CURTIS CAMPBELL, STAR Writer

Dancehall producer Skatta Burrell has lashed out against Jamaicans who have disrespected Asafa Powell on social media, following his recent disappointing finish in the 100m final at the ongoing IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China.

According to a seemingly upset Burrell, some Jamaicans have forgotten that Asafa Powell is the first Jamaican athlete to have held a world record in the 100m event and is the one who set the bar initially for Jamaican athletes over the distance.

In a Facebook rant, Burrell urged Jamaicans to be more grateful and give due respect to all national patriots.

"I don't really go on social media rants, but I am making an exception tonight. Due to how I'm observing these negative posts being made regarding @asafasub10king's performance at the Championships 2015. Sigh! Jamaicans I tell you. How can folks who never made any form of commitment towards any aspirations or dreams be poking fun at someone who once carried the Jamaican flag as a true patriot, burning up the tracks internationally and wining races representing our little island?" he posted.

Authentic fan base

Skatta Burrell further suggested that even Usain Bolt would question the authenticity his Jamaican fan base, since they have showed no loyalty to Asafa despite his long list of accomplishments for the island.

"You mean to tell me Jamaicans have forgotten this man's accomplishments and because we have someone else doing what he did for us, he should now become the laughing stock of the very people he represented? How can we expect Usain Bolt, the current fastest man in the world, to feel comfortable or appreciate the millions of congratulations, when he sees us blatantly beating down someone I'm sure he looks up to and once drew confidence and motivation from when he was up and coming," he said.

Respect deserved

Skatta even named other persons who he believes deserves more respect from Jamaicans.

"Before Shelly-Ann Fraser we had VCB and Merlene Ottey, but no one remembers. We as a nation will never realise how powerful we are as a people because we are so busy making fun and tearing each other down," he said, mentioning Marcus Garvey, who he said was mocked after being deported from the United States.

"It's obvious we have not moved from that mental state of mind. When will we stop supporting negative post on social media? If I'm gonna continue to spend so much time on Facebook and IG (Instagram), I'm gonna try to keep it positive. Some people need to straighten up themselves," he said.

Asafa Powell has broken the world 100m record twice and currently holds the record for the most sub-10s in the same distance. In the 2007 Osaka World Championships, he won a bronze and a silver medal in the 100m and 4x100m relay, respectively. In 2008, he won gold as part of the 4x100m relay team. At the 2009 World Championships, Asafa also won bronze in the 100m and a relay gold.

With his personal best of 9.72 seconds, Asafa is also the fourth fastest man in history over 100m.