Let Them Fight It, Daweh Congo advises

With a general election in the air, with only the date to be announced (since it may have already been set by those who have power over such things) come-reds and 'come-greens' have been sorting out their candidates in the particularly passionate way of the fanatic.

In some quarters, there has been internecine squabbling among the rank-and-file, and there was a time when gun and knife were the tools of choice, instead of teeth an tongue between supporters of Jamaica's two main political parties. One man, Daweh Congo, advised 'Let Them Fight It' - physically.

There is no shortage of commentary on the political process in Jamaican popular music, although it seems to have declined with the violence associated with going to the polls, to decide who walks which way on Duke Street to Gordon House. So Buju Banton asked, "it is politics time again, are you gonna vote now?" and Anthony B said in an upbeat number, "nah vote again". Those were in the 1990s, when participation in the electoral process was being questioned and, in cases, rejected, with a notoriously low voter turnout being the order of the day.

Current radio advertisements advise the public not to sell their vote to anyone; Damian 'Junior Gong' Marley has long done this in Khaki Suit, which appears on the 2005 Welcome to Jamrock album. He includes the currency of liquor in the exchange of favours for votes:

"An politician a drive dem cyar tell dem no steer ova here

When dem touch dung pon de ends yu ongly hear say war declare.

Man a clap it inna town an man a clap it inna square

An whole heap a skull a bore an den whole heap a skin a tear... .

An a so me get fi know say heads a govament no care

Cause de money whe dem a share

An crate a Guinness crate a beer

Cannot pay yu likkle pickney school fee come to en a year".

Around the time of the last general election, performing at Sting, Bounty Killer warned to not let this seasonal largesse interrupt longstanding bonds of common penury, saying "don make dem steak mash up yu chicken back relationship."

Cham in Ghetto Story ("I remember bout '80 Jamaica explode/When a Trinity an Tony Hewitt dem a run road") and Beenie Man in Trendz ("Back in the days of 1981/is jus' after 1980 election/After Bob Marley dead an is bare bangarang/Manley an Seaga inna competition") reference the notoriously bloody 1980 general election. Even the ballot box gets its due - Josey Wales and Admiral Bailey did an entire song around the questions "who say de Colonel tief de ballot box?/who say de Admiral tief de ballot box?"

Wales says the only box he wants is the strong box, Bailey requires only the King Jammys Superpower sound box. Humorously, Josey says, "look how me big, look how me fat/How me jump fence wid ballot box?"

Cham, on the other hand, claims the election day infringement in Ghetto Story:

"I remember when we stick the poll clerks

And dump the ballot box pon Tivoli outskirts"

And in Ghetto Red Hot, Super Cat recalls the effect of political violence on children in the inner city, deejaying about "whe de politics fliction drop/When de bomb a drop pon house top/An every morning a dead man on spot/An de yute dem go school tru shot/Make me tell yu dem ben dung flat/And school book man it deh pon dem back."

Let Them Fight It, appears on Daweh Congo's superb 1999 album - Militancy, put out by RUNNetherlands. It starts with a series of questions about the social conditions of those who find themselves in the heat of political battle:

"How many empty buckets, broken standpipe?

How many homeless people, how many sleepless night?

When will those who have nothing pay the price

For services the system never provide?"

Then he observes the inherent imbalance of the political process:

"Politics is a trick...

An no poor no benefit, only rich get rich

I can see the economic prejudice

My advice is this, don' put yu life at risk."

And he concludes in the chorus that it is they who direct the conflict who should take up arms:

"Make dem fight it rude bwoy

Don't be dem sidekick

Make dem fight it

Dem alone mus' fight it

Make dem fight it

A dem organize

Dis ya world crisis"

This includes the "big neck guys," divesting themselves of their trappings of clothing, to "...take off dem tie, take off jacket/Make dem roll up dem sleeve, knock fis' to fis'/Make dem draw fi pipe iron an pick axe stick."

In all of this, though, Daweh Congo does not remove responsibility from the human tools of political wars, commanding the youths, "no more politically motivated offence."