The hurdle and lapses of the past Law Student’s Union (LSU) elections has left me, a maverick politician of my caliber to share with you some of my experiences as a student politician.
I had intended to do this some other time, but circumstances will have it that I do now, considering the announcement put out by the Editorial Committee of the SRC. Time and tide they say waits so no man. Somewhere last year, a new child was born. It was a union of Law students on the campus of Kings University College. In a modern setting of an African society where democracy was tailor made and imported from our western lords (Europeans), the Union had to undergo a process of democracy to midwife the procedure of electing her first leaders to milk and nurture the new child that was conceived.
Fast forward into 2016, and how time flies, the union was again expected to elect new leaders, and that was by performing the usual ritual (elections). The students, who make up the union, again had the opportunity to endorse candidates to take over the realms of affairs so as to allow them contribute their widow’s mite to the betterment of the union.
I was contacted by Mr. Kelvin, who then, was vice President of the Union to consider a decision of contesting, at least for one of the portfolios. Unfortunately, I declined. I had no intention whatsoever of contesting any election considering the pressure I endured during last semester elections when I was then the deputy Electoral Commissioner. My experience on that is something I would consider sharing with you some other time.
Not long after all the happenings, I had calls from two of the sides. Later, I made a solemn decision to run with Mr. ThankGod Rufus. My decision was informed by the fact that I needed to bring what indeed was lacking in the past election. That is – a sense of competition.
In every elections, it is expected that candidates work out the permutations and couch a message to suit the demanding needs of the students. That was the next step we took. However, we were minded that we could not punch beyond our weight with regards to the promises we enumerate to the students. But, in spite of all these, could the foibles of my presidential candidate play a part in our defeat? That is something we shall encounter pretty soon in this article.
Right from the outset, my team and I were mindful of the effects of giving utopian promises which cannot be realized in the event power is given to us. We were guarded by our promises in our bid to ensure a resounding victory!
WE DON’T LIKE YOUR PRESIDENT….
Before accepting the call to pair with Mr. ThankGod, I made series of consultations which really did not seem well for me. But let me shock you, that was the sole reason I chose him over a much popular candidate, who eventually won. One may wonder what manner of person I am by taking such decision, but don’t forget my initial remarks, where I emphatically stated that I am a maverick politician. I am independent in my way of things. Maybe a slave of my conscience.
My decision, even today has never been a regret to me. Most of the negatives and positives I learnt from my candidate during the period of our campaign. Indeed, they have added to my life in diverse ways. I remember vividly, before assuming the role of being a vice president aspirant, I had a hearty chat with someone I would have love to keep anonymous, but my readers can tell who the person is after reading his words. He posited, ”Mahama, it will be good you choose a good side and do away with loyalty. I was loyal in the SRC elections when I decided to run with Roland and you saw what happened.” I listened patiently and with rapt attention. Now, it appears everyone was not telling me what my ears wanted to hear, but as a so-called “Maverick Politician”, I soldiered on.
PICKING AND PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER
Barely some few days to go, we were met with vetting and manifesto reading. After having heard from a chunk of students and gathered the views of many, I had a feeling deep within me that it would take extra effort to make things possible.
My team had no brand. We were without the vive and enthusiasm the student would have loved to see. Our opponents had a brand, “Team INTEGRITY”. Isn’t that catchy? I leave that to my readers. In no time, we were called upon to deliver our manifesto. How possible could we give hope to the students? How could we revive the image of my candidate who was caught in an allegation worth denting our effort in the last days? Hmmmm!
As the days went by and the clock continues tickling, we owned it a responsibility to build up the momentum and possibly amass the synergy needed for an electoral victory. How could we influence students to coalesce and gang up for an effective campaign? The allegations had caused a mess and there was no way it could have been reversed.
Many say politics is a dirty game. But I shudder to think in that stead. Not only was my president maligned, his opponent suffered the same fate. It was getting messy. How unfortunate! Maybe, my next write-up will be titled, “A call for political hygiene in KUC”. We need to purge our politics going forward.
McDONATISM
One of the things we lacked in our team was the fact that we had no one who stood his grounds for us. Unfortunately, we lost to our opponents with regards to branding and publicity. One of the few people who effectively campaigned against us was my classmate and good friend McDonald. Coincidentally, the U. S elections was heated and making waves across the globe. Donald Trump, who amidst the backlashing and name calling stood his grounds despite his bizarre and wild ideas. I referred to my friend as Donald Trump, because their disposition I believed were similar. My team didn’t have that person infected with such virus. One of the personalities who made the elections fun and exciting was this young man, McDonald.
POLITICS OF COMPLACENCY: THE “MEDUSA” THAT RARED ITS UGLY HEAD
Interestingly, as we kicked start our campaign, complacency was the monster that set in. My candidate was complacent because of the events which unfolded. I remember a day to the election, which was on a Sunday, we decided to have a room to room engagement with the Law students who stay in and around campus.
As we begun, my candidate would presume that any person we spoke to invariably accept our message. This I knew was not right considering some experiences I have gathered as a young politician. To add more pain to injury, my president had at the time counted and estimated the number of people he was expecting to vote for him. That was politically suicidal.
We had encounters as we met the students. Some, expressed dissatisfaction with the way and many my president disposed his message on the day of vetting and manifesto reading. Right from there, I saw defeat staring at us. After our long walk and evangelism, I returned to my room asking myself without it was all an exercise in futility. Because, the assurances we had from the students were not only vague, but were also cold. One could read from the faces of the students.
The persona of my president was not appealing, our message did not touch the hearts and minds of the students who constitute the union. We were only out for a humiliating defeat. Maybe we had thrown in the towel before the sound of the whistle.
THE D-DAY
I woke up on a Monday morning with much expectations. Despite the fact that our opponents we in the right position to win, we were very much hopeful. Maybe we could pull a surprise like Donald Trump. LOL
One could tell that the students has made their choices. But the question is – on what basis were these choices made? I shudder to think if really the student populace were voting base on the earlier allegation against my candidate. Our chances were looking bleak after the allegations had painted a doom and gloom picture of my candidate. That reminds me, has it occurred to you, on any day, what informs the decisions of students in every elections? Do they really vote based on manifestoes? Well, I doubt.
Let me be fast to add that I do not wish to paint the picture as though our manifesto was the best. No! But it could have been the best anyway!
Then again, tensions were high. Candidates from both sides were desperate to see themselves emerge victorious at the end of the day. The time finally came for us to start casting our ballots. After I took my turn, I decided to go have a nap. I only returned few minutes to the time of counting. At that material moment, it was obvious that in the event we decide to check the blood pressure of any of the candidates, we would have nothing short of 130 200.
Finally, the presidential votes were counted and we lost handsomely. How sad! However, one can be assured that the sequence of events that led to the elections would be imprinted and remembered in the annals of KUC Law Student’s Union. Until then, the rest is history…
Mahama Samuel Seidu is an avid writer, student, columnist at Ghanaweb, ModernGhana, SpyGhana and many electronic media outlets across the country, and also a social and political commentator.