Newly elected Academic Commissioners Kassim Amery and Birju Dattani's campaigns violated six election bylaws during the Students' Union by-election according to an SU vice-president.
Phrases like "campaigns hijacked democracy," "poor moral character," and "bylaws were violated with impunity" described two unidentified candidates' campaigns in the SU Chief Returning Officer's by-election report to the Students' Legislative Council Tue., Nov. 18.
SU Vice-President Operations and Finance Gavin Preston confirmed the two campaigns alluded to in the SU CRO's report were Amery and Dattani's.
Preston was handing out election awareness flyers in the MacEwan Student Centre food court Thu., Oct 23. When he approached students, he asked if they had voted in the election yet. A female student indicated she did vote and pointed to two males with a laptop at an adjacent table.
"Birju Dattani was nearby," said Preston. "I had seen what [SU CRO] Shuvaloy [Majumdar] was talking about. A former SU presidential candidate, Mohamed El-Rafih, was there."
Preston conversed with Majumdar and they both returned to the food court to speak further with the female student.
"The girl put her ID number in [to the InfoNet] and they, Moe and Birju, put in the vote," said Preston. "It was obvious what was going on. I could see Birju and [Kassim] Amery walking around with a laptop.
"I witnessed it myself, specifically, the two candidates."
These events were touched on in Majumdar's report to SLC. Majumdar briefly commented the Oct. 23-25 by-election was as busy as the general election but spoke mainly on the campaigns of Dattani and Amery, whom he did not mention by name.
"When democratic principles are violated--and they were by specific campaigns in the 2003 by-election-- I hunger to take action rather than hide in the dredges of bureaucracy and rules," said Majumdar, reading from his report.
Majumdar reported the two campaigns "widely and without hesitation compromised these bylaws." Six bylaws were broken according to the report, including "no person shall prevent or attempt to prevent electors from exercising their right to vote" (66 (1) (C)) and "while an elector is in a voting compartment, no other person except someone assisting an incapacitated elector, may enter the voting compartment or be in a position to see how the elector marks the ballot" (54 (2)).
Campus members informed the CRO of these infractions.
"Members of a minority community on campus have been in my office, sharing the details of these activities with me, but insisted that I do not maintain a paper record of those conversations," said Majumdar. "They insisted that they not be placed in a position where specific members of their communities would ostracize them."
At the center of the controversy is Dattani and Amery's use of a laptop computer with a wireless network card in MSC during the election, which Preston witnessed. Under election expenses, Dattani will be reimbursed for the $50 wireless Internet card.
"[Voters] were not unduly influenced," said Dattani. "There was direction if they needed to use a laptop, at their own leisure. We were not around to compromise privacy."
Amery understands Majumdar's role as CRO but was concerned about the report's comments.
"To comment directly to the campaign is a little harsh," said Amery, adding he was also concerned the report identified an ex-presidential candidate as part of the campaign team. "We have no control over who does what."
Dattani and Amery looked at the bylaws and did not see anything against their strategy.
"If the law does not exist, does it make the tactic illegal?" questioned Dattani. "You get into ethical and moral issues. I hope people have enough moral fabric about them."
However, Majumdar feels differently about the matter.
"These campaigns demonstrated poor moral character and made the wrong moral choices," said Majumdar at the meeting. "And they got away with it. If you feel robbed, then you know how I have felt since the day the results of the vote were announced. What's worse is that no justice will be seen by the candidates who lost unfairly."
Majumdar did not want to bring this to the review board as the CRO. In his speech, Majumdar said he had little hard evidence to bring to an election review board and he could not break his trust with the witnesses nor could he prepare another SU member or candidate to present a complicated case.
"Because it would go against bylaw definition," explained Majumdar after his presentation. "It would change from an administrative role to judicial role. I would have broken the spirit of the bylaw."
Student representatives had mixed reactions to the report.
"I found it very thorough," said SU VP Academic Demetrios Nicolaides. "There is a judicial system in place to address concerns. The judicial system operates on the assumption of not guilty. I felt it was jumping the gun."
Academic Commissioner Beth Counsell said any assumptions were unsubstantiated without hard evidence and Operations and Finance Commissioner Lisa Willott warned council not to alienate Dattani and Amery over this matter.
"I found it a bit surprising," said Operations and Finance Commissioner Jarrod Fuhr. "It's very frustrating. The letter of the bylaws was not violated, but the principles have been. I'm looking very much forward to examining [the proposed election bylaws] in excruciating detail, to prevent, in future, these practices to continue."
Majumdar, working with Preston, presented revamped election bylaws for consideration at the next SLC meeting Tue., Nov. 25.
"This by-election is a signal of trends to come," said Majumdar. "Special interest campaigns comprise pools of highly-motivated supporters. They comprise largely single-issue candidates and platforms. They comprise an uncompromising agenda.
"Concordia [University] and some other campuses have seen the costs of negligence and lethargy in the face of vast challenges. I ask you to not forsake your responsibility at the table and in these chambers to serve and represent students."
Nicolaides has not heard if any judicial process has been started against the two.
"If there's a case, we'll look into it and see if it violated anything," said Nicolaides.
Comments
This is ridiculous. These two individuals get away with this while the other 10 academic commissioner candidates had to campaign within the rules and these two cheated. What's more alarming is that these two think and feel as though they have done nothing wrong. the student population has yet to hear a formal apology of their bylaw infractions.
These two people think they acted according to law.
They commiteed fraud.
