Nationalist Party Secretary-General designate Clyde Puli spoke to this newspaper yesterday about his plans for restructuring the party and emphasised the need for more internal processing of strategic thinking.

As the only person to have submitted his candidature for the post, it is all but a foregone conclusion that the party’s executive committee will confirm Puli for the position when it meets on Thursday.

Puli spoke of the restructuring process that has already begun, with the appointments of Pierre Portelli as chairman of the party’s media, Ivan Bartolo as director of business development and David Bonello as director of communications.

“The first thing we need to do is restructure so we can once again have an effective engine. The aim is to have a number of directors and managers who will be appointed to different areas and these will all report to me,” he explained.

Having been active in the party for the last 25 years, Puli spoke of his experience in both the party itself and in government, mentioning his roles in the party’s media and when he served as a parliamentary secretary, adding that such experiences allow him to give a sense of continuity to a party that is seeing so much change.

He also believes that the party should look to its councillors, with currently over 1,000 people occupying such positions. “We have people from all walks of life: doctors, accountants, lawyers, business people, unemployed, housewives –this talent is not being used and we want to use these people. The party truly needs to discover its own talent.

“Then we have the issue of policy. The time has come for the party to become a party that thinks,” he said, adding that the problem of going to the public with a big idea is that the public tends to care more about image than substance.

Reorganising the party’s media, said Puli, was essential. The party’s media, he said, will be looking for more talent, with the new chairman of its media being able to strengthen the stable of products due to his experience and creativity.

The main objective for the party is to think more and to think strategically, since society is fragmented, Puli added, saying that the party first needs to understand these fragments and only then can it analyse whether it can achieve the various goals and aspirations of these different segments of society. “Even those who want to remain at arm’s length from us, but just want to share their thoughts – I want them to have this opportunity,” he said.

“Our morals and beliefs won’t change, but the way we reach people will. We need to look within ourselves because the country deserves a strong Opposition and a strong alternative government.”