.

"He is the youngest person in Parliament and he is under programme from the older politicians and society people. I think we would have to take out everybody out of the party, and get a fresh crop for it to change right now," Foota Hype said.

The disc jock says the Jamaican Government should be contributing to the development of culture in Jamaica instead of imposing measures which will stifle its progress. This alludes to the current Noise Abatement Act which stipulates that events must conclude at 12 a.m., and 2 a.m., depending on their permits, as well as the refusal of the law enforcers to grant permission for the hosting of several of Jamaica's street dances.

outright fight

Foota Hype believes the Noise Abatement Act is not being enforced to make Jamaica a noise free country. But is instead an outright fight against dancehall/reggae music by individuals who are powerful. According to him, events have been turned off by police in areas that are far outside of residential zones, and that even some clubs have been targeted by the police, despite its noise proof environment.

"The entire Government is quiet on the issue and it's not even just now. Even when the Opposition Party was in power and we still didn't get no change. They don't like our culture and that is hypocrisy, because they can't even give us one street for dancehall/reggae parties. Yet, when it is carnival they take the entire Corporate Area, and carnival is an outside event. When the people of a country are making millions from culture, you don't try to minimise that, you must seek to maximise it," Foota Hype said.

A concerned Foota Hype classified reggae/dancehall music as Jamaica's oil, and like the literal oil in several oil rich countries, outsiders are moving in to claim it.

"What the Government should be doing is trying to make reggae/dancehall music something that they can gain from. It's like Jamaica has oil and dem lock dung the oil refinery and import oil from other countries. Because if yu sey no to our culture and welcome carnival, a dat yu a sey to wi," the DJ said.

Frisco Kid also weighed in on the minister's alleged silence stating that the minister should emulate former Jamaican prime ministers PJ Patterson and Edward Seaga.

"When those people were in power a lot of youths got the breakthrough, and got a chance to feed dem families because dem man deh was involved in music as well," he said.

The artiste says he also believes that music is a deterrent to crime instead of an instigator.

"Nuff a di youth dem wey duh music a ghetto dem come from, and dem see gun and music and dem choose music, over gun. Suh when yu tek wey di music a gun yu a leave dem wid. You can't be fighting the music to please society people because they are the minority, you can't turn a blind eye to the majority," the veteran warned.

The artiste says Jamaica's very significance on the international scene is founded on its musical culture.

highest point

The artiste is also of the opinion that making it difficult to host street dances is a slap in the face of Bob Marley, Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Lee Scratch Perry, Burning Spear, U-Roy and every other icon who contributed to the development of reggae/dancehall music world-wide. He also pointed out that these icons were all exposed during the highest point of the sound system era, an era which will soon come to an official end if the Government does not review the Noise Abatement Act.

"Look back inna the '60s when dance a run free how di place did nice. Music only brings people together in unity, look into these things and give di people dem more time, if a even till 4 a.m. Look how the Trinidad government support dem carnival," he said.

Minister Crawford in his own defence rubbished allegations of being silent, stating that he has been speaking on the issues.

"Before even the meeting at Skateland Half-Way Tree, I was on CVM speaking on these issues that we were working on them. As a minister, you can't just impose things on people, you have to work out all the things involved because there is the need for equilibrium. One side is saying there should be no restrictions and one side is saying there should even be more strict restrictions.

Now we are looking at both sides, those who want to sleep and those who want to eat and our new proposal finds a solution. But you can't be driven to talk every time somebody says so, you have to come with something, this is sensible and until I find that I have a sensible solution, I won't speak on it," he said.

Minister Crawford yesterday hosted a consultation at the Jamaica Conference Centre where he presented his plans for the entertainment industry as well as entertaining ideas from members of the industry which included selectors, promoters, brand managers among others. He is now set to discuss his plans in Parliament.