By Kieron Murdoch | Opinion Contributor

What are the attributes of a good politician? What qualities must he or she possess in order to be effective at gaining popular support, effective at commanding a political party, and effective at governing a nation? These are all very different goals, and most political leaders do not possess the qualities necessary to be effective at all of them. Yet, some are more important than others.

Gaining popular support may be easy for someone who is charismatic, but organising, inspiring and directing a political party may be where they fall down. Or, if a person is good at leading a party, they may still lack what it takes to make good national policy when in government. Or, they may be an excellent policymaker, but totally uncharismatic and unable to gain popular support.

In a recent interview the Opposition Leader, the Hon. Jamale Pringle MP defended his leadership of the main opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) against the assertion that he was not suited to be the party’s leader or the next Prime Minister. After all, he won the leadership of the party back at its convention in April.

Speaking on Twin Island Media, he acknowledged that he lacked the oratory skills of some of his political contemporaries, but insisted that he was humble, genuine, capable of winning elections, and capable of leading the party. Defiant, as if speaking directly to those who saw the Hon. Richard Lewis MP as a better choice, Pringle asked, “What makes me lesser than?” Well, since he asked, we will answer.

The Hon Jamale Pringle MP has so far demonstrated that he lacks the capacity for the level of effective oral communication that any right thinking citizen would naturally demand from the leader of a political party, or someone aspiring to be Prime Minister. This is not an elitist position. His supporters should desist from dismissing concerns about this specific incapacity of his, by suggesting that he makes up for it in other areas.

Effective communication is one of the key abilities that a successful politician, and far more so, a successful national leader must possess. At the national level, unlike in the constituency, most voters will never meet you or shake your hand. Most voters will know you by your comments, statements, Parliamentary speeches, media interviews, podium deliveries, and so on.

The ability to communicate effectively through oration is a necessary quality for a national leader. You don’t have to be Martin Luther King. You just need to be reasonably half decent. Without this ability, it is true that you could probably still be effective at directing a political party, or at making and executing good policy in government, but you will find it extremely difficult to gain popular support if you cannot effectively articulate and communicate compelling ideas to the population.

Popular support is one of the core elements of democratic politics. Sometimes, leaders bring only that to the table and nothing else. They have functionaries who effectively manage their party and who are far better organisers and managers than them. Or, they have highly skilled technocrats surrounding them when in office to turn their rhetoric into coherent policy positions. But more than anything else, a political leader must be able to win popular support.

How does one win popular support without the ability to communicate compellingly and effectively? Lacking capacity in this respect cannot be made up for in other areas. Can you make up for a lack of salt in your diet by intaking more sugar? How does that work exactly? How does any other quality a politician might possess – honesty, integrity, organisational skills, a command of social and economic issues, or personability – make up for the fact that when he or she speaks, the nation cringes?

Again, we have no problem acknowledging that there is far more to a good politician than effective speaking. The Hon. Sir Steadroy Benjamin MP is your quintessential sweet talking politician. An attorney of some repute with an undeniably firm command of the English language, his invocation of the phrases “my friend”, “my dear” or “darling” usually signal that an abundance of sweet words are about to pour forth into the ears of the unsuspecting.

We imagine him being the Wizard Saruman in the 2002 epic high fantasy film, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, when the man, Aragorn, the elf, Legolas, and the dwarf Gimli, are wandering the forest in search of their friends and Legolas hints that Saruman (antagonist) was near. Aragorn grips his sword while surveying the surroundings anxiously and says, “Do not let him speak. He will put a spell on us.”

And yet, Sir Steadroy is a notorious bluffer. Ask any reporter who has worked in the news business in this country for more than a year and who has had occasion to interview Sir Steadroy on the same issue more than once, and they will tell you how often he makes promises that are never fulfilled, but make for an excellent evening news sound bite.

The moral of this? A good speaker doesn’t make a good politician. A good politician actually delivers on their promises, and doesn’t make promises which they know well they cannot deliver. That is dishonest. We are acknowledging that there is more to a politician than the ability to speak. And there are many attributes a good speaker may lack which may render them a crummy politician overall.

However, the fact that communication skills alone do not make a good politician, does not mean they ought to be overlooked. The best leaders are skilled communicators who can communicate in a variety of ways, both orally and in writing, and with a broad range of people from different backgrounds, geographies, and more. The quality and effectiveness of communication from the leader of your political party will directly affect the success of your political party.

Therefore, if you have a political leader who is unable to effectively communicate with the people without unduly pausing, stumbling, or speaking slowly to reduce the likelihood of error, you are failing to communicate with the quality and effectiveness necessary to capture popular support.

The Hon. Jamale Pringle MP says he is not the greatest orator. Truthfully, he is the least great  orator among the seventeen elected MPs currently in Parliament. And to be frank, we don’t have outstanding speakers on either side – good ones, yes, but not outstanding by any measure.

Who could forget that in the first budget debate following the last general election, the Hon. Jamale Pringle MP delivered a marathon response that was nearly three hours – a response which nonetheless lacked organisation, coherence, or political punch. It was gruelling.

How does a party come to the point where it is confident that putting such a candidate – regardless of their good intentions or other essential qualities and strengths – as their chief speaker, chief communicator, and chief spokesman, will win them the support of the national electorate? Not everyone is suited to every role. It’s a fact.

If we compare Pringle to Harold Lovell, none would argue that Lovell was a better communicator, whatever his political faults may otherwise have been. It begs the question: Why would a party step down a notch in selecting a new Leader? Would a party not want to find a person who was (a) better than, (b) as good as, or (c) marginally lesser than the person who previously occupied the post?

We cannot fault the Opposition Leader, as a politician, for asserting that he is up to the task. What politician wouldn’t? Each politician is biassed in their own favour. But what of the people closest to the UPP Leader? Have they convinced him and themselves that he has the stuff that it takes to inspire confidence in the people for his vision? If Gaston Browne calls snap elections tomorrow, would Pringle be able to energise the electorate or go head to head with the Prime Minister?

About the writer:

Kieron Murdoch worked as a journalist and later as a radio presenter in Antigua and Barbuda for eight years, covering politics and governance especially. He is an opinion contributor at antigua.news. If you have an opinion on the issues raised in this editorial and you would like to submit a response by email to be considered for publication, please email staff@antigua.news.