We all express opinions on how to improve things. Yet, opinions must be expressed in good faith, with the intention of improving things. It is wrong for anyone to abuse of a transitory period in the P.N. to avenge old grudges. Nor is a public attack on the outgoing leadership right, if or when it is intended for favouring one candidate over another for party leader, or even worse as an opportunity for personal gain in having a particular candidate as leader. Let us all hope that all those who are participating in this democratic process for the party leadership are doing so for the good of the P.N. and our country, not as a strategy for winning power for themselves. Power is a means to an end, and this end should always be the good of our country and party.
After a defeat in the polls, it is easy for one to say that whoever was in the party during the past four years is a liability, and must go. I am seeing this from those who are supporting a particular candidate for party leader. It is even easier to promote the idea that the outgoing leadership is authoritarian, and that those who are part of this authoritarian setup must go. The argument is that it will only take a new face to rid the party of the tyrants who have been running the Dar Centali for the past four years and before. The truth, however, is that the true motive of replacing those who are already there is nothing other than the personal ambition of some who smell power, and who are acting upon those with ideological disagreements that could easily be mitigated by the right leader. Whilst the so-called liberals and conservatives (what's in a name?) continue to fight, these new-faces will find ways of gaining power by telling both sides what they want to hear, by saying things to one side as against the other, and by encouraging one side to attack the other to their advantage. Those who are fighting for their ideology to be homogeneous and unquestioned in the party are digging their own grave, when attacking the outgoing leadership, the reason is that these so-called new faces are failing to appreciate the hours spent by those who have volunteered to spend hours in the Dar Centrali without being paid, those "conservatives" and "liberals" who have brought the party forward in the last 4 years. Those who are acting on past grudges and who are fighting for an ideological homogeneous party are not realizing that their attacks are weakening the party and their own position even further. We need to support a candidate who could bring the two sides together.
Most of these "new faces" who say that they want to see many people out were nowhere to be seen during the past four years. Does a clean sweep entail getting rid of those who have tirelessly worked to fight for and promote clean politics, including those who are ideologically at odds with the outgoing leadership, but who are men and women who believe in honest politics and human dignity? Moreover, I do not believe that the comments of some are fair towards those who have managed to improve the finances of the P.N., those who have opened the party to people with different needs and aspirations. During the past 4 years, the outgoing leadership has transformed the P.N. into a people's party that is in line with the way that society is moving. Yet, there are some who feel that their position should be given precedence over that of others, and that not giving them this kind of ideological authority is authoritarian. What I tell these people is that their point of view should be considered together with other positions, and that homogeneous political parties are a thing of the past. We need to respect one another's opinion and work together for the good of our country.
With this in mind, I believe that the P.N. need a leader who does not play upon disagreement, but who manages to bring different positions together, and transform them into a direction for the party. In my view the right person for doing this is Dr. Chris Said.
No comments:
Post a Comment