Pemilihan Majlis Perwakilan Pelajar is what the official documentation terms for the campus election but yours truly here prefer Pilihanraya Kampus. Yes, ladies and gentlemen is that time of the year again for all politicos in campus and yours truly had been proudly covering it for the previous two elections being one of those cynic that actually still bothered to care about it. Widespread apathy for campus election is rampant and USM's campus election has to be one of the most UNDERWHELMING and BORING event ever for everybody else (especially if compared to all the other public university down south) and this fact is certainly true for the elections that I went through during my undergrad years. One new thing for me though: POSTGRADUATE STUDENT HAVE NO VOTING RIGHT (until next year) AND WE'RE NOT REPRESENTED IN MPP/SRC TOO. BOO. NO WONDER WE POSTGRADS ARE IN EXISTENTIAL LIMBO. Nevertheless, this year is pretty much the same thing all over again but not without a few new surprises...
As usual across all other campuses, it's the ever nauseating, shit-flinging showdown between the pro-establishment
Aspirasi and anti-establishment
Pro-Mahasiswa bringing their war to cyberspace
as well bringing daily annoyance to social media platform. However, this year we're seeing rise in the number of candidates including a few more hopeful Independents which I think a positive sign: at least it wasn't as mundane as it used to. But still pretty mundane. And one thing I would like to say to those anyone who claim that they do not belong to a particular front/faction or they represent "the greater aspiration" of whatever shit, go through their campaign fliers and speeches and truth will emerge that most of them are in factions anyway. Bloody liar. Anyway, let's move on shall we?
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| And it all start will vanity banner from each Desasiswa's Residents Council proclaiming their LUUUURRRVEEE to the MPP. Oh yeah, lick it baby. |
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| To prove how sustainable/eco-conscious USM is, the all too important information about the campus election is printed on three pieces of paper only and each Desasiswa will have only one copy. See? We're sustainable! |
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| Another few more new things about this campus election: Kompleks Cahayasiswa, the new student activity center over Cahaya Gemilang is finally utilized for the first time as nomination centre as well as voting station for the PETAS (Off-campus student!). In fact, I only realized that it's put into use when I marched to KONKOS at Dewan Budaya (the place the used to do these stuffs last time) only the see there's no one there. Search in vain for the official notice around campus until I went for lunch at Indah Kembara. Geez it's just around the corner! |
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| Voting day: 21 February (Monday) 8:00am to 5:00pm. Those who stay in campus, vote over your Desasiswa, those off-campus, go to Kompleks Cahayasiswa at Cahaya Gemilang! |
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| After I had my lunch, I immediately head over to Komplek Cahayasiswa to take a peek. Too bad it's already 12 noon and all the action is over by then. |
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| People and their candidates is still there waiting for briefing and all but I don't want to move further because a fat guy snapping picture with a point and shoot digital camera is suspicious. |
These was yesterday 17 February (Thursday). Today (18 February Friday) is the first day of campaign! Everything is up within one night thus arousing more suspicion that only those people that is "in the loop" or "inside connection" has any information about the campus election and the rest of us the pleb remain in dark until the day itself. Of course we will feel alienated by the whole thing!
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| DK foyer or Penang Road like we oldies love to call it. Campus banner has to be one of the most uncreative banner ever, a waste of public space. I would guess that this is due to legal constraint and the fact that they have to look like NON-PARTISAN despite being PARTISAN hence limiting their partisan material to fliers and slogan only. So who the heck in the Dewan Perundingan Pelajar voted against platform-based campaigning, huh? |
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| Every public space is valuable hence yet another wasteful campaigning alongside the hill over Persiaran Sains. |
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| The hottest banner space of all over the junction near Fajar Harapan. And ohh, there's drama erupted online between the Menegaa and Kumerain's team about banner space. Hullabaloo! |
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| More boring banners at Fajar Harapan bus stop, blocking sights and ready to be blown away by gust. |
Other election action that I witness for today: a lady umum candidate, Ismailia for the general constituencies went to Indah Kembara Cafe, standing on chair and chanting her name...while everybody else is busy crowding the famously cheap nasi campur stall, taking their food and eating away. It has to be one of the most harrowing thing that a candidate must go through. Besides this one, not too long earlier in the middle of the night, Menegaa's team carrying hailer/siren around Bakti on motorcycles calling people to vote for her in which I was so tempted so chase him down and scream SHUT UP when they passed through the postgraduate block. I guess they still didn't get the memo that postgraduate have no voting right until next year. I guess they don't care either because it's already been taken care of after being sidelined forever. One more thing that I would like to mention about candidates in campus election: their propensity to come up with downright cheap and cheesy catchphrase to inform people about their name:
Somalia (the most under-developed, perpetually on the brink of civil war, totally collapsing African horn country) = Ismalia?
Mentega (what's on my bread and in my cake and subsequently in my clogged arteries) = Menegaa? How much more bad wordplay that you peepz can come up?
Talking about candidates, here's the roster for General Constituencies (Six up for grab in main campus) and School of Humanities seat (two seats up for grab). The main reason I chose Humanities is because that's my school now and last time when I was an undergrad. For others, go to your own school and look.
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| Eleven candidates for six general constituencies. After lurking around the cyberspace for a while, I think I have enough information to discern each of the candidate's affiliation/faction. Aspirasi (Pro-establishment) as usual (pretending to be inclusive) comes up with the 3-2-1 formula along ethnic line namely three Malay candidates, two Chinese candidates and one Indian candidates. Who are they: Ismalia (Somalia. Just found out she's a Sarawakian lass. Still unfortunate choice off catchphrase), Hafiz (the chubby faced former MPP last time), Idzuan (Fajar Harapan strongman), Gene-Harn (AIESECers. Yeah I still stalk AIESECer despite hating AIESEC. His campaign is interesting but too bad he's in Aspirasi, riding on the cheap campaign labour.), Boon-Chuan (I wish he didn't get elected becuase he is exactly what I would call a TOKEN candidate just because he's close the people up there in MPP/HEPP.), and Menegaa (Token Indian chosen by Aspirasi.) The Pro-Mahasiswa's side generally reflecting the constituent of the broad front: Fatin Syamila, Lukhman, Musmuliadi, Nor Atiqah (all somewhat related to PMIslam) and Kumerain (I kinda suspect that his team had their own fallout with the power that be hence their decision of going head to head with Menegaa, token Aspirasi Indian Candidate.). Overall, looks like a very fun bunch here! |
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| Now, my school. School of Humanities being the legacy school in USM is allocated with two seats and after years of Menang tanpa bertanding, finally we're seeing some competition! The aspiring indies this time is Bayang Uding, a fellow Sarawakian against the suspected (insufficient information) token Aspirasi candidate Nur Farhanah and Thaqib. MPPs representing School of Humanities has always suffered from widespread apathy and low publicity so I am hopeful that having an Indies candidate will bring the much needed spotlight to School of Humanities. Time for a breath of fresh air! |
That's all for my campus election coverage. Stay tuned for more updates about it and when's the election public rally anyway? Looks like this time I will be covering it alone as usual being wedged in the middle of Aspirasi and Pro-M supporters.
Epilogue: Meanwhile in my life: exciting day tomorrow! Visitors from down under! Expect pic post too for that!
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