The Elections, SRC, & Rakan Masjid : Perspective at Last?

Elections, SRC, & Rakan Masjid: Perspective At Last?

HOT Speaks to the People Who Matter

By Liyana Rosely, PG & Marc Raphael, PE

Early last February, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) witnessed one of the bleakest Nomination Days in the history of its campus elections. With six High Committee (HiCom) positions for local students on the Students Representative Council (SRC) up for contest, a mere eight nominations were made, and only six qualified to stand as candidates (a minimum CGPA of 2.80 is required). All six candidates attained their places on the HiCom uncontested. Here at UTP elections are held only to select the group of people to be part of the HiCom, with the university’s administration advising on who does what. The method of selection may seem odd or even questionable to some, but it is in no way unique to UTP, as other universities (both local and foreign) employ similar methods.

The history of campus elections at our university has never been that eventful anyway. In its 15 years of establishment, perhaps the only memorable one is the now infamous October Revolution of ‘09, where there was great furore online preceding and proceeding the elections over the stranglehold a certain society seemed to have over the SRC. When we first heard of it, we immediately rummaged through the blog archives of senior students who were around at the time, looking for material we could use in this article. What we found was a riveting tale of drama and controversy surrounding the elections, a far cry from the dull show this time around. 

Frankly speaking, the fact that there will be no elections this year, though slightly unexpected, is far from shocking to us. When we asked the Deputy Vice Chancellor (DVC) of Student Affairs and Alumni, Tuan Haji Mohamed Noor Rosli Baharom about it, he seemed to share the sentiment, “Universities which have students who actively engage in campus politics are those with social science faculties, law faculties and so on. We are an engineering university- it is not surprising that we see students here being far less involved.”

For this issue, Heart of Tronoh (HOT) has decided to investigate, among other things, the reasons why campus politics and the SRC itself are seemingly the least of UTP students’ priorities and concerns. 

Datuk Ir. (Dr) Abdul Rahim Hj. Hashim, Vice Chancellor of UTP, feels that the term ‘campus politics’ is itself a little inappropriate in the first place. “Unfortunately, whenever we say ‘politics’, it conjures a lot of negative things- dirty, dishonest and a fight for personal interests rather than those of a society. Whatever you call it, campus politics should not be equated to the mainstream national politics. Campus politics is straightforward and should be about your (students’) own bread-and-butter issues, not about the political parties that you support.” Later on, Datuk Rahim further elaborated on what he meant by straightforward, “The purpose of campus ‘politics’ should be to champion things that can improve the situation of the student community here at UTP. Then it will be devoid of these ideological issues, and people will not get emotional about it. If they get emotional about campus politics, they forget about the real issues- the cafe problems, lack of parking spots, etc.”

We are in complete agreement with Datuk Rahim, and it’s important that we the students begin to see things from that perspective. So why do such few of us seem to care about ‘campus politics’? Hang out on the SRC Facebook Group long enough, and you’ll start to notice that only a handful of students actually pay attention to matters pertaining to the student council or elections.   

On the lack of student involvement (and interest) in campus elections and the SRC, the DVC suggested that it could be because “students here are already satisfied with the current situation on campus”. He added, “Perhaps they are also more interested in joining societies and clubs, where the rewards are more immediate and they only commit to it for one semester, whereas one would have to dedicate themselves to the SRC for a full year.” 

Wan Ibrahim Wan Mamat (Baem), SRC President during the 2012 session, feels that management should learn from other local higher learning institutions, especially well-established public universities, by stressing the importance of student councils throughout the year, rather than just a short-lived frenzy during the electoral period.

There are a range of sensible explanations on offer, yet, maybe the real reason behind the general disinterest lies within the accusation of hegemony over the SRC by Rakan Masjid (RM), as so often cited in social media? If you are a UTP student, you would have to have been living under a rock to not have heard of all the accusations made against RM in recent times. Many believe the SRC (prior to the newly-elected HiCom) had evolved into a sort of an exclusive club, consisting almost completely of RM-endorsed representatives. Some say that RM are always allowed to take charge of Minggu Aluan Siswa (MAS), allowing them to start their campaigning a lot earlier, by reaching out to unsuspecting freshmen through mediums including Smart Groups and such. For many others, the situation is easily explained: They’re simply the only ones who take it seriously. Rakan Masjid is widely regarded as the most cohesive and closely bonded society on campus. When their candidates stand, they do their level best to get these guys elected. Nearly all of their members come out to vote, and nearly all their candidates are successful.

