The unedited text of a letter Charlene Robertson wrote to JLP leader Edward Seaga on November 9, while the party was meeting in the public session of its 60th annual conference at the National Arena. The day before, Seaga had launched a bitter personal attack on her husband, claiming that delegates were being bribed to vote for Robertson in a deputy leader’s election.

Dear Mr Seaga,

I write this letter in a personal capacity. As, a wife, mother, and a committed member of the Jamaica Labour Party, I was particularly hurt and disappointed by your speech at the closed session of conference yesterday. I sat in disbelief as I heard the words leave your mouth. I still cannot comprehend why you would have been so cruel and dishonest in your remarks. As I listened, a million emotions and thoughts ran through my head.

Firstly, I thought of the long-term effects that this blatant campaign strategy would have on our children. Our girls were there all day to support their father in his efforts. We have always been careful to raise our children to be socially aware and conscious, and to be fully aware of what James does. In one fell swoop you would carelessly label their father as underhanded and dishonest.

I take that personally, Mr Seaga. I am the wife who has taken the role of both parents many times so that James can campaign all over Jamaica — not just his constituency. My children have literally been fatherless through the elections of 1997, the by-election of North-East St Ann, the general elections of 2002, the local government elections of 2003, and the campaign for deputy leader; virtually their whole lives.

I am the wife that spends many sleepless nights wondering and worrying about his safety. If only it were as easy as handing out money for votes, then he would not have had to miss out on the last two months of family life.

Secondly, I thought of the effects on my father-in-law who has been extremely supportive and proud of James in all his endeavours. He recently shared with me that he had travelled to places in St Catherine that he never knew existed before. Somebody should have told him that he only had to wait and pay each delegate instead of spending day and night walking the hills and valleys and adding wear and tear to his 68 year-old body. I hurt for him, as he is so proud of his son’s accomplishments and hard work.

Then I thought about James having to sit on that platform and hear you say those things about him. I know that by now, he (and to a lesser extent, I) had gotten used to malicious things being said about him, but not from you, who he has loved and supported for the last 15 years.

I know, although he will not admit it, that your words were like “a knife in his back”, to coin a phrase from your former deputy leader. Not from the man who he has stood beside on every occasion in recent times there has been unrest in Tivoli Gardens. Check the pictures, and the television footage, and I dare say, Mr Seaga, James is many times the only one beside you. I certainly don’t recall any of your other deputy leaders there. I can show you the bullet hole that pierced through his pick-up. The bullet is still lodged in his dashboard. He risked his life and took the risk of leaving our young children fatherless because he genuinely cared.

Not from the man, who, when you asked him to help Audley Shaw in his bid for deputy leader he was there to do whatever was required. When you called him and asked him to help Babsy Grange fight Bruce Golding in Central St Catherine, he responded and did what was required of him. I still think that it was to the detriment of his own success, even though he does not see it the same way. When you called him and asked him to help in North-East St Ann, he packed his bags and left his family and business for 2 weeks, taking a team with him to fight the elections.

When you called James and asked him to start and steer a new youth organization, he and I hosted many a meeting on our patio. James in fact named the organization G2K. We hosted the launching and put on the first day of conference for G2K through our own private funds. No one questioned at any time how any of these things were financed.

Did you ever stop to consider that it is the goodwill that he built along the way that made him victorious?

Lastly, you cannot compare a budget for a 2 month campaign spanning16 constituencies, and a management team with vehicles and cellular phones on the road, with a 2 day conference. I think that you have lost touch with what things cost in Jamaica. I think that the organization seen yesterday of an information booth, banners, lunch and refreshments for all the delegates, buses, etc illustrated how the money was spent. In fact, I find it ironic that while you were making those charges on the stage, I had gotten reports from many upset delegates that $1,000 bills wrapped in Babsy Grange T-shirts were being handed out on the conference floor right under your nose.

I still wonder what you had hoped to achieve. The Jamaica Labour Party has made these allegations against the People’s National Party many times. What good could come of intimating that it exists in our party? Many people who do not know James half as well as you do, were upset and appalled by your allegations. I can only hope that all the delegates know the truth, as they may feel that they were not treated equitably. This would only put a further division within the party and delay the healing time and unity that you speak about so often. I thought that the People’s National Party was the enemy.

Mr Seaga, I hope that you read this letter and fully digest the level of disappointment and hurt that I feel, and take it under advisement for your future actions. James won because the delegates recognize in him an energy and commitment which will bring success to the Area Council.

He won because the private sector that has been turned off of the Jamaica Labour Party for so long decided that James was a glimmer of hope. They also know that James has always put in more resources into politics than he has ever received, and were confident that whatever they contributed went to the right place. Babsy’s lack of ability for fundraising should not be blamed on James, but further strengthens the argument that it was time for her to step aside. He won because other young people whose efforts were rejected by the party in the past decided to work hard alongside James to bring him to victory.

Hard work and a loving and supportive family is the source of James’ success — not bribery.

Yours sincerely,

Charlene Robertson (Mrs)