By Chris Yong
Chris-yongmh@hotmail.com
Being at the top of the student hierarchy is not easy, especially when the student population didn’t get to elect them. I’m sure back when the 15th INTIMA executive committee was announced, we all ran similar thoughts in our head – Who are these people? What are their qualifications? How would they fare as the new student government? And then before you know it, everyone wants a piece of them – criticisms, doubts, rants – even before the team assumes their places in the office.
Being the typical Malaysian I am, I jumped onto the bandwagon as well; the new INTIMA team became a staple conversation topic in my “teh tarik sessions” for a few weeks. Then – also another typical Malaysian trait – I conveniently forgot about them, shifting my focus to things at hand that are more important.
But having worked closely with the INTIMA EXCO over the past few months, I can’t help but to feel that some earlier notions I had about them, good or bad, were premature and unjustified. In the following I shall talk about my opinion of the 15th INTIMA EXCO– a mid-term review – the good and the bad.
The good:
• Team Cohesion – Surprisingly, the INTIMA exco is a very cohesive team for a ragtag group of students. It’s not something that can be achieved easily, just take a look at any club committee out there, especially a big committee formed from people who do not share common previous experiences, it’s difficult to find a tight-knit group working as well and having great fun at the same time as the 15th INTIMA EXCO.
• Attitude – Generally, the 15th INTIMA EXCO are a very approachable bunch. Their friendliness can actually make you forget that you are talking to a student government member; it feels more like dealing with a friend you’ve known for years. They are very helpful to other students and clubs alike, providing assistance if need be. I’ve never felt a tinge of arrogance from them, only camaraderie.
• Media – I do feel like they have a better internet presence compared to the last term. The utilization of Facebook had allowed them to reach a larger audience, although I still think they are not using the Facebook mail function enough. The launch of their new independent forum (http://intimaforum.co.cc/) was also a good move, the overall layout of the forum was neatly designed and the forum is definitely superior to its counterpart at INTIonline; I would suggest INTIMA to stop using the public forum at INTIonline and move all student discussions to the new forum so that it’s easier for both parties.
The bad:
• Sense of Authority – The 15th INTIMA still does not command the respect from all the clubs. Having tried to display authority with a series of new stringent regulations, it served only to cause a sense of oppression among the affiliate clubs. A good government does not force people to obey rules, they try to have rational conversation, and make compromise for a mutually agreed decision. INTIMA EXCOs needs to have better justifications for the regulations they pass, because there are a couple of them that, frankly speaking, made little sense.
• Professionalism – This is a problem plaguing the office since their installment. Being at the top of the student hierarchy, we expect them to have a personal display on par with their position. If you are a member of the student government, you better start acting like one. Sometimes, one feels there is a lack of maturity in the way the INTIMA EXCOs display themselves – behavior, tone of speaking, handling matters. I do not mean that this is a perennial problem, but it happens enough to be noticeable by the INTI community.
• Identity Crisis – INTIMA has a dilemma, and they don’t know it. They are stuck between being the awesome friend and the elite student government. A government is supposed to be exclusive and unbiased; a government is not supposed to be swayed by someone into making a biased decision because that someone is a dear friend. I’m not suggesting that INTIMA is biased, but it’s hard not to imagine when their friends give them visit at the office so often. An office is called an office for a reason; it is a place where work is meant to be done. I’m not restricting the EXCO members from interacting with their friends – by all means, please do – but take it out of the office; it doesn’t do well for INTIMA’s credibility when friendship and official work gets tangled together.
The 15th INTIMA EXCO, while faring quite well so far, still has some room for improvements. That being said, INTIMA EXCO should really try a different approach in gaining more respect from the affiliate clubs, because whatever it is that they are doing right now, it’s not going too well. Also, if INTIMA is doing anything significant to contribute to the student population at all, the students have not seen it.
The ongoing issue with the fences at the hostel blocks will be a good litmus test for INTIMA’s credibility as the student representative, all eyes will be on them as we fight for our student rights. The outcome of this issue will greatly determine how we judge the 15th INTIMA EXCO, whether they are really a revolutionary student government or not.
Chris Yong is The Asterisk’s resident political writer. His thoughts and views are of his own volition and do not reflects the views of the general INTI population.
just to comment on the part on where u mentioned about the part where friends of the exco's visit them at the ofice.i think it shows that the 15th INTIMA is able to balance between their friends and their jobs. and it also a little unfair for someone to judge the condition of the student body government without actually being in it.. and as they say the grass is always greener on your side..
Anonymous,
Fair points raised. I agree that friends visiting can be seen just as much as a 'pro' as it is a 'con'.
And as someone who has been in INTIMA, I agree that it is hard to imagine what they go through on a daily basis. Having said that, the press in America regularly review Obama's performance in the oval office. So, although you may take what people say with a pinch of salt, overall I believe it is good to get different people's points of view.
@Anonymous:
Friend, with all due respect, Chris wasn't exactly judging INTIMA. He was merely listing out points of interest to people, the stuff he thought was worth mentioning -- both the good and the bad. And Chris did do a fair job of being objective. On top of that, he also left a few words of encouragement towards the end of his article.
Plus, Chris is the Chairperson of the Green Knights. While he may not have the full grasp of what INTIMA is going through, he is not only managing a club, but also works with INTIMA as do all other clubs. So he isn't blindly writing out an article here.
BUT, very fair points you raised. I wish I knew the name to go along with your comment.