Adonis Singh (graduated in 2010), who once stood for election against several RM-associated candidates, told HOT of how difficult it was to campaign against them, “Certain bodies like RM have very good support and they are quite structured in terms of gaining votes, which I honestly respect. This makes them very strong. The problem is that their strength easily overpowers the 'opposition', if you will, because in general, the rest of the students don't really realize the importance of voting. And so this imbalance in strength and experience is what makes SRC elections in UTP most of the time, not even a competition.”The VC had this to say of RM’s teamwork: “The thing about Rakan Masjid that you have to respect is their determination and cohesion.”

The DVC however, was quick to brush aside the claims, including the one about RM’s domination in the selection of facilitators for MAS, “RM is a student body to aid the Mosque’s administration. We have never given them the status of a club or society. It has developed good leaders and propagated good values- we must recognize that. And don’t ever say that all facilitators are from RM. MAS facilitators are being selected by the Students Counselling Unit under Tuan Haji Jalil, and I always tell them to make sure there are colours among our facilitators. We have also never allowed MPP to manage MAS either.”

Responding to all this, Baem asks students to see things in a different light, and focus on what is actually important in becoming a good member of the SRC, “According to my experiences and observations, those who committed themselves as part of SRCUTP have almost always had a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences in other organizations or societies before SRC. One’s background shouldn't even matter, rather, how he/she foresees the future of SRCUTP.”

RM has been under heavy public scrutiny recently, initiated primarily by a Facebook page ‘Free the Student Representative Council -MPP from Rakan Masjid’ which went viral early this year. It brought longstanding concerns regarding RM, hitherto discussed in hushed tones on private blogs, to the masses through Facebook. It openly charged RM with puppeteering the SRC by taking control of decision-making through its chosen candidates, effectively running the SRC by proxy. No official affiliation, but one that was apparent nonetheless. The page also claimed that RM itself is a puppet organization of a bigger, international islamist movement, one that is far too controversial for us to name in this article. Commenting on these accusations of exploiting the SRC platform to propagate external politics, Datuk Rahim asked the members of SRC to re-evaluate themselves, “You should ask yourself; are you standing on behalf of your constituents or your own personal agenda?”

It should be noted here that despite the best efforts of the page’s anonymous administrator prove his claims, HOT could not find any concrete evidence to back up the accusations made by the page. As many have remarked on the page’s wall, the allegations, tantalizing as they are, are ostensibly baseless. 

So then why the hate?

Maybe it’s the way they do things. We will not elaborate on the kind of things they’ve been said to do during election season (again, no credible sources unfortunately, only personal accounts), but what about things like demonstrating in front of events they don’t agree with? Roaming the campus at night to catch wandering couples on Valentine’s Day? Knocking on students’ doors every night in an attempt to get them to participate in reciting al-Mulk in the common room downstairs, and questioning those who decline? Bugging students to attend their events through incessant text messages?

“RM has a certain set of ideas on how the campus should be and how people should behave. Their intentions are good, da’wah is not a problem -after all, I have always believed that at the end of the day, your spiritual development is just as essential- but the question is always how you go about doing it,” commented Datuk Rahim on students’ displeasure at RM’s approach.

Datuk Rahim also advised RM on their approach in advocating people ‘to do good, and to avoid evil (amal makruf, nahi mungkar)’, “Remember that this is an integrated multi-faith, multi-racial community- treat students like adults. You can always encourage people, but you cannot force them.”

Baem himself recommended a wiser approach by RM, “Many provocative and sensitive issues could be resolved by nurturing mutual understanding between us. To achieve this, a bilateral discussion is a good avenue that can serve that purpose. Rakan Masjid must be wise in most of the approaches they might have and we as students, should play our role to provide a better environment for this university.”

But enough about RM. Let’s get back to the SRC.

