Student’s Union president survives vote
Assed Baig
By Mark Astley: A vote of no confidence against Staffordshire University Student’s Union President Assed Baig has failed.
The ‘Vote No’ campaign, which was opposed to Mr Baig, narrowly failed to win two thirds of the vote.
The Student’s Union website has announced that 626 votes were cast in support of the Mr Baig, with 1,014 against.
In order to remove him from power, the opposition needed to collect 66 per cent of the vote, but Lawrence Hardy’s Vote No campaign only managed to poll 62 per cent of the votes.
The result signals the end to a dramatic week in which racist graffiti was daubed outside the Student Union’s offices in the early hours of February 10.
Our reporter Kellie Hill spoke to Assed Baig a few minutes after the results were announced:
Well… he can no longer claim the majority of students are behind him…
“a dirty, racist, Islamaphobic campaign”…not this again.
There was nothing racist about the campaign. It came about because students no longer had confidence that Assed is the right man to be the leader of our union.
I think the numbers speak for themselves.
Regardless that they are not enough, there is still a majority of voting students who do not have confidence in Assed – myself included.
He survived on a technicality.
The vote no campaign didn’t bring race into this at all, Assed did this himself with his misleading posters scaring people into voting…
Now knowing the majority of people aren’t backing him, if he really has the union’s best interests at heart, he should voluntarily step down.
That’s really disgusting that he STILL calls the majority of us that voted NO racist “a dirty, viscious, racist, Islamaphobic campaign”… what the hell?? We are not racist! Our confidence in the president of the Union has been undermined continually by him – with his priority being that of to help the world, rather than the students of our University. That IS his title after all – STUDENT UNION PRESIDENT! Not President of the UK!
Maybe the ‘no’ campaign would have gotten the required % of votes had soem of their voters not written racist slogans all over their ballot papers.
That alone indicates to me they deserved to loose the referendum.
Also the ‘technicality’ is in effect because whomever faces a VoNC has already been democratically voted into office, therefore to remove them from office via a VoNC requires very stringent % to ensure it does not undermine the previous democratic vote.
As a student of staffs I feel as if Assed is the only SU president during my years of study who HAS represented me. and i say this as a white english woman
Assed, believe it or not, just because I don’t agree with you does not make me racist. Thats a bit childish to claim that. Thats a bit like you’re parents not giving you what you want and you saying “I HATE YOU”. Hate and Racism are very strong words and should only be used if they are needed, not when someone is kicking all their toys out the pram!
Here is why I did not vote ‘YES’, why don’t represent me as a student and why I think you should step down as president:
1) You are using your position for personal gain : FACT
This was especially marked in the middle of the VONC.
- Your posters implied if you were not voted for, multiculturalism would not be allowed to continue. You KNOW this is false. Why did you mislead people?
- Why did you present your campaign materials as officially documents and opinion of the student union? Your posters clearly bear the SU logo. This is also misleading.
2) You do not represent the
2) You are not representing the democratic whole range of students views.
A good example of this could include when JUST 2 people complained that the on-site police officer makes them feel threatened. You have also obviously got personal issues with the police as well (This was very apparent in the radio interviews), and are bringing personal views into your professional life.
You seem extremely naive to how the police is run as well.
What Assed you don’t seem to be aware of is that the police are actively told to positively discriminate against those in minority groups, including those like yourself.
Can I ask Assed, would you allow a Muslim Police Officer on site without prior notice within the ‘Safe Space’. (Bit ironic that, if a police officer is banned without prior notice, it insinuates there will be people who will take advantage of this, and will use this rule to cover up illegal activities.
I also think it is HILARIOUS that you dressed up the fact you had been INVITED to a national conference to represent Staffordshire university run by the Association of Chief Police Officers, as the Staffordshire Police Anti Terrorism Unit and accused both the Police and the University spying on you. I have also been lead to believe that Staffordshire Police do not actually have a specialist anti terrorism unit anyway, that makes your accusations false….
I think this is hilarious- if I were SU president I think I would be DELIGHTED to speak at such a national event! Why aren’t you? Why are you not grabbing the opportunity with both hands?!
The fact you have banned the police ‘without prior permission’ is laughable (Only 2 people complained by the way). Personally I think if you are innocent you have nothing to worry about- I would be concerned if you did. Which makes me think, what has my own SU president done in the past?
It also shows that you think discrimination based on peoples professions is acceptable- what sort of message is that giving our students? Especially those studying here with the hope to work in the Police at the end of their course!
I think the notion that the Police are racist as an institution as a whole in the present day is quite frankly, ludicrous. They are anything but that. Does you know that the Police will positively discriminate those who are in ethinic minority groups? Does you know how much paperwork has been created on just trying to monitor this? Does you know that the police HAVE TO ATTEND Diversity courses, and that members of the BNP and suchlike are NOT ACTUALLY ALLOWED TO BE RECRUITED?!
I also am deeply offended at the fact you stated “White People don’t know what its like to be discriminated against”.
I have a range of complex neurological disabilities, that cause severe problems with co-ordination, short term memory, simple everyday tasks like holding a cup, standing up for periods more than a couple of seconds, writing lecture notes or walking down stairs safely, or walking to lectures as I have no sense of direction. I have been patronized at school before by teachers, bullied by my peers at school (including death threats, physical abuse, theft of personal belongings etc). I would call that being discriminated against, and I’m white.
What about disablism? What about the holocaust? What about homophobia? What about discrimination because of someones profession- I already know you think that is acceptable- what do the rest of the students think?
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