Oscar Ong appointed as the new SRC President

Words by Felix Eldridge

Last night at a special meeting of the SRC, Oscar Ong was formally appointed SRC President. The vote during the meeting was ten votes in favour of his appointment, six votes against and one abstention.

Ong, a postgraduate ECMS student, is a veteran of student politics, having previously served as SRC General Secretary, AUU Clubs Committee Chair and last year as AUU President.

Ong joins the new Education Officer Harnoor Bandesh as the second person appointed to fill an SRC Casual Vacancy in this current session, with four other vacant positions expected to be filled in the coming weeks.

In determining this outcome, the SRC Executive singled out Ong’s experience in student representation as well as his connections with University figures and organisations.

When listing his goals for the SRC, he talked about improving the student experience (including the RCC experience), supporting international students and achieving a ‘politically neutral SRC’. Ong also promised that as SRC President he does not intend to use the ‘in camera’ mechanism frequently for SRC meetings.

In his capacity as AUU President, Ong has previously suffered backlash for denying club affiliation to the Women’s Collective and allegedly making key Board decisions ‘in camera’. It is uncertain how this will affect his role as SRC President in the future.

Disclaimer: Felix ran as a ‘Unite’ candidate in the 2019 student elections.

Clarification: the original number of votes counted was incorrect and has been adjusted. Furthermore, reference to Ong’s part in the rejection of the Women’s Collective and the ‘in camera’ meetings have been included for context.