Holding a position on the SRC may seem glamorous or enviable from afar, but suddenly finding oneself in the public eye isn't something everyone can handle. Think about it. Your CGPA is never a secret. Your dressing is always commented on. Your grammar mistakes are unfailingly called out. The friends you keep, the language you use, the tweets you tweet, everything is subjected to public observation and commentary. To put it simply, you're famous. Just not in the celebrity sort of way. Rather unfortunately, it’s the politician kind of famous. We’re sure you understand the difference between the two. And for all that trouble, few among the people you represent express their gratitude at your contributions. Unless you accomplish something extraordinary in your time at the top, it’s often only your mistakes that stay in the memories of those you serve. Sadly, nobody remembers the good stuff. Just ask Baem.

*When asked if there is anything he would change during his tenure if he could go back and do it again, Baem responded, “Nothing much really, since we’ve achieved most of what we set out to achieve.”

And when we sought his thoughts on a non-Muslim president for SRC, we must say that he was slightly vague in his reply, “People have asked me if SRC president can be a lady? I would say women are good enough to lead this organisation. Ladies are part of our leading society and we must at least try to trust them, but with guidance. As for non-Muslim president for SRCUTP, I will refer to what is outlined in our current country’s administration, that non-Muslims are allowed to hold certain designated positions. But honestly, in our context as student council, we must respect any notable non-Muslim candidates who could win the position with revision and advice by the university. I notice that more non-Muslim or non-Malay students are now looking forward to make serious contribution towards the betterment of this student council, so we can adjust the direction of SRC to not be too exclusive for certain races only.”

Even Datuk Rahim admits that being a member of the SRC is a thankless job, filled with high expectations - you can never please everyone and people will always find fault in everything that you do. “You do one thing, and a blog comes out. You do another, and another blog comes out. Nothing is ever right. That is why it has to come from your heart,” he added. “SRC contributions are difficult to measure- they are non-substantive, unlike clubs and societies, where it is about winning competitions or the amount of successful events organized.”

Tuan Haji on the other hand, was extremely critical of the unceasing rants against the SRC and management on social media, “Students complain a lot online, but when given an opportunity to come on board, nobody steps up. Management has done its part. We give ample opportunity to participate. When I came on board, I lowered the CGPA requirement from 3.0 to 2.8, as I personally feel that a 2.8 is good enough if you can demonstrate well-rounded attributes. You guys make a lot of noise elsewhere but nobody wants to come forward. So, who is to be blamed? You guys don’t participate, then how do you intend to change anything? You can complain about it on your blogs and such, but you can’t change anything from there. Change must come from within.”

In all honesty, it would have actually been a pretty open contest this year if more than 6 people challenged for the seats available. RM, in what many see as responding to criticism, did not send an entire field of candidates to compete this time. The build-up to the elections was engrossing enough as well, with controversy and criticism all about, flooding our news feeds and timelines. Central to all this of course was a certain Facebook page that we’re sure needs no introduction at this point. 

When UTPCnR burst onto the scene somewhere mid-December 2012, it started to provide -intended or otherwise- an “alternative” medium of expression for our students, albeit one that’s both irresponsible and slightly undependable. Scathing attacks against RM, the SRC, the management, and the situation of our university in general began to surface anonymously, and there was nobody who could put a lid on it (except perhaps the page’s administrator, who remains at large to this day). The page emboldened those who had once never dared to speak out, and even the comment threads (where one must surrender all anonymity) were alive with arguments and accusations. It was shaping up to be an election season so exciting that even those on break (May intake) were willing to come back to vote and be part of it. An election season so congested with drama that even the great October Revolution of ‘09 would look pale in comparison.

Alas, it was not to be. 

If we were to sum it up in a single phrase, we’d have to go with, “All talk, no action.” UTPCnR, Jiwa Berimplementasi, and the rest of them, all reduced to being online heroes, and nothing more. In a disappointing anti-climax, we were left without the thrilling campaigning and election spectacle we were all looking forward to. Only 6 brave young men and women stepped up to take on the responsibility of leading the student body - kudos to them for taking the initiative. From all of us at HOT, well done. And good luck.

*Efforts to interview Rakan Masjid president, Arif Aizuddin Mohd Sa’ad online were in vain as he did not respond to our interview questions after previously agreeing to do so.

After our interview with the Vice-Chancellor.