The OBA will launch a charm offensive in a bid to get its message across if a team of two win senior backroom positions with the party.

MP Susan Jackson and OBA secretary Karen Magnum have joined forces to stand for the two deputy chairman posts in the OBA — and they vowed to work to get the OBA message on the streets.

Ms Jackson, who represents Pembroke South West, said: “This will give me an opportunity to get in touch with the community — I really want to listen to what people have to say.

“If there is anywhere I can be useful in a service which will connect the people to the political environment, I’d like to be that conduit — the person who listens and reports back to the executive committee and is reflective of the community’s needs.”

The two are bidding to replace former post-holders Michael Branco and Jeanne Atherden, who recently announced they were stepping down.

Ms Jackson said the previous deputy chairmen had taken the party from formation in 2011 to victory at the polls at the end of 2012.

She said: “Now we’re established and it’s time to really grow and really make the connections with the community.

“That’s a big part of the passion we’re bringing — to really boost the public relations. A lot of that is the relaying of our messages, get the messages out and bring the community’s messages back into the party.”

She added that the two would make more use of social media in their bid to gauge the public mood.

Ms Jackson said: “One thing I would like to do is listen to what the voters would like to have as well. I would like to see us in the digital space as much as we can and also do a lot more face to face work, which is difficult because everybody is very busy, but I believe there are ways we can spend more time together as a community.”

Ms Magnum, who owns Magnum Power Force Gym in Hamilton, added she and Ms Jackson had worked together on the executive committee and the OBA’s women caucus and hit it off.

She added: “We formed a very strong bond — we’re caring individuals and we care about the fact there are single mothers out there, unemployed people and seniors who are suffering. We have very similar passions when it comes to the country.

“Susan and I are very clear that we think our communications could be better, they could grow. We are a new political party and we went from being a new political party to Government — one of the first in the Commonwealth to do that.”

Ms Magnum added that the party had “already done a lot” and pointed to Premier Craig Cannonier’s list of the top ten decisions the OBA had made since taking power.

And she said: “We’ve done a lot to get the economy stimulated and we’ve got hotel development projects which haven’t been seen in 30 years. It’s about supporting the vision of the party and the Premier and making the party successful.”

Ms Magnum added: “I believe we’re going in the right direction — there is so much that’s gone on in Parliament people don’t necessarily see in the media.”

And she said opinion polls did not worry her because “we’ve had to make tough decisions. They haven’t all been popular and when your decisions aren’t popular, you’re not going to be popular in the polls.”

She added that polls could only provide “a snapshot” of opinion and that the OBA was confident that its policies would be seen to bear fruit.

The pair are going up against another all-woman duo for the two second-in-command party jobs — Senator Lynne Woolridge and Women’s Resource Centre founder Sylvia Hayward Harris.

Insurance executive Sen Woolridge has served on a number of OBA committees and boards, while Ms Hayward Harris is an ordained pastor and expert in the addictions field.

Ms Magnum said: “We are both pleased that there are four women going for these positions.”

Party members will cast their votes at a special general meeting of the party tomorrow at the OBA HQ, on Reid Street, between 10am and 6pm.