By Barbara Ellington, Contributor
Grange
MUCH HAS happened in the week since Olivia 'Babsy' Grange, the only female deputy leader of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), lost her position to first-time MP James Robertson. And last Friday, she issued a statement in which she said she would not be accepting nomination for any other post in the party at this time. On Friday night when The Sunday Gleaner spoke to her, she was calm and reflective.
SG: What's next for Babsy Grange?
OBG: I will take time out to focus on myself, my life and my constituency
SG: That's vague. Are you going on vacation?
OBG: I will be going to Abuja in Nigeria in December for a
conference.
SG: Yes, but that sounds work-related, are you regrouping to consider your options within the party for a stronger return?
OBG: I will review my options. I will take things one day at a time and make my decision in a timely way.
SG: There's so much you're not saying. Do you regret any of your statements following last weekend's election and how much of those statements would you say contributed to the subsequent turbulence?
OBG: My statements made reference to how I thought funds were used in the campaign. I didn't make any reference to the source of funding.
SG: Would you retract any of those statements?
OBG: I still have concerns.
SG: So you wouldn't retract them?
OBG: I may have said it differently but I think my concerns are real and it's not sour grapes. I can take my loss. This country takes all types to contribute and build it. In a political party there has to be a wide mix of people from all walks of life. When someone is of modest means, it's not a crime; it's no reason for one not to be respected or for one's contribution not to be treated with value. I have no apology to make about that.
SG: How important or influential is the position of deputy leader in the JLP?
OBG: It is important; it's second to the leader the second level. You are responsible for the organisation and management of constituencies in your region. You provide the leadership, guidance and direction in that region. You would expect to wield some influence.
SG: How much influence do you wield up to the top?
OBG: Your voice and recommendations do carry weight. The party was restructured after the 1997 election to strengthen the organisation on the ground, to find leaders and make them fully responsible for various activities and accountable. We should have had full-time field organisers but due to lack of funds, that never materialised.
SG: As a deputy leader, how much were you able to use your position to realise your vision for the party?
OBG: I was able to identify suitable candidates. Part of my vision was a James Robertson in West St. Thomas. On several occasions, I said to James and Andrew Holness, 'you are my future leaders.' James was like my protégé and in a very definite way I guided his path from St. Catherine to St. Thomas. I felt it was unlikely he would win in South East or South St. Catherine but would do better in St. Thomas where there is a solid, experienced JLP team. His family history is linked to the parish too.
We carefully planned strategy and worked to establish an efficient party machinery and organisation there.
SG: So you did a fantastic job, Robertson has emerged a first class A student; you should be happy in that regard.
OBG: I don't have a difficulty with that. I am not bitter but when you work as a team, if you have a difficulty with a member, you always try to work things out and negotiate. We were never at odds with issues. There was no animosity or rancour. I don't have a problem with James' ambition, just how things are done. If he has genuine concerns for the party because he was exposed to complaints about my leadership, as someone who I openly trusted, it could have been handled differently.
SG: Do you see your defeat as a blow for women in general in the party?
OBG: I see it as a setback for women and a blow for people of humble beginnings. I'm not saying because I'm a woman the democratic process should not be exercised. But we have to work hard and there are other women in the party with an enormous amount to contribute to the country.
SG: What do you make of the two groups emerging in the JLP now?
OBG: It's no different from any other party where when you have differences people align themselves to teams.
SG: So you don't attach great significance to them?
OBG: Well you wouldn't have elections if you didn't have
competitors.
SG: What will your next political move be?
OBG: I haven't reached there yet. I have been doing this all my life so all I can focus on is the break I'm going to take; that's why I didn't entertain accepting any nomination for any further position. I am committed to what I do, I am loyal to my party and my leader and although I've been severely criticised for that, I have no apologies for being loyal.
SG: How do you respond to criticisms about being an ineffective leader and neglecting your constituency?
OBG: With limited resources there are limitations to doing your job effectively. My constituency seems to be left out of all inner-city programmes. When I first went there, the largest block of voters were factory workers, today they are the unemployed. Most households are headed by unemployed women; many children don't attend school regularly and the problems I saw still remain.
One year after the last general election, I am still not in receipt of SESP allocations; I am still awaiting back-to-school funds. The needs are great, expectations are high and people are impatient. It is challenging but in spite of frustrations and complaints, I am their MP and I'm the one they take it out on. If politicians were treated with more respect by other stakeholders in the society, as partners we could achieve more to improve people's lives.
SG: Do you think it is hypocritical of political parties to talk about questionable sources of political contributions considering that in the past some of those sources have been high profile 'dons' of dubious integrity. It's an open secret.
OBG: I think both parties need to examine sources carefully and I hope we get somewhere with campaign finance reform. I don't think it's hypocritical. In this instance it was just a simple request. In the JLP, we have a rule that states that we don't approach traditional contributors for personal contributions because the party has to maintain those sources.
SG: How do you think big contributors will react to campaigning finance reform when it is introduced here?
OBG: Guidelines would have to be established and once accountability is key, it will limit the power of contributors who have influence. Some of them may even be relieved because constant approaches drain their resources.
SG: Will you work with the new deputy leader and give him your fullest support?
OBG: My responsibility as an MP is to ensure that everything works efficiently and smoothly.
SG: What about the sacrifice of personal life for politics?
OBG: I have some regrets but all my life has been in politics. I feel that life has passed me by. I have lost friends and been unable to keep relationships going. I have neglected my family and myself as well as my own upward mobility. I have put everything and everyone else first. I felt that those closest to me would understand. I have taken friends and family for granted and today I'm saying maybe it was not a good thing to have done.
