Dear friends, At the conclusion of last night’s vote count for the 2015 SUTD Student Government Presidential Election, the first thing that struck my mind when I was announced the winner; was the sheer number of students who participated in the election process. A staggering 94% of the votes were casted in favour of either of the two candidates. This is possibly the most successful elections turnout for SUTD thus far. For that, I would like to extend my heartiest gratitude to all of you who participated, the elections commission, SUTD Student Government, comrades and my friends who rallied and supported my candidacy through and through. I know you voted not for a win in an election, and I know you didn’t do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task, of forging a common culture that is uniquely SUTD. As we work to become a permanent fixture within the community in and out of SUTD, be it as a member of the SUTD family or SUTD itself being a prominent member of the Institutes of Higher Learning in and out of Singapore; we are, and will be constantly faced with challenges on multiple fronts both culturally and operationally. We must accept these challenges and face it as one united student body in order to attain perceptible outcomes and successes. I am here to remind all of us that the road ahead will be long, and our climb be steep. We may reach the East by the end of this year, but our journey vertically upwards is only about to begin. The Singapore University of Technology and Design was created to achieve greatness in scholarship, innovation, and social & economical impact. We must embrace this mission wholeheartedly and commit ourselves to play a part in contributing to the attainment of this success. As students, the best way for us to achieve this is to not only attain the highest possible Grade Point Average, but through the fostering of a culture that provides for such growth to all who seek and share this mission. Student life is and should be very much integrated as part of a student’s University experience, and being a start-up University, we are all responsible in making sure this is corroborated, through our constructive feedback and viable actions. The biggest challenge to establishing a strong student-led group and institutions is ensuring continuity and sustainability. In order to facilitate that, it is important that the student body work very closely together, with the various student groups including the Student Government. I see it as part of my job in the position of President of the Student Government to ensure that the mechanisms are set up in place to prepare younger members to lead the group and continuously solicit input from all members of the SUTD Family. Changing or shaping the culture of a university requires shifting goals, values and attitudes at all levels of the institution. I believe the new Student government will work hard in redefining the role students can play in effecting change, by empowering everyone to engage in civil discourse for the betterment of SUTD as a whole. My team and I in the student government will serve as an open affirmation of students’ desire to take up an active role in shaping the culture of our beloved university. By participating in such activities, I hope that as pioneering students of SUTD, we will be able to go through the highs and lows of our educational journey here together, and not only become more confident in our future decisions making capabilities but also provide us the courage to lead our own initiatives in making the world a better place. Change will also not happen overnight, and as we move to a new home, we are bound to face other new challenges. But this should not stop us from persevering and trying harder, we shall not give up. To the pioneering batch of SUTD, I beseech you to join me in taking up this challenge now and live up to our title as “pioneers” to do our very best to ensure that the future generations of SUTD have an environment that actively cultivates the ideals, that formed the foundations of the setting up of this University. Let us work in service and responsibility where each and every one of us students of SUTD pitch in and work hard to look after not only ourselves, but each other. The strong communal spirit and friendship that we enjoy currently in SUTD amongst all the students is something truly special and rather uncommon amongst the other universities in Singapore. I implore upon all of us to let go of that sense of entitlement we may have, and get the things that we want, not simply by demanding. As students of a university that promotes the strength of Technology and Design, I believe we can come together and find solutions to most of our problems on our own, without having to wait for someone to come and get it done for us. Let us strive to apply the knowledge we gain from our unique education system to improve our lives and the lives of the people around us. Every problem we face today are an opportunity for a design challenge, why miss that? This is a chance we may never come upon again- to help build a University and shape its cultural norms. Borrowing my friend and comrade Ng Zi Kai’s elections slogan “Everyone has a part to play”, I would like to remind everyone that this is not only a job for the pioneer batch, or the older ones. This is a change that would affect each and everyone of us somehow or rather, no matter which class you belong to and which pillar you fall under, ALL of us have a part to contribute. This is our school, this is our home, this is our community. We cannot expect to just “get my diploma and sod off”, for that value of that diploma comes mostly from the name that it is attached to. Let us foster strong collaboration and help contribute to the fulfilment of the promises of the Singapore University of Technology and Design. Ask ourselves, “If not us, then who. If not now, then when?” Once again, thank you all so very much for placing your confidence and trust in me. I hope to be able to do justice to the position and promise to give my very best in continuing the struggle to face the challenges we do, to ensure the satisfaction and happiness of the majority of the SUTD community. Service above self. KABINCALAN President-elect (2 0 1 5) SUTD Student Government
Posted on: Sat, 20 Dec 2014 09:15:05 +0000
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