WATCH: Meet The Maltese Student Who Wants To Break The Establishment At The University Student Council
University of Malta student elections tend to be a pretty predictable affair. Lots of cash is splashed, no one explains where the money is coming from, most students stay away from the whole thing and SDM always wins.
However, one young man is determined to shake things up this year.
Kris Bajada, who happens to the nephew of former PN leader Simon Busuttil, is contesting for president of the students council KSU as an independent candidate on a platform of ending the party politics which controls the council. Should he get succeed, he will be the first non-SDM candidate to get elected in the university’s history.
“This election will determine whether it is the students or the parties that have the power,” he says in his campaign video. “I stand here for all students who believe in a truly independent KSU.
Kris has already made quite a name for himself on campus, winning 440 votes at the KSU election of 2018 despite competing against both SDM and their traditional campus rivals Pulse. While SDM is sure to contest the election, the situation is less clear with regards Pulse, which has regularly boycotted university election.
It’s not just slogans though; Kris has launched a manifesto with some interesting policies.
Interestingly, he wants to create a de-stress room for students complete with sleep pods and lounging bags, as well as a puppy room with puppies from sanctuaries for students to play with and perhaps adopt.
In terms of the evergreen problem of parking, he wants to introduce a points system for students who make use of alternative means of transport such as buses, bikes, motorcycles and carpooling which can then be redeemed for special prizes.
Other proposals include:
• Free doctor’s scrubs for all medical students
• Have a Battle of the Bands event on campus
• Have a Robot Wars event on campus
• Organise a massive Sports Week Event on Campus which would include a Faculty Football Cup competition.
• Push for a university football team that can compete in the Malta premier league
• Install more charging bays and fix the ones that are damaged
• Push to reduce prices and improve the quality of the canteen food
• Help reduce tuition fees for international students
• Offer free eye test for students with computer-based courses
Several students have tried and failed to break hegemony at the KSU but this doesn’t appear to have dampened Kris Bajada’s spirits. Will this young man carve out a piece of history for himself this year?
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