By: Sumaya Hussein
Election of the congress members, despite many challenges, was successfully held on Friday to Saturday, and winners were declared on Sunday.
Their first order of business as the newly elected congress, will be to elect the Daystar University Students Association (DUSA) council, and this will take place on Tuesday from 10am-1pm.
Each school in the university has entrusted the congress members to represent their interests, and this plays a big role for the members in choosing the right people to take up positions in the council.
These positions include the DUSA Chair and Deputy Chair, Secretary General, Treasurer, the Campus secretaries and the International Student’s representative/ISADU Chair.
Even before the election of the congress, students had several times urged aspiring candidates to act with diligence, and avoid being swayed by the different camps, once they win the election.
This message has been further emphasized by the students after the Electoral Commission of Daystar (ECD) announced the winners of the congress.
“It is an opportunity that you’ve been trusted with by the students and not an opportunity for you to be compromised to vote for specific rogue candidates who have appetite for power and no interests to serve the students of Daystar,” said Evans Owino, Class Representative for the School of Law, while addressing elected congress members in various campaign groups on WhatsApp.
Mr. Owino went ahead to urge all congressmen to “act independently” and elect the best leaders for Daystar. This is just but a representation of what all students expect from the congress members.
The new system of electoral college votes took many students by surprise, and did not sit well with most, as they still prefer voting for their leaders themselves.
“I feel like it’s not fair. We should have been allowed to vote for our leaders because they won’t lead the conference only but the people,” said a concerned student who opted for anonymity.
The duty of the congress therefore becomes heavier as all eyes are on them and any form of dishonesty will surely not be tolerated.
The elections for this semester are a milestone for the university being the first election in four years, and also, the first ever election under the phase of the new dawn. Moreover, it will be the first election in Daystar that will use the electoral colleges system.
It is therefore crucial to begin on a strong and positive note, and not one that will later compromise students of Daystar.
Members of congress should acknowledge the trust and power bestowed on to them by students, and vote wisely for their leaders, since they are not voting for themselves, but are voting on behalf of the entire school.