Positional Indecision

I'm in a dilemma. The Singapore Students Association (SSA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) is tomorrow and I can't decide which position to run for. The choice I have is between President and Social Director. The lure of both is quite equal. I've been telling a lot of people that I plan to run for Social Director but recently I've strongly considered going for the top job.

As Social Director, I would already have plenty of contacts and some prior knowledge as I've been somewhat shadowing the current Social Director. In addition, I've built for myself a reputation as a hard core party animal. It goes back all the way to my past in Shanghai and Singapore, to last semester's party at Havanna. In the latter event, I was totally intoxicated and made a real mess. This then became the image that lingered in the minds of everyone. Of course, word about that incident also spread like wild fire, that being the result of a somewhat closely knit Singaporean community. Furthermore, for many events, people have recognized me and even referred to me readily as "the next Social Director". If I were to run for this position, I'm extremely confident that I would get it.

Running for President on the other hand will be a big risk for me. It has been my ambition to become President of the SSA and I don't see why being in 1st year should impede that. My lack of experience should not be a major factor. Most of the others, despite being here longer than me as well as having held another position on the committee, will not have a clue as to how a President functions. I was thrown into a leadership position when I became a platoon commander. I didn't have any prior knowledge and learned the ways of it all over time. So similarly, it would be an on-the-job-learning experience for me. I can safely say that I did a very good job as a PC during my time in the army and don't see why this will be any different.

I have partially prepared a speech should I decide to run for president. My speech is a replica of the speeches I used to give when I was running for posts in Shanghai (American School). The only difference is that this time, it will not be as formal and will include some local elements to suit the audience. In my mind, I've decided that should someone I think is suitable for the job runs, I might back out. However, if no one that I feel is capable runs, then I will be more than happy to snap up that position. I guess I will have to make my decision "on the ground", that is, at the AGM itself.

Watch this space for updates.