The 53rd JCRC Presidential Elections: QING SONG IS PRESIDENT-ELECT!

Writer: Adrian Chia

Chun Keat and Qing Song

Qing Song and Lee Chun Keat have been elected the King Edward VII Hall 53^rd Junior Common Room Committee (JCRC) President and Vice-President respectively. They garnered 145 votes, winning by a margin of 23 votes. Total number of valid votes was 267 while there were 23 void votes, adding up to a total of 290 votes. Online votes: 69 for Qing Song & Chun Keat, 56 for Wee Lee & Gwendolyn.

The election saw Goh Wee Lee and Gwendolyn Wong pitted against Qing Song and Lee Chun Keat. It was a close match throughout the campaigning period as both teams tried their best to woo voters from all quarters of the Hall residents.

After an exciting campaigning period and a gruelling debate that saw the two teams faced off on various issues related to Hall, it was finally the defining moment for all the candidates as well as all KE residents. The polling process began on 19 March 2009 (Thursday) at 12am, when eligible voters could start voting online. The online voting closed on the same day at 11.59pm. Polling continued on 20 March 2009 (Friday) between 5.30pm and 8pm, when voters who have yet to cast their votes could walk into dining hall and vote. Election Committee Officers were present all the time to ensure the process went on smoothly.

Polling Day

The vote counting process started at 10pm. Under the scrutiny of validators, the Election Committee Officers counted the voting slips. Right from the beginning, both teams fought neck to neck on the tally as the lead kept changing hands. Towards the end, Qing Song and Chun Keat managed to pull away slightly and when the computer votes were added in, their lead expanded to 23 votes. The official result was released at 10.30pm with Qing Song and Chun Keat declared to be the winners.

Opening the voting boxes

Vote counting

All those who were present to witness the defining moment

A sample of an invalid vote

42-43

Tied at 57-57

Huey Shin announcing the final result

The election was called after the new constitution was passed on 3 March 2009 (Tuesday). One of the major changes made was the President and Vice-President are to be elected on a joint ticket. The President holds the prerogative to appoint the remaining members of the JCRC. It was a deviation from the past when all positions of the JCRC were contested separately. The details of the changes made to the constitution could be viewed here.

Election Committee 08/09

The voices of KE residents have been heard. Now, may the team entrusted with the hope and expectation of all KEVIIans lead the Hall towards greater heights!

* * * * *

Excerpts of a short interview with Qing Song and Chun Keat right after the polling result was announced:

Me: Congratulations for winning the the election! So how do you feel now?

Qing Song: It’s hard to express our feelings now, it’s not easily descibable with words. We will try our best to gain support from the Hall residents and we will do our best for Hall!

Me: How do you think you can be a good President?

Qing Song: I am willing to serve and I have the passion. I don’t want to disappoint KE Hall. I will work closely with all the Hall Leaders and the SCRC, and get into contact with the residents in Hall.
Chun Keat: Of course we are also willing to learn. Now we got more questions for Aik Leong!

Me: Can we know more about your potential JCRC team?

Chun Keat: Haha, we can’t reveal much now. But what I can tell you is this: as Qing Song is a Chinese, and I am a Malaysian, we will recruit more Singaporeans within the team to maintain a good balance.

Me: How do you find the new election format and the debate?

Qing Song: I find it much better than the old system. As election is now held in the second semester, we can get to know people better and have more time to prepare and to learn. The debate was quite tiring though, but the preparation process certainly helped us in understanding the Hall better. We can also learn from the strengths of the other team.

Me: Anything that you want to tell all Keviians?

Qing Song, Chun Keat: Let’s work for KE together!!

the 53rd JCRC Presidential Elections

Writer: Reuben Lim
Editor: Janice Fan

As the countdown touched zero, candidates for the President and Vice-President of the 53rd JCRC  presented their vision and mission for KE VII Hall in the next academic year. On one side, we have Goh Wee Lee and Gwendolyn, and on the other, Qing Song and Lee Chun Keat. This would be the platform for the candidates to reach out to the voters of KE VII while addressing their concerns and problems faced during the year 2008/2009.

 
This is the first time in KE VII history that a presidential debate has been held between two rival teams vying for the Presidency. This is also after an amendment has been made to the KE VII constitution to enable elections for the President and Vice-President positions in the second semester of the academic year instead of the first. After the election of the President and Vice-President of the 53^rd JCRC on a joint ticket, they will then select their cabinets which will consist of the other Secretaries; reminiscent of the US Presidential system.

Kok Pun was the moderator for the inaugural Presidential Debate. He started the debate with both teams introducing themselves respectively, after which they stated their motivation for running for the positions.

Qing Song and Chun Keat’s campaign centred on the desire to help out CCAs during their tenure, through better promotion of cultural events and more efficient administration of the sports cluster. Chun Keat also expressed that he would support the President in lifting up the name of KE VII while providing constructive opposition to ensure that a check and balance system exists in the JCRC.

Past experience in the 51^st JCRC and good rapport with SCRC and the hall residents is the backbone of Wee Lee and Gwen’s mission. Wee Lee also gave his vision for the hall which is “all rounded excellence through strong administration.” Gwen elaborated more on their team’s plans to achieve their mission and vision through an improved CCA Fair, forming bilateral relationships with faculty clubs and rotatory leadership rules.

Next, it was Question Time for the candidates as Kok Pun posed some prepared questions for the candidates to make their stand on. This lasted for about 20 minutes as both sides made their points on the issues.

