This Tuesday’s KSU Presidential Debate between SDM candidate Matthew Xuereb and Independent Candidate Kris Bajada sparked a number of reactions across the student body, with only one day before the elections
The online debate was meant to give a platform for the presidential candidates to defend and explain in further detail the proposals they had originally outlined in their respective manifestos. