suggest.

Political parties are among the most complex of organisations. Since a party must represent the collective will of its members and, as far as possible, its supporters, the party's internal structure can be dizzyingly complicated.

Politicians are the public face of the party, the visual tip of an iceberg in terms of the number of people who work for the party. Behind the scenes are the committees which consider and create policy and address other party matters, and the administrative machinery which makes the party tick.

The chief administrator of a political party goes by many different names in different areas of the world and the political spectrum. The Progressive Labour party's top administrative officer is its Secretary General. Since 1995, that post has been held by Walter Henri Roban. The party's members vote every two years to elect officers, who are all unpaid volunteers. Mr. Roban has twice been elected Secretary General unopposed.

Mr. Roban is a genial fellow who, one suspects, carries out his duties as Secretary General much more by persuasion and dialogue than by decree. At 32, he works as a paralegal researcher in the litigation department of local law firm Milligan-Whyte & Smith, assisting attorneys in the preparation of their cases.

"The Secretary General's job is to oversee the administrative procedures of the party,'' Mr. Roban explained. "He or she is responsible for all documentation produced, looks after the party office, reports on all meetings of the party's Executive and Central Committee and monitors other committee meetings and reports.'' Unlike, say, business meetings, political gatherings can often generate steam as differing opinions are voiced, supported and discussed. Mr. Roban characterises the PLP's party meetings as "business-like'', but adds that "they have all the passion such meetings might be expected to have''. Issues raised at internal party meetings are ultimately passed on to the party's Parliamentarians, who are often invited to attend the meetings to contribute to and learn the nuances of the debate.

In effect, the party staff is its civil service. Now that the PLP has formed the Government, it has the Bermuda Civil Service to run its administrative affairs, but the workings of the party -- as opposed to the Government -- remain under the control of the Secretary General.

The change might seem complicated to the outsider, but Mr. Roban explained that "we had foreseen this day and are now putting into place what we had seen coming''.

In diplomatic terms, he added: "We had a positive feeling about our (election) prospects and were prepared to deal with what we thought we would have to go through.'' The workload of the PLP's Secretary General has not, however, declined since Premier Smith and her team walked through the doors of the Cabinet Office as the country's elected government.

"In fact, the job has expanded,'' Mr. Roban said. "Now, the party must reach out and be available to everyone, everyone in Bermuda. In the past, those who came to us were only PLP people, but now we see people from all of Bermuda and outside.'' What made Mr. Roban seek the office of Secretary General of the PLP? "I had always had an interest in party politics and public affairs, all the way back to grade school at Mount Saint Agnes,'' Mr. Roban explained. "My interest in Bermuda politics came about in high school at Robert Crawford.

Dale Butler was my history teacher. He started talking about local and Caribbean politics, and would recommend books for us to read.'' The interest Mr. Butler sparked "took off'' when Mr. Roban attended Morehouse College in Atlanta. He recalled "the extremely vibrant political atmosphere'' in the university in the city of Martin Luther King and a number of other prominent American politicians.

"Having been involved in a lot of political activities at Morehouse, when I came back to Bermuda, I felt the need to get involved in politics here, too,'' Mr. Roban explained. He talked first with Roosevelt Brown, having previously met party stalwarts L. Frederick Wade and Lois Browne-Evans for the first time at the Democratic National Convention of 1988.

Dr. Brown encouraged him to join the party's youth wing, which Mr. Roban recalls as "a vibrant, dynamic group of young, politically active people''.

Party leaders talked, and still talk, regularly to the youth wing and Mr.

Roban is certain that the exposure he received to party leaders and the atmosphere of the wing were what cemented his desire to play a part in politics in general and the PLP in particular.

Many in the PLP feel that the traditions of the youth wing have paid great dividends to the party and to Bermuda. In her victory speech in the wee hours of November 10 this year, Premier-elect Smith paid tribute to and thanked the Island's young people for their part in bringing about the historic change.

One former member of the youth group, Mr. Roban, was the chairman of the party's General Election campaign committee.

Once he had begun to participate in the party's youth activities, in fairly quick order, he was elected to the party's Central Committee. "I learned how the party works and how to interact,'' Mr. Roban said. "I met our leader, Jennifer Smith, and other members of the party. They took the time to sit and talk with me. To have the opportunity to interact with the senior people in the country was more than I could ever have dreamed.'' Furthering his education at the University of Edgbaston in Birmingham, Mr.

Roban earned his Master's degree in International Studies, concentrating on policy and risk analysis and political history. He learned, from his contacts with the British Labour Party, that "political organisations need people in back rooms'' to help those in front of the cameras .

Like so many in the PLP, Mr. Roban believed strongly in what the PLP stood for and became convinced that the best way he could make a contribution to the community was to help put a PLP government in place to serve the people of Bermuda.

"The aspirations of the founders of the party could be fulfilled,'' Mr. Roban believed, "by a stable political party able to expand opportunity for the wider population of Bermuda. Having had the positive experience of growing up in Bermuda, I wanted to help others achieve the same thing.'' Mr. Roban's father, Matthew Roban, came to Bermuda from St. Vincent and the Grenadines. He married Charlotte Pavey and the couple had two children, Walter and his sister Teresa Pavey Roban.

"Our parents taught us to think and make up our own minds,'' Mr. Roban said.

"We were encouraged to read everything. To this day, my two favourite activities are reading -- on history, people, events and news -- and art.'' With the party's election victory, might Mr. Roban's thoughts turn to moving from the "back room'' to the forefront, as a political candidate? "Right now? No. I'm still quite happy to work in the back room. I want to put my skills towards helping the organisation in its transformation to being the governing party. I have no desire for a Parliamentary role.'' Mr. Roban admitted that, in part because he has been so busy, the PLP's victory was only now beginning to sink in, as far as he was concerned. "I think the same is true for most of the Members of Parliament, too,'' he said. "We are all dealing with the issues that have arisen since November 9.'' If his forecast that the party has a bright future is true -- which he bases as much on the continuing interest of young people as the success of its parliamentary group -- Mr. Roban may yet emerge from the shadows to play a more visible hand in the future of the party and Bermuda.

JUBILANT -- PLP Secretary General Walter Roban (far left) joins in his party's celebration over former UBP backbencher Grace Bell's decision to "cross the floor'' to the then-Opposition. Pictured on the far right is Jennifer Smith, who became Premier following the PLP's November 9 crushing of the UBP. At the back is new Minister without Portfolio and Government Senate Leader Milton Scott.