Witnesses feel intimidated.
How dare they stay in office and think they may represent students??
they represent ruthless individuals who think everythink is allowed for success.
they should even thrown out of the uni.
Do you think they also cheat their way around in exams??
I BET!
these two guys think they hit the jackpot.
don't let them get away with this.
these two DID know that what they were doing was fraud.
don't let people like amary and dattani ruin our democratic system.
don't let it happen!!
Except that they admitted that they did it, and that they read through the bylaws before hand to make sure it wouldn't be against anything.
It was calculated and planned, there is no debate about that, not even from the candidates themselves.
-Anonymous Coward
Ha! Libel and free speech are much different my friend. Should we not be able to question anyone then?
As for not having any proof, how about claiming the wireless card under election expenes? Does that itself not imply the wireless card was used in the campaign? What about all the students who pointed out this travesty to the CRO and are too afraid to speak out - are you calling them all liars? And what about the CRO and his assistants who ACTUALLY WITNESSED IT HAPPEN - Are they lairs too? Maybe they are just out to deface honest peoples characters...unlikely
People saw it happen and have spoken up, should we ignore them because you have your head shoved up your ass and don't see it?
Send an email the SU Prez: studun@ucalgary.ca
People rarely forget by whom they have been cheated, and students will remember this for a while.
Let them enjoy their time in the Students Union, because I'm certain that it won't be renewed.
We will be the ones with a dumb smile on our faces should they decide to run in another SU election.
We're watching.
And yes they are paid positions - $400/month.
Saying that, this is to those of you who wish to disagree or be upset over their innovative tactics. You have every right to disagree with what Mr. Amery and Mr. Dattani did. Frankly, if you believe that their ploy, which involved using such technology such as laptops and wireless internet cards, are ìunethicalî and ìimmoralî, I believe that you should check yourselves. If youÃre not using your head in this game, thenÖ quit! I donÃt want to hear about people whining about this issue at hand because they never thought of it before.
Another issue which I would like to discuss is the apparent ìinfluenceî on people voting at the mobile voting stations. Now, its not like someone was standing there at the station and was threatening the voter(s). If this was the case, IÃm sure you would have complaints to the police and not to the pathetic Studentsà Union. IÃm sure though it may have seemed this way to most people since the group of supporters which was behind the laptops looked intimidating, whether it be because they were ëcolouredà or for any other god forsaken reason.
One last thing I am going to comment on is the comments which have been posted prior to this one. If any one would like to make this a racial issue, I would love to talk to them in person. My associates and me are welcome to opposition, but will not put up with discrimination against any one because of their color, religion, culture, or beliefs. I am afraid that this might turn into something nasty, and I would like to resolve this issue before it gets out of hand.
Regards,
Franky
PS: You can contact me at thugz4hire@alexandria.cc.
PS - Thank you for gracing us with your presence in our student government.
Grow up BILLY BOB FUCK
First, if Amery and Dattani have any moral principles and understand the working of a democratic system, they should back out from their posts.
Second, as this is unlikely as their reaction has shown, SU has to take steps to remove them from office.
This IS fraud and does not belong into a democratic system. If Amery and Dattani think different, maybe they should try again in Zimbabwe. There such tactics are allowed.
Next time you plan to deny somethng, try not to admit it to the newspaper first.
No further warnings will be given.
-Ben
(Also, if you're going to post consecutive messages two minutes apart using different fake names, at least have the creativity change your fake e-mail address...)
if you believe that their ploy, which involved using such technology such as laptops and wireless internet cards, are ìunethicalî and ìimmoralî, I believe that you should check yourselves
Not the card, but who used it and how they used it.
Now, its not like someone was standing there at the station and was threatening the voter(s). If this was the case, IÃm sure you would have complaints to the police and not to the pathetic Studentsà Union
Just because you are not aware of the ongoing investigation doesn't mean it isnt happening.
the group of supporters which was behind the laptops looked intimidating, whether it be because they were ëcolouredà or for any other god forsaken reason.
Perhaps it's because THEY WERE WATCHING THEM VOTE.
I am afraid that this might turn into something nasty, and I would like to resolve this issue before it gets out of hand.
Speaking of reporting thinly-veiled threats to police... When were you and your associates given authority to "resolve this issue"?
Get a clue and a life.
But I simply don't understand this outpouring of hate towards the two. People are acting like it's some sort of coup or barbarian invasion.
Some posters even compared their practices to the regime in Zimbabwe! I'm sure if the two bludgeoned or knifed opposing candidates they would be in jail NOT the SU council.
Perhaps the more fitting question is about Mr. Majumdar's "special interests" and what his agenda is in trying to provoke a witchunt against the two.
Plus, the use of laptops does not HURT democracy, it helps it. Giving more people the opportunity to vote IS A GOOD THING.
No one was forced, coerced or anything like that. It's really a non-issue.
There are some hatorists out there, but I don't think the SU will buckle to their pressure, they have no case whatsoever.
People, if you want to make potentially defamatory claims like "foo is a racist" or "foo said this," you need to substantiate them with evidence or you leave yourselves and us open to nasty litigation.
I've removed several posts for this reason.
If you wish to repost stuff without the claims for which you have no evidence, or with evidence substantiating your claims, fine. Otherwise, please don't post random defamatory junk, or your ability to post comments to this story will go away.
Also, please only post each comment once. Posting the same thing many times does not change its correctness either way (as the participants in a prior debate learned).
-Ben
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