With the NUS Students’ Union (NUSSU) internal elections coming up on 12-13 September, The Ridge speaks with both leaders of the running teams, to find out who they really are, and what their plans for NUSSU are if elected.
With the non-faculty club representatives successfully elected and the results of the faculty club representatives pending verification, NUSSU is one step closer to voting for the top seven Executive Committee constitutional positions next weekend.
This includes the paramount position of NUSSU president.
Yet not many students are aware of the upcoming vote by the NUSSU Council – or even know who’s running.
The Ridge Editor-In-Chief Wendy Wong spoke with Loo Weng Heng, leader of Team U, and Christopher Chia, leader of AUTC, to find out why that’s the case, and more importantly, why students should cast their votes for them.
‘Experience and exposure’
22 year old Weng Heng, who is affably known as Qmo, first joined NUSSU in the second semester of his first year.
Since then, he’s risen up the ranks to be the Director of Projects, as well as the ExCo representative for the Engineering Faculty Club.
The Year 3 Chemical Engineering student was behind many of the popular events that have garnered much attention over the past year, including Rag & Flag Day and the NUS Open Day. In his capacity, he supervised and guided the committees organising these events, and liaised with different stakeholders such as community partners and sponsors.
When The Ridge asked how Team U came up with its campaign name, he pointed out that the students were the “biggest stakeholder for NUSSU.”
“We want to focus on students, what they’re thinking, and how we can improve on their ideas, suggestions and welfare,” he said.
As most of his team members have at least one year of experience within NUSSU holding various portfolios, Qmo believes that his team has an advantage. This is because such experience can be beneficial when it comes to “connections and exposure” as well as in “facing and tackling problems.”
And one problem he wants to focus on is the “information gap” between NUSSU and the student body.
“Having served in NUSSU for one term, I see a lot of potential in how NUSSU can reach out to students. [NUSSU] was focusing on collecting feedback from students, but not following up on them. And I hope that we can improve on this aspect,” Qmo said.
In a nutshell: When asked what he wanted students to remember most about Team U, Qmo had one word – “approachable.”
“We want students to see NUSSU as an approachable entity, and [on] our side, gather feedback and better their welfare.”
‘Having fresh perspectives’
Also contesting for the presidential position is Christopher Chia, a Year 4 FASS student double majoring in Political Science and Philosophy.
He tells The Ridge that it’s been a “difficult campaign” so far because of the general indifference amongst students, with few knowing about the upcoming elections.
“Apathy is a big issue but there’s no easy solution. People don’t feel like there’s a need to care because NUSSU isn’t relevant in their lives. The fundamental question is, what can we do?”
Although the 24-year-old had no plans to run for NUSSU after completing his third year, he decided to step up after his friends encouraged him to.
The two-time President of the Political Science Society has overseen key political student conferences, such as the Singapore Model Parliament and Singapore Model United Nations. Apart from directly organising them, he also has experience liaising with student and government bodies.
If elected, Christopher says he plans to focus on the representation of students, which he calls the “key role” of the Students’ Union.
In spite of his team’s lack of experience within NUSSU, he argues that they have experience in “other avenues”, and have been involved in NUSSU-related activities, which he believes make them equally qualified.
“Our advantage is having fresh perspectives. It’s a lot to do with communication, engagement and understanding from the ground. Everyone can run an event – it doesn’t take very much to replicate it. But representation is an art – it’s about who you talk to and how you engage [them].”
In a nutshell: When asked what he hoped voters would remember of his team’s campaign, he said: “heart of service.”
“If you have the right spirit of serving students interests, never be afraid to step up and run.”
The NUSSU Internal Elections will take place on 12 and 13 September, with the location to be announced soon.
Check out NUSSU’s Facebook page for the latest updates.
Still confused about how NUSSU elections work? Check out The Ridge’s handy election guide infographic!
Related article:
NUSSU Elections: Who’s Running & Why You Should Care