Day 1: Introducing the Non-Partisan

Once and again, it's time for the general elections for the incoming Student Council of De La Salle University. The scene has been played out time and again: the room to room campaigns, the banners, the tarps, the candidates making an effort to speak to different students within their respective colleges, the debates and open forums, and the questions of "who's who?" and "what are they up to?" For me, this will be my third time to participate in an election within the university (twice as a freshman, and then now). This year, I have a good number of friends, former classmates and acquaintances aiming to serve in student government (Claudette Ocampo and Justin Quirino from Santugon, as well as Cabe Aquino, Erwin Sy, Bettina Bernabe, and Philip Rentillo from Tapat). So I have all the more reason to be interested in what the outcome of this year's elections will be.

As crazy and borderline ditzy as this may sound, my first preparations for this year's campaign period was to plan my wardrobe. For the next few days, I have sworn not to wear any red, orange, blue, or yellow shirts, all for the sake of non-partisanship.
Don't get me wrong. I am far from declaring non-participation, or making a show of apathy. In fact, I am definitely going to vote in this year's general elections. I am going to cast my vote as well in the University Student Government plebiscite, if it is still being held in tandem with the elections. However, I have no plans of openly campaigning for or of supporting either of the two major parties within the Student Council of De La Salle University.

Why so? Apart from my personal history of nonpartisanship (for one thing, I was one of the few freshmen in my block who did not sign up for any political party), I am a firm believer in student leadership and community development. These are two ideals that I believe can exist even without political parties to rally behind individuals seeking to serve in student government.

As I told DJ Camz of greengiantfm over a YM post some days ago, I do not believe that any political party is better than the other. The question though is more of what platforms they can sustain throughout the academic year, and the kind of leadership they will model to their fellow students.

This is not a question of General Plans of Action versus Specific Plans of Action. It is a question of what projects, policies, and programs will these candidates spearhead in the best interests of the student body as a whole.

This is not a question of who has historically captured the most seats in the Student Councils of the past, or of who authored what policy and pushed for what bit of legislation. That is all history, that is all merely a recollection of things that were done in circa 2008, 2007, 2006, and all the way back to the beginning of LaSallian student government. The question is who will address the needs of 2009-2010? Can our upcoming leaders explain the need for a University Student Government? Will they fight to make this new system work? Will they find ways to prevent a repeat of the manual adjustment issue in the COE? Will they encourage sociocivic involvement in the CED and the CLA? Will they ensure that student services are more accessible to the majority? What are their plans to address the different issues of LaSallians today?

This is not even a question of who has more "credentials" as a student leader. While credentials are surely worthy of some consideration, the kind of leadership that the DLSU student body needs is not just one of merit-and-achievement based alone. Who of the candidates will conduct themselves with not just poise, but with respect for their fellow students, their teachers, and even their political opponents? Who of these candidates, even after being elected, will continue to serve the student body with transparency, and promote a culture of integrity, excellence, socio-civic involvement, and professionalism within the university?

The nonpartisan stand: to support the candidates who will represent the LaSallians and not just the parties.There are students within both parties who will hopefully rise to the occasion to become the leaders that this student body will support and be proud of. My fervent prayer for this election is that all the elected students will unite as LaSallians in service of their school. Once elected, a student is no longer just "from Tapat" or "from Santugon". He or she is representative of and in service to the students in his or her college, or in the case of the executive board, of the university as a whole. And last time I checked, the university colors were green and white, not yellow and blue, or orange and red.

To the candidates who may chance upon this: I do not mean to insult anyone, or shake anyone's confidence. I hope though that you are not just ready to answer the questions for this week's campaign, but for the responsibilities and even more questions that will come after. I look forward to meeting you in my classes or in the school hallways just to talk to you and find out how you want to serve my fellow students.

To my classmates and fellow LaSallians: Make your own stand. And use your one chance to participate in student government: vote! You may agree with some candidates, and disagree with others. Determine which leaders you believe will represent what you stand for and hope to see in our student government. Nothing is stopping you from asking questions. No one can tell you not to enter a "mixed" slate on your ballot next week.

God bless us all this election. :)