Defence Minister Wayne Sturge is considering restricting attendance to the Vybz Kartel concert to persons 18 years and over.

A decision is still to be made upon receipt of a legal opinion.

A statement adds that the Minister “has and will exercise his discretion to restrain” Kartel from performing the song “Good like Jesus”, given complaints over its explicit and vulgar lyrics.

This could also apply to other songs which may contain similar content, with the statement pointing to “being mindful of the right of the artiste to freedom of expression, but also mindful of the fact that freedom of expression is not an absolute right.”

Meanwhile, regarding the restrictions placed on Kartel, the Ministry says similar limits have been placed on this artiste in the past, and even on T&T artistes by other CARICOM countries.

It explains that the proposed travel itinerary requesting permission for the artiste to enter T&T was amended to the period May 29th 2025 to June 3rd 2025.

The draft permit took account of the fact that he had previously been granted permission to enter the jurisdiction, had not committed any infractions whilst in the jurisdiction, as well as his record of being permitted into other countries without violation of the law.

The statement also explains that the decision to curtail Kartel’s stay and movement: “Having regard to intelligence received regarding the artiste affiliations as well as recent events in Tortola which directly impact national security, the allocation of scarce resources necessary for the safety of the artiste and his entourage cannot be provided for the period sought, hence the decision to curtail his stay and movements.”