Cheers.
Honestly I feel that the 15th Intima is fairing quite well to the previous one. This friendliness about them makes for easier approach. You'd be surprised how many high profile people still feel intimidated when approaching the "government" cos they still see themselves as normal people. So I do believe it's better that they remain this friendly air while keeping a slight professional sense about them.
As for the 'stringent regulations' i do not at all think they are unreasonable. Many Intima groups have tried to reason with the council only to fall on mostly deaf ears (okay so some do listen, but the majority? They listen for a while and forget about them by the middle of the semester.) Sometimes money IS the only way to get people's attention.
On the other hand, I do agree that there's plenty of room for this term's Intima to grow and if you get to know them, they really are trying their best at what they're doing. It's just a different approach. After all, nobody's perfect.
Also that this fencing issue really will be a test for how good they are, but one should also remember, they are still just students. If Inti has got it's eyes set on saving money on guards no matter what who says, there's really nothing anyone can say about it. =/
Just my two cents.
The best people to lead, aren't the ones who are there to be set apart from the people, but the ones that are there to serve the people with all their heart.
On that note, This term's Intima is doing a bang up job at trying to serve the way they know best.
Not criticizing, just what I strongly believe.
woah!
Well written, Chris. I seriously mean it. No sarcasm involved.
I understand The Fourth Estate's dilemma to BE the fourth estate and stand up for the masses, but in this case, the 'bad' of this review seems a tad forced to me. I have noticed that the media faces pressure to gain readership thus sometimes inadvertently sensationalize articles in the process.... but... i have to ask..
Are the 15th INTIMA's 'bad', really that bad?
For the first 'bad', if i were a council member, i'd prefer a friendly person to work with, rather than a 'professional which commands respect with authority'. In other words, it could be easily interpreted as 'unapproachable','cold',or'stuck-up'. if it were so, i believe that the resident political columnist would have changed the direction of this article then. As 'Anonymous Guy' above says, many are still intimidated by the office and doesn't dare to step in. If the people don't dare to approach them with their problems, how could a government do its job well? Precious few in this world were born with the natural charisma to command respect yet avoid offending others. The 15th just decided to deal with people in ways they knew best, in a friendly manner.
Anyway, can i know what exactly are the 'new and stringent regulations' that the writer found so distaseful?
i personally strongly dislike the regulation of using second-hand paper for proposals.
I agree with the second 'bad' that sometimes they aren't too professional in the ways they present themselves though...
On the third point, it seems to be based entirely on the writer's own imaginations, since the writer was unable to raise any valid proof that
friends in the office = biased decisions.
i call for more objective writing from this columnist, who seemed to have gotten most of his information from numerous 'teh-tarik sessions'.
yours sincerely,
Keyboard Warrior =]
Keyboard Warrior,
That's the comment I've been waiting for!
People need to realise that this is in no way a general opinion of INTI students. In fact, I also prefer a friendly INTIMA than a professional one. Although of course, a balance would be preferred.
I don't think Chris is being biased, I would never have published it if he was. There is a big difference between biased and opinion, columnists are allowed opinions on this site and obviously Chris' experience with this term's INTIMA has shaped his opinion.
Opinions are there to be debated and discussed. I encourage the columnists to write opinion pieces so people such as yourself can dissect and discuss his opinions.
Let's me bring you back to the footer of the article..
"Chris Yong is The Asterisk’s resident political writer. His thoughts and views are of his own volition and do not reflects the views of the general INTI population."
@Keyboard Warrior,
I did not say that INTIMA should "rule with authority" or suggest anything near that. If anything at all, all I was saying was that they tried and failed. They should have a different approach. You would have noticed that I actually liked the fact that they are very approachable.
The regulation was regarding club financing. It was announced that all club funds will be forfeited if not used by the end of the 15th term. Naturally there was dissatisfaction among the council members. But they made amend and cleared the issue up, apparently it was a misunderstanding.
A note on the usage of used papers for proposals and other paper works, I do not see why is that an issue. The rule is that no page should be left blank, it doesn't mean that you have to use all used papers for your proposal. It is okay to use a whole new paper as long as both sides are printed, the idea is that nothing should be wasted. What is there to dislike for saving resources?
Yes, I do not have proof that friends in office equates to bias decisions, neither did I claim that they did. If you read carefully I did not say that they were biased. However, what would you think if a council member hangs out too often in the office, not for official work but apparently having fun? What would this relationship between this council member and INTIMA mean to other clubs? If, coincidentally, the council member get even the slightest benefit or advantage that was denied to other clubs, wouldn't people start making connections? Even if it wasn't a biased decision? If you think it wasn't fair enough, just think of what this would seem like in a real political scene.
Cheers,
Chris
chris: glad to hear that the matter about your disliked stringent regulation has been cleared up, i guess this article should have a simple update then~
anyway, if you read carefully, i have never said that using second hand paper is an issue, unlike some, i don't raise issues based on assumptions. its just my personal preference. agree with your saving resources point :)
but then again, i know you did not claim anything about the bias point, but the truth is, you're just merely making connections and placing words and suggesting things that are non-existent. this might mislead readers anyway. did the council member coincidentally get the slightest benefit? no.
this is based on plain assumption on your part, thus this shouldn't be an issue at all.
please remember that they are just a student council, might be a lil' too hard on them, don't you think?
lots of love,
Keyboard W.