that was the front of our t-shirt for the nus conference. i didnt get there until after my graduation. so here is a quick take on the conference:
the faction is growing stronger… and so is the individuals (old and new) within the factions. the new are keener and somehow more aggressive than what factional stuff can tolerate. the reason im saying this is, while i agree democratic process should be first and foremost upheld in a caucus setting, the most successful and indeed every factions work on seniority. this is because at the end of the day, what secures factional interests is experience coupled with relationships that have been built years and years. not on disposable goodwill that ppl will yield based only on the number you have at any given point of time.
so to that extent, it is hard for me and adrian (for that matter) to manouver fully within and outside. but in the end, we pull through, resulting in the best outcome for ncl the faction ever.
there are things that ppl dont realise. negotiators, communicators, messengers, whatever ppl want to call it are simply not really working in nlc. this is because these people act as ‘powerless middlemen’ who serve as sandbags between the caucus who supposedly ‘empower’ them and with other negotiators from other caucuses. but most often than not, im more scared to face our caucus than others. simply because our caucus lacks the conviction (read: not the ability) to make firm decision. they simply sit on the fence and has no regard as to the growing political position they have taken. with size and power comes responsibility. the faction can no longer enjoy the ‘free ride’ as some ppl have suggested. if they are willing to sit on the front bench, they should be willing to be the ‘face’ as well as present the position that are defensible yet flexible. unless such is achieved, respect to our faction will only be limited with our minority position and our ability to work out the numbers. forget about the real student representation that we have been fighting for. wedge issues sometimes dont always work. it could be boomerang too.