Let us be frank with each other. After announcing my candidature for the European Parliament election of next May, I’m pretty sure that at some point or another, some have had questions, if not doubts, about my ability to take up the challenge. People know that I’m a blind person and some seem to think that blindness is an insurmountable obstacle that should stop any involvement in politics. This is definitely not the case and I decided to write this article in order to demonstrate it.

First and foremost, people should keep in mind that the only significant difference between a blind candidate and other candidates is blindness. This might seem obvious, but it is not. In fact, a blind candidate has the needs that all other candidates have. As a result, a blind candidate requires a team of helpers and needs to be in many places at the same time, to keep himself informed, to meet people and also to appear in the media and deliver his message. The level of co-ordination of all these factors is of course crucial for the candidates’ result. Naturally, the fact that a candidate is blind will require him to put more emphasis on the organisation issue. The more the blind candidate is organised throughout his campaign, the more his blindness will be compensated for and consequently, the better the possibility that his result will be a good one.

As stated above, one important factor is the team of helpers. Apart from the needs related to the technical aspect of the campaign, such helpers have to know the blind candidate well, the wants resulting from blindness and the way such needs have to be addressed. In particular, they have to know how to guide the candidate, especially through crowds and to introduce him to people without appearing to be constantly in the way. As with other candidates, people will want to interact directly with the blind candidate without much intrusion by third parties. Nevertheless, the best quality that a helper should have is the ability to anticipate the need of the blind candidate and to provide the right help at the right time.

Another important factor is transport. The closer the election gets, the more every candidate will be required to be at different places within a restricted time span. For obvious reasons, the blind candidate has limitations in this respect and it is fundamental that such an issue is taken care of. The blind candidate can of course rely on the support of helpers. However, I have learnt from experience that the blind candidate will be better off if he budgets for transport and hires a chauffeur service. Of course, this will come at a cost, but the more time passes, the more I convince myself that it is a sine qua non.  

A fundamental aspect that a candidate should always give high consideration to is information. In fact, it is absolutely important that a candidate has constant access to news. Thank God, nowadays, we have access to all sorts of portable computers, tablets and smart phones with wireless connection to internet. This applies also to the blind, because such devices are also equipped with synthetic speech that speaks whatever is displayed. As a result, the blind candidate can use any of these devices to keep himself informed at any time and place, precisely like any other candidate. Hence, no time is wasted and the blind candidate avoids the risk of not knowing what’s going on.

Meeting people is, in my opinion, the crème de la crème of political involvement. Without such meetings, the candidate will lose out. People, especially in the Maltese context, treasure the personal contact with the candidate. They feel it is the right moment to get to know the candidate better, what he stands for and also to express their concerns and wishes. I find that for a blind candidate, this is the most difficult part. In fact, be it house visits, house gatherings or other events, the blind candidate will for obvious reasons need a person who will accompany him. Nevertheless, from experience I can tell that the more the blind candidate becomes known, the more people will begin to take the initiative and introduce themselves to get acquainted without expecting the candidate to do so himself first. This helps a lot. People’s reactions to the fact that the candidate is blind vary, but common factors in many are often sympathy and admiration. Although such sentiments can be of great encouragement, the blind candidate must keep in mind that such sentiments are more often than not roused by his personal situation and that at the end of the day he will still need to convince people to vote for him like any other candidate.

One last but very important factor at elections is of course appearances in the media. In fact, experts say the media can make or break a candidate. In my opinion, this is very true and more so in the case of a blind candidate. I say this, because I compare the media to a showcase and, like in any other showcase, the product displayed, i.e. the candidate in our case, has to be in top form to attract people. So in the media, especially where a visual aspect is involved, the blind candidate has to be extra careful, because his inability to see can easily find him in embarrassing situations. Of course, the substance of the product is fundamentally important and hence, a blind candidate must always ensure that he is prepared and well-informed before appearing in any media, precisely as in the case of any other candidate.  

The media and the other factors mentioned in this article are of course what in my view are important for a blind candidate in an election. There may be others, but the aspect to which the blind candidate has to give maximum attention is, as stated already, organisation. This is and will continue to be the guiding principle during my campaign, but also and especially so in the eventuality that I’m elected to the European Parliament in May. I maintain the firm belief that organisation is the magical formula that determines whether politics and blindness are compatible and hence, whether a blind candidate like myself deserves to be voted for by the people.

 

Dr Cutajar is a Nationalist Party candidate for the forthcoming European parliamentary election

[email protected]; www.kevincutajar.com