By Yasmin Yahya
What comes to your mind when you hear about leadership? Is it about people who hold a position as a leader? Or is it about people who lead their followers? Or about someone who manage the organisation? Yes. All of those are true.
Briefly, leadership also carries the meaning of a person holding a position as a leader of a particular group or organisation, someone with legitimate authority and power with the ability to lead others.
The Students Representative Council (SRC) Election was held few days ago, including in Kuantan campus, and all Kulliyyahs have elected at least two students to represent their own Kulliyyah to continue the legacy to serve the IIUM community for the betterment of students in terms of their welfare.
It was really an honour for me to have a chance to interview two winning candidates from the Kulliyyah of Nursing, IIUM Kuantan, Nur Najwa Haneem Aziz and Aimi Nabila Afandi. They both won uncontested.
“Won uncontested” means winning the seat in the Council without having to go through the campaign process to be elected as there are no other contestants. There are two chairs for each Kulliyah, if there are only two candidates who are contesting, and there is no other candidates offering to contest, they both will be automatically declared winning the seats without having to face the election or voting process. But if there are three or more candidates, there will be an election for that respective Kulliyyah.
The first candidate, Nur Najwa Haneem Aziz or better known as Najwa, is a third year student, born on 7Â October 1993 in Kelantan while the second candidate, Aimi Nabila Afandi, known as Aimi, a second year student, born on 9Â June 1995 in Terengganu.
Aimi has contributed a lot to many society events such as in Islamic Culture Care Bureau, Nursing Student Society, Main Committee Travalgar Square, and Committee Leadership Camp, among others.
- Changes they plan to do and their manifesto.
Najwa stated that she has two manifestos. First, she planned to hold a grooming workshop where students can learn step by step on how to make a professional resume, learn how to tackle the interviewer during a job interview, and also to equip future graduates with skills for their profession. English proficiency, writing and verbal communication will also be stressed among the graduates because first impression is everything nowadays to secure a job. In addition, soft skills will be also polished up because currently, CGPA becomes second in the many reasons for employment. œKnowledge is powerful but the way you interact with others beats everything, said Najwa.
She came up with this idea because she felt most of the students do not know how to make a perfect resume for a job.
Najwa said, œI asked around whether any one of them knows how to make a complete resume and none of them seems to know how to make one. I realised that it is a worrying problem as a resume is basically a reflection of yourself, in pages. Some of us may be aware of this problem and they took their own initiative to learn it by themselves. But, I would like to share this opportunity and chance to be enjoyed by everyone.
Najwa continued, œFor me, it is not about changing but more to improvising. Perfect what can be perfected. It is for the betterment of the community of IIUM community, especially the students in Kuantan campus.
Second, her manifesto is about inculcating of reading habits among students.
Najwa stated, œI am planning to build a reading corner for my Kulliyyah, where students can spend their leisure time reading newspapers and books donated by the community itself.
“My intention is to enhance the bond between the nursing community itself as well as putting the students leisure time in doing something beneficial. I believe that leaders are readers, so with the presence of reading corner in the Kulliyyah itself, I fairly hope that everyone can broaden the mind and be a good leader, especially to their own self.
Meanwhile for Aimi, she wishes to promote awareness about basic life support among IIUM student. Basic life support is used for victims of life threatening illnesses or injuries until they can be given full medical care at a hospital. Example of basic life support is Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), checking pulse, cardiac arrest choking and drowning. Usually, it is done by medical personnel, including fire-fighters and lifeguards.
Aimi said, œBasically, this manifesto I focused on promoting IIUM itself to the outsiders. There were so many big events that were being held at IIUM Kuantan like IIUM Kuantan Open Day (IKOD) and such, and yes, I want to make a big event like that but not similar with IKOD.
“As a future health care worker, awareness about basic life support is very important for us. Thus, I am very determined to organise this event and I hope it will be successful.
Secondly, Aimi wants to establish an official health check up team in order to promote Kulliyyah of Nursing to IIUM community and public.
She mentioned, œSometimes, we get invitation from programme like IKOD to do health check up, therefore, I am looking forward to establish a health check-up team so that it will be easier for us when there is an invitation from others. Furthermore, students involved in this team also will get benefit like knowledge itself and money which comes from profit that we get when do the health check-up activities.
- What makes you want to become a leader? What is your opinion about ˜leader or ˜leadership?
Najwa stated that, œI just want to share my friends ideas and my ideas as well, incorporated into one big mould that can be spread throughout IIUM students especially. Also, she wanted to voice out the unheard voices as well as polishing up the soft skills among students by involving them as committee members in programmes and workshops held around IIUM.
œLeadership for me is managing. It is not a position to put your own benefit into the picture. It is for the benefit of all, she continued.
For Aimi, she is really interested in Martin Luther’s quote: œA genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a moulder of consensus. This became her motivation and a guide to become a leader.
She said,Becoming a leader is not an easy job. Some people may say, a leader can ask anything from their colleagues, but it is wrong. That is a bossy leader. A leader is somebody who does the work together with colleagues and face all the problems together.”
“Thus, my opinion about a leader or leadership is that not all leaders have leadership characteristics but a good leader will try to make their leadership better than others.
- Â What is your hope after winning the election?
Najwa sincerely hoped that all fellow students can benefit from her manifesto and the improvement that she and other SRC lineup pledge to make. œI also hope that students will be involved more in universitys programme and realised that soft skills are as important as getting good grades.”
“I would also like to emphasise that leaders are readers, so equip ourselves with boundless knowledge, so that the concept of œrahmatan lilalamin will be fully inculcated among IIUM community.
Meanwhile, Aimi expressed the hope that she will become a good leader for all and would give her best.
She said, œAs a leader, I open my heart willing to accept comments and opinion from others in order to improve and make a better leadership for this tenure. I hope that I can learn something new to be a good leader in this SRC. I wish people can give me full support in programmes that will be held by us. ***