Council and Politics

As a member of the senior council, I was forced to tag along on a trip to a small island in Indonesia called Batam as part of a 'leadership retreat'. It was there that the president and vice president, as well as the roles of the senior council members were to be decided. On paper, it was a time to "bond with your fellow council members and find out which of them have the traits of a leader". Of course to many aiming to be the president of the council (myself included), it was a contest of 'who could rise into power the fastest'. Therefore even though we were supposed to have fun and bond, there was an underlying tension in the air. 

These people were not the rabble whom I thought I could easily influence. Them being in many other leadership roles prior to this one, it was easy for them to see beyond many persuasive devices that would normally would have worked for someone else. Not to say that I didn't have competition as well. Over the whole 'bonding' process I was overshadowed by a guy who proved to be more outspoken, with the ability to influence people more easily. 

The last chance I had to getting the chance was during the elections. The elections were very flawed in the sense that:

• It was written in order of who gave in the vote first
• The voting cards were repeatedly being used, allowing us to see who voted for who based on handwriting
• The writing method was used in either pen or pencil, allowing us to narrow down even further who voted for who

Embarrassingly, it allowed other people to see that I was voting for myself, a selfish trait that I would not like to share with others. 

Being one of the people having a shot of being president based on the closeness of votes, I was to be removed from the room for negotiations. It was only until I decided not to vote for myself that the number of votes dropped to a point where I could stay in the room. That was done on purpose on the basis that I could convince everyone why they should not vote for the other president (not done selfishly; I honestly thought that he did not have the traits of a leader) and why instead they should vote for someone else (not me specifically).

Little did I know that they were going to convince me instead. His outgoing behaviour, focused thinking and his prior reputation with these people were too much. After all, it is a democratic vote and after an hour, I decided to vote for him instead. 

Alas I was not made president, but it does not mean that I am any more and less important than any other member (of course, that's what is written on paper). 

I am endowed now into politics, where every action I make will be watched by few and spread across the school by many. I have to watch everything I do from the way I eat, the way I speak and the way I work. It does seem like a daunting task, but with my overly egoistic thinking and my experience with such concepts (albeit little), I am sure that I can still overcome all of this and that I will be able to be a good council member both for myself, and for the school.

Cheers,

Matthew Tan