By Leonardo Blair, Staff Reporter HARSHLY CRITICISED for her seemingly 'unsportsmanlike behaviour' following Saturday's loss to James Robertson in the deputy leader's race for the Jamaica Labour Party's (JLP) Area Council Two, Member of Parliament for Central St. Catherine Olivia 'Babsy' Grange sought to make amends yesterday.
Making a belated entry into the National Arena and well into the main address that was being delivered by party leader Edward Seaga to bring the curtain down on the JLP's annual conference, Ms. Grange, declaring that she was a soldier, strongly denied that she had cried following the defeat to Robertson.
"I'm just fine and will you please correct the story, I did not cry," she said as she was swarmed by squabbling faithfuls. "I didn't have tears in my eye, I am a soldier. The story said that I had tears in my eyes that is not true, my eyes are just pretty," she said in an interview with The Gleaner.
The St. Catherine Central MP, who had bitterly declared that she would not be working with first term MP James Robertson who trounced her in the race for deputy leadership, had also changed the tune of her working intentions.
"I am a party person, I'm fine," she said before she was whisked off to join Mr. Robertson who welcomed her graciously in the seat next to him.
Sunday's report said Ms. Grange was very bitter in defeat and declared she would not be working with the newly-elected James Robertson.
"Absolutely not, I won't be working with him. I am not going to...the corruption that took part in this election, I won't be a part of it," Ms. Grange had said. "Everybody who hugged me put a knife in my back. Everybody who kissed me, it was a kiss of death."
Both Ms. Grange and Edmund Bartlett, Member of Parliament for St. James East Central, were trounced by challengers for their hold on deputy leadership positions in the JLP on Saturday. Dr. Horace Chang, MP for St. James North West got 520 votes to oust Mr. Bartlett from a post he had held for several years. Mr. Bartlett got 402 votes. Mr. Robertson took 584 of the votes in Area Two while Ms. Grange lost with 469.
Olivia Grange became a Member of Parliament in December 1997. She was declared a JLP deputy leader in January 1999 and is the party's spokesman on Information.
