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What Has Happened to Our Student Politics in UCC? A Perspective

Student Politics is a legal avenue for attaining power to serve colleague student’s while bettering oneself for the greater task of leadership in the journey for self-development. I have for some few years enjoyed this thing called “Students Politics” but I can’t say the same of now.

Having observed student’s politics for four years, I have always been wondering the kind of student’s politics today’s aspirants are engaging themselves in. Gone are the days when aspirants (opponents) saw themselves as friends and did had fun, cracked jokes etc. When students play clean politics, it makes student’s leadership and activism attractive and beautiful. Some years back, we could see over five aspirants aspiring for a particular portfolio. 

The concept of student’s politics attracted many people due to the cleanliness aspirants used to adapt in their campaigns. Student politics is an ideological battle and not an avenue to make enemies.

However, today, the case is totally different. Some aspirants have succeeded in redefining students’ politics to mean partisan politics. Some have blindly turned student’s politics into partisan politics without carefully studying the nature of partisan politics. What some people don’t know is that opponents at the national level do meet behind close doors to eat and drink together.

My advice to voters

Dear voters, when an aspirant approaches to campaign and ends up saying negative things about his or her opponent, have in mind that:

1. That particular aspirant is immature!

2. That aspirant has no better policies!

3. That aspirant is incompetent!

4. That aspirant is a dirty student politician!

5. That aspirant is the type when voted into power, will be giving you excuses as to why he or she isn’t serving you well!

One may ask why…: The reality is that a mature candidate will not go round painting his or her opponent black. If that candidate has better policies, he or she will concentrate on how to sell those policies to voters to win their votes. A competent candidate will spend time telling voters his or her previous achievements and what he or she intends to do and how that will be done when voted into power. A clean candidate will concentrate on projecting him/herself rather than projecting the negativity of the opponent.

Focus on winning elections on fair and clean grounds. This will add value to student’s politics and activism!

Best wishes to all aspirants!

By:

Fredrick Daoyenikye (Thinker)

Student Activist