When People Are Against You...

If you had joined any society or club in school, then the voting for president, vice president, secretary, etc, should sound familiar to you.

I used to join the Red Crescent society, English club, badminton club, library club, and a few others. When I was in Form 1 (13 years old), I looked up to my leaders in awe especially the Head Section Leader of the Red Crescent Society. She was in Form 4 and to me, she spoke confidently and in a rather eloquent manner. Sometimes, she even threw in some jokes and everyone would laugh along.

When I was in Form 4, I was not that in awe of my Head Section Leader already because we were of the same age and she was one of my friends. Still, she was capable and carried her duties as Head Section Leader well. The previous year’s committee members selected her as Head Section Leader and they definitely made a good choice.

At other times and in some clubs, I felt that the voting system was not quite fair. Usually, the girl elected or selected to be president was popular and had many friends. Or maybe the club members were aware of her capabilities, strengths and thought she would be the perfect choice as their president.

However, there was one incident when I was in Form 5, and it was time to elect new committee members for the Red Crescent Society. The committee members are usually girls in Form 4. Some of my peers were talking softly among one another and then quietly spread their little news. They did not want a certain Form 4 girl to hold a high post. They wanted her to either have no post at all or at least held the lowest post.

In my opinion, the girl is smart and I knew that she would obviously make a great Head Section Leader (HSL) or Deputy Head Section Leader (DHSL). She was a member once in my group and I found her responsible, hardworking, and a quick learner.

It was a pity that some people in my Form did not like her. Or perhaps they were jealous of her? I don’t know.

What happened next was something nobody could prevent. Somehow, that group of girls convinced many others not to vote for the Form 4 girl. They told many people that this girl is stuck-up and if she were to be HSL, she would be even more stuck-up.

Sigh…..I have no idea why they considered her stuck-up. Honestly, I think she was way better off than that group of girls.

In the end, she was given a not so low post. When she knew what they were plotting to do, she cried. I think she knew, I’m not so sure. The previous year’s committee members knew what was happening, too but they could not do anything because it all depended on the number of votes. Well, the girl finally got a not so low post.

I do hope that this does not happen in schools again but I highly doubt it.