The Christian Democrat Students Association (SDM) last month won the University Students Council (KSU) election, handsomely winning all the 10 posts it contested with an average of 1,311 votes per candidate.
The Social Democrat organisation Pulse obtained 803 votes while independent organisation REACH managed 718.
But what stood out – other than the fact that the SDM won the election after taking a four-year break – was the low turnout at the election. It was not a surprise, only a confirmation that most of the students go to university just for the lectures and perhaps to meet their friends in between, and not to get involved in its political life. There are many who do not even interact with their colleagues, simply turning up for lectures and leaving the campus as soon as they finish.
Only 26.7 per cent of the some 10,000 students turned out to cast their preferences in the election, and although this is considered to be a “feat”, it is still evidence that the majority of students are not interested in what goes on at university, apart from attending their lectures and getting a degree.
A year earlier, participation at the election was even lower, at 19.6 per cent – and this is why a 26.7 per cent participation was deemed to be excellent – but there were years when turn-out was lower than that too.
Such low participation contrasts sharply with what happens at the national and local council elections, although of course one cannot really compare them to the election for student representatives. One cannot expect the number of voters for the KSU elections to be anywhere near the 68 per cent average in local government elections, let alone the over 90 per cent turnout in general elections, but 26 per cent is still too low. It should be at least double that.
It is rather disappointing to see that three-fourths of the university students are simply not interested in voting for those who will, after all, represent them where it matters. Aren’t these students interested in what is taking place at the university? Or are they only prepared to turn to the KSU for help and guidance when something goes wrong?
In any case, the KSU would probably be much stronger in what it proposes or criticises if it had the backing of a bigger segment of the university population. It should therefore receive much more support from the students.
It seems to many that university students will only come forward and show an interest if somehow or other their current status is affected, such as when there are indications that their stipends are going to be touched. And yet there is so much more that they can do while at university.
Many of the country’s political leaders of the past and present were at university when they were younger, and some of them held positions within the KSU. That formed the basis of their political formation, and from there they moved on to take up other positions in the party of their choice.
Today, they regard their experience within the KSU as having enabled them to, first of all, understand whether they “enjoyed” politics to the extent of taking it up as a “career”, and secondly to use the KSU as a stepping-stone into something politically wider.
Students should show more interest in the university as a whole, and in particular from the political and social point of view. They will become the country’s leaders and prime movers in their respective field in a few years’ time.