Political issues and personalities may hit the headlines each passing day. They may even rise and fall according to what they might say, propose or do in public but what’s more interesting than all that is why a political party passes through its positive and bright days and rises to glory or plunges into a sea of turbulent waves, which signal its fall. What might be the ingredients that can make a party stronger or even the indicators of its downfall?
…in politics no party is invincible- Robert Henry Bugeja
Just as in life no man is an island, in politics no party is invincible. In a constantly changing world, people’s views and tastes are frequently shifting, especially in a world where interest is king. Business has united people’s ideas, art provided cultural exchanges and managed to cut through local habits and travel opened new possibilities by exploring fresh pastures, innovative concepts and offering new faces to admire and deal with.
We have to keep in mind that a party is just an entity with its core ideology but consisting of people with different life experiences and ideas. Its power is fuelled by a nucleus of people of trust who, together with their leader’s charisma, clear vision and persuasive abilities, can build a positive aura around the party that will, ultimately, draw the majority of people’s interest to its fold and so win elections.
When a type of political agenda runs its course due to numerous internal or external factors and/or a fresh mental approach by a changing world order, a party has to either adapt to that new reality or it may be doomed to fall into an ocean of political emptiness. Therefore, that party with the ability to adapt faster to people’s needs and to make the required changes will be most likely triumphant.
Nonetheless, the main party’s source of power is neither laid in its progressive or conservative policies nor in its style of presentation. The focus of its strength lies mostly in the charisma and the trust one man enjoys and that is the leader. A leader can make or break a party. While, on the one hand, a conventional, introverted and weak leader can spell disaster for a party, on the other, a charming, extroverted and a modern leader can be a blessing to a political party.
Therefore, a party leader represents his/her party’s success or failure. His/her type of character fused with his/her willpower and ability to hold the party together will determine his/her party’s chances of success at the polls. We have seen this happening many times before both overseas and even in our own country.
However, a party that has everything to lose will use anything it has to turn the public’s opinion in its own favour to reverse its fortunes. In politics, there will never be a party that will lose power without putting up a good fight (unless the circumstances demand otherwise) but there will be no rise to power for any party without the lessons of a good fall.
Of course, that is not all. The voters are also a big influential factor, especially during election time. Their right to vote or not vote is what ultimately delivers a new government or keeps the same one in power.
Why am I saying this, you might ask? Well, the type of mindset prevalent in diverse democratic societies ranges from one country to another. For example, the result of an election may be different in a country where the population is highly educated and not polarised when compared to one where the people are poorly educated, are polarised and/or enjoy a low standard of living. In the latter case, the people can be much more prone to manipulation.
In fact, it is not the party that presents the “best” policies that has a good chance of victory at the polls when an election is called. It will be the party that packages its policies “well” enough that will have an edge over its opponent at the polls. This factor is further influenced by the way the leader of the party presents its vision and articulates its manifesto to the public.
Last but not least, the rise and fall of a political party is also determined by the way a party in power treats its subjects (the people) during its time in power. What do I exactly mean with the word “treats”?
Well, in simple words the people can be financially broke, socially deprived and even academically uneducated but that does not make them stupid. Actually, they will most certainly retaliate if they learn that a politician is trying to offend their intelligence.
You see, the biggest mistake that a party or the leader of a party in power can do is to underestimate the good judgement of its people and disconnect itself from the realities in the street.
When and if that happens, that same party will be paving the way to its own downfall.