Yesterday morning, I had the honour of submitting my nomination to become the next leader of the Nationalist Party. I broke from custom and instead of addressing the press at the party headquarters, I chose to do so through a live online transmission from the middle of the main square in Safi.

Why a square? Because that’s where our society gathers and that’s where the Nationalist Party must constantly be, feeling the pulse of the nation and building its policies through public participation at all levels.

One of the proposals I am presenting is that, if elected leader, I will once a week work from one of our PN clubs around the country. This is neither a gimmick nor a symbolic act. This is the new way in which I want the party to be close to the people.

The time of inviting people to come knock on our doors is over.

It’s time for us to knock on theirs.

That is why we will quickly embark on setting up a street leaders’ system, empowered with modern means of outreach, coordination and organisation to eliminate – once and for all – the distance that has grown between our headquarters and the people across the country.

That is also why I am proposing an overhaul of the way our local committees operate, ensuring an effective direct line with party headquarters, more empowerment and more resources.

It comes as no surprise that I will ensure that no political party club is sold under my helm. Our clubs were built through the hard work, generosity and sheer determination of our activists.

There is a commercially sustainable future for each one of them while they serve the party as centres of political initiative and community-building.

As party leader, I am proposing a radical shake-up of the party’s outreach tools, including its media arm and digital strategy. I want the PN to use the internet not only to push its messages but to build its policy. I want a digital strategy that facilitates the building and the organisation of communities at all levels.

Through an effective, well-oiled digital strategy, the party will be open to all.

Why Safi? I chose Safi as a location for my bid presentation for a number of reasons. First of all, Safi is one of those towns with an active PN local committee and one that can serve as a model for others around the country. It is a town where the PN recently lost its majority and is symbolic of the challenge ahead.

Winning Safi, and all the localities that have traditionally been PN strongholds, is the first step in our strategy to regain lost ground. I also chose Safi because I am very fond of the name of its local PN club: Dar id-Djalogu [Dialogue House].

It was the PN in the 1980s and 90s that made djalogu a cornerstone of its policy-building. It needs to fit once again in that place, to make it truly a people’s party.

Safi was also home to the late Pietru Pawl Busuttil, whose memory we will always cherish as a reminder of the values we fought so hard for, the perseverance we have shown and the vision with which the PN led Malta forward.

Pietru Pawl would have been the first to roll up his sleeves and rise to the challenge facing the party today. His spirit will undoubtedly trigger many to do just that. His memory will live on.

Safi is also a stone’s throw away from an industrial zone where many people are employed. As PN leader, I will place Maltese workers at the heart of our policies, with a strategy for workers in industrial zones and a PN representative to serve as a link between them and the party.

Our society revolves around the hard work of our people. With this in mind, we will set the agenda for businesses to grow, investment to be fostered and education to open the doors of opportunity for all.

Opening doors is an essential theme in my campaign. That’s why I wanted to stand in front of a wide-open PN club door.

Enough with closed doors. Too many people have faced them for too long.

The perception that you are likely to get a ‘no’ from the PN gained roots, and we need to change that immediately.

I want to lead a party with whom you can discuss, find a compromise and then move on.

I want a party that constantly pushes those who are proactive, encourages those who come up with innovative ideas, facilitates the way for people to grow – but that never forgets those who lag behind.

I look forward to these coming two months of listening, engaging and putting my proposals forward. There is a sense of excitement running through the party structures as we regroup, reorganise and look ahead.

The challenge is big, but the determination for us to succeed is by no means smaller. We will get there together.

Chris Said is a Nationalist Party MP.