After that, the floor was opened to the residents to ask whatever they wanted to know from the two teams. There were several staple questions, like:

What are your comments on the 52^nd JCRC?

Why did you choose your current partner?

And also more unique ones like:

Is ROCKE still relevant?

How will KE VII position itself in view of the challenge posed by the upcoming University Town?

This debate lasted for the better part of an hour, and at 8p.m. the inaugural Presidential Debate winded up with the closing speeches from both teams.

 

Sound Bites from the Presidential Debate:

Qing Song, on motivation for running for the JCRC Presidency-“I first considered it during IHG, when the swimming team lost every match, and during Xinyao promotion when work was 24 hours and I needed support from the hall.”

Gwen, on diversity of candidates’ backgrounds-“Which faculty you are from doesn’t matter; it is the CCAs you join that shows whether there is diversity.”

Wee Lee, on continuing to serve hall even if unelected-“I will continue the effort for publicity of KE VII in Science faculty through Science Club and their Freshmen Orientation Project. I will share these ideas with the new president even if I am unelected.”

Chun Keat, on being on the same team as Qing Song-“His idea of increasing the publicity of KE VII really touched me, and I can work well as a team with him.”

Qing Song, on 52^nd JCRC-“They did a good job; all secretaries were clear about their job scope. There were two improvements; increased cooperation between CCAs like KE Media and better communication between JCRC and the hall residents.”

Wee Lee, on relooking the constitution-“We will look at the constitution to see if there are any loopholes as the constitution is still new; this will help to make it better for the future.”

Gwen, when introducing herself-“After two years of being here, I remember KE VII as more than a secluded hall with crazy flights of steps.”

Chun Keat, in his closing speech-“I would like to thank every candidate for passion in service to the hall, and remind Keviians to choose the best person for the job, for no matter what we’re still Keviians.”

The 53rd JCRC: Who Do You Think Will Win?

The 53rd JCRC: Nomination Forms & Election Timeline

Nomination Form 0809

Nomination Form (with Questions) 0809

Nomination Notice

Timeline

DATE	EVENTS	TIME
09/03/2009 (Monday)	Nomination Day 1	starts 00:01
13/03/2009 (Friday)	Nomination Day 5	ends 23:59
17/03/2009 (Tuesday)	Rally Day	17:30 – 20:00
19/03/2009 (Thursday)	Online Voting	00:01 – 23:59
20/03/2009 (Friday)	Polling Day -walk in voting	17:30 – 20:00
	Result announcement	by 23:59

Highlights from the ‘New’ Constitution

“The new constitution was passed by the 53 out of the 56 residents who attended the EOGM held on the 3rd March (Tuesday). Therefore, the JCRC presidential elections will be held this semester. Please note that only the post of President & Vice-President will be in contention.”

For further enquiries, please contact Election Committee Head, Ng Huey Shin at u0602516@nus.edu.sg or 96168971.

Part IV- Election of the President and Vice President of the JCRC

Article 16. Eligibility of Candidates.
To be eligible, candidates should have a minimum residency of two consecutive semesters prior to the application.

Article 17. Procedure.
(a) The President and Vice-President are to be elected on a joint ticket.
(b) Any other procedures and requirements are to be determined by the JCRC with the endorsement of the SCRC.

Article 18. Term of office.
(a) The term of office of the President and the Vice-President shall last from one AGM to the next consecutive AGM.

Article 19. Removal.
(a) The President and/or the Vice-President can only be removed from office at the discretion of the Master.

Article 20. Contingencies
(a) In the event that the office of the President becomes vacant, the Vice-President shall assume the office of the President. A new Vice-President shall be appointed by the President.
(b) In the event that the office of the Vice-President becomes vacant, a new Vice-President shall be appointed by the President.
(c) In the event that both the offices of the President and Vice-President become vacant, fresh elections shall be called to elect a new President and Vice-President.
(d) The Master may appoint an Interim JCRC at his discretion in the event that both the offices of the President and Vice-President becomes vacant.

Part V- Appointment of the President’s Cabinet

Article 21. The President shall appoint the remaining members of the JCRC.

Article 22. Composition.
(a) The President may appoint a maximum of 10 additional members, bringing the total number of JCRC members to 12.
(b) These appointments shall only become effective when the Master agrees to them.
(c) In the event that the President wants to appoint more than 10 additional members, permission must be sought from the Master.

Article 23. Removal.
(a) All appointed members hold office at the President’s pleasure.
(b) The Master may review and reverse any decision of the President to remove an appointed member of the JCRC.

Article 24. Term and duration of JCRC members.
The term and duration of appointed members of the JCRC are to run concurrently and are contingent upon the term and duration of the offices of the President and Vice-President.

KEVII Annual General Meeting 2008

Held at the Communal Hall and chaired by the 51st JCRC.

The Agenda

The 51st JCRC & Hall Leaders

The 52nd JCRC

A Barrage of Questions

Listening Intently.

Queries regarding the Hall Inventory

The AGM ended after 3 hours of questions and answers – with tense moments in between. Nevertheless, it was a productive meeting where doubts were cleared and lessons were learned. We would like to thank the 51st JCRC of King Edward VII Hall for leading us through Academic Year 2007/2008. We hope that the leaders of the 51st will strive on to glory and be great visionaries in the future. A big thank you from us!

We shall now look forward to the leadership of the 52nd JCRC.

Photos by: Kok Pun & Zi

A Quick Photo Shoot

Conducted by Weiqin, Photography Committee Head

Check out the King Edward VII Hall Official Website in the near future for the photos!

Photos by: Kok Pun