A friend of mine asked me a few days ago why am I so enthusiastic with the prospect of leading a party that is struggling financially, that seems to have conflicting internal currents and one that has just suffered its second massive electoral defeat and is now facing a steep uphill struggle.

My reply was simple: there has never been a more exciting time for people to join the Nationalist Party and to help transform it into a united, open, strong, modern, confident and relevant people’s movement.

I can understand why people feel disheartened.

Our supporters had grown used to being on the winning side. They had grown used to feeling proud of being members of a proactive, dynamic party that excels in its understanding of the country’s mood and in providing policy and direction so that all Maltese and Gozitans would be better able to lead the life they have always aspired to.

Yet, this is not the first time the Nationalist Party has  faced a herculean task.

The party’s most glorious moments – those milestones we are proudest of – were always preceded by challenging periods.

It was not easy achieving independence for the country. It was not easy leaving behind the dark years of the 1980s and embracing European standards and values. It was not easy leading Malta into the European Union.

And, it will not be easy to again provide the country with a government that stands for what is right and fair, that champions honesty and meritocracy, accountability and transparency, decency and all-round sustainability.

Yet, I have never been as convinced as I am now that we will get there. We will re-group, we will rebuild and we will move forward – one step at a time – to make the Nationalist Party once again the people’s party.

There has never been a more exciting time for people to join the Nationalist Party

We will ignite the enthusiasm of our supporters and reach out to all those who have left us. We will open wide our doors for all those willing to work with us for a better country.

Together, we will build and present an ambitious and dynamic programme to reshape the country’s future, one that ensures that our grandchildren inherit a country they would be proud of.

My enthusiasm for taking over the leadership of the party lies in my conviction that the solutions we seek are not out of our reach.

I know our people, their determination, commitment and work ethic.

I’ve been in this party long enough to know where the weak points lie and the direction our activists are waiting for to roll up their sleeves and get going.

The solutions we seek are in our people, in our towns and cities, in our organisations and it’s for this reason that I’m promising to focus all my energies to be the party’s chiefbridge-builder.

I’m rolling out, in the coming weeks, my strategy to ensure that the Nationalist Party is present in every street in the country and that our local committees are steered in a new direction.

I will set out a plan through which I will join my parliamentary group and all PN candidates on an ambitious task to visit every house in this country, where we can discuss our vision for Malta and our people’s aspirations.

And while this outreach exercise is ongoing, we will be radically shaking up the structures within the party – turning AŻAD, for example, into a modern, political institute to professionally train all our candidates all year round; appointing an independent think tank to continuously feed the party with analysis and reports on trends and political issues; modernising our digital and more-traditional communication channels; rebranding our party; and ensuring a streamlined system through which the party speaks with one voice and pushes forward a central message.

We will set clear targets, starting with the local council and European Parliament elections in June 2019.

It will be the first test for the renewed Nationalist Party and, as leader, I will ensure we head towards these elections with a strategy to narrow the gap with Labour and to send a clear message – that the Nationalist Party is back in business.

In a month and a half, the Nationalist Party will make a decision that will determine not only the future of the party but also of the country.

I am convinced that our councillors and members will make the right choice so that, together, we move forward, build the party’s future, win again and make Malta a better country for all.

Chris Said is contesting the PN leadership election.