Effective change is possible without showmanship

The key word in the Nationalist Party leadership election, perhaps in any leadership election, is change.

It is really very easy to preach it but how can one implement it? Can we change a complex political party just because someone says so? Can flashy marketing and grandiose promises do the trick? What approach and attitude must the new leader have to be successful in his inevitable mission of change? What characteristics should a leader have if he wishes to achieve as much meaningful change as possible? What change does the Nationalist Party need at this time?

The main criticism one hears is that the party is not sufficiently in contact with all levels of society. This is probably a fair comment and it materialized because of a strategic error committed many moons ago, when the party abandoned its erstwhile effective street leader system. This grassroots-system was the source of the party’s fortunes in the past, because it kept the party close to society’s pulse. Both candidates for leadership have talked about change, but while we have heard lofty and somewhat hazy proposals from the Delia camp, it has been Chris Said who has most convincingly spelt out what the party needs to do to truly become relevant and be on the ball again. Indeed, it was only Chris Said who immediately proposed the rebuilding of the street leader system, only for Delia to eventually cotton on and more or less copy the proposal a few weeks later. One would have expected the socalled ‘New Way’ to lead the way on such fundamental leadership issues, but it was in fact the practical, pragmatic and determined Chris Said who hit the nail on the head.

It actually came as no surprise to me! It is not showmanship, bluster and loud public lecture sessions that bring about change, but rather insightful analysis, gritty determination and an innate ability to bring people and ideas together in order to achieve the best progress and change possible. Those are the exact same characteristics that so many have observed in Chris Said throughout his career to date. He knows how to patiently bring people together, listen and absorb different points of view, draw in the right expertise and knowledge, and put that all together into only meaningful, effective and doable change project. It is those characteristics that the Nationalist Party truly needs to bring about lasting and meaningful change, not flashy marketing and short tempers!

Chris Said has proposed a radical upgrade of how the party interacts with society, marrying a highly effective personal contact approach, based on the street leader system, with technology. Chris is determined to transform the Nationalist Party into a lively, party, a role that will be played with pride and determination, a role that will truly foster a bond and a sense of belonging with the party as well as provide the party with the pulse of every village, community, street and household in the country. This will be the Nationalist Party of the future and it is only the character traits, determination and vision of Chris Said that can achieve it.

But this far-reaching change will count for nothing if instead of focusing on change the Nationalist Party will waste its time on defending itself and its leader. The party cannot afford such distractions and moreover such distractions will dilute the effectiveness of those changes we need to implement and the credibility of such changes. It is useless sticking a beautiful label on a bottle if the bottle has no bottom. The starting point needs to be the credibility and integrity of the party’s leader. Without that, we will waste five years and, worse still, we will lose many other votes of those people who, though not political animals, have felt compelled to vote PN precisely because of the attraction they always felt towards the credibility and integrity of the PN’s leader. The starting point is indeed the credibility and integrity of the leader and there can be no doubt at all that Chris Said possesses those characteristics in abundance, as his career has shown so far and as so many have attested. So let us not waste five years… let us vote for the person who can truly bring about the change the party needs, let us choose the ‘right way’ for the Nationalist Party that will bring about meaningful and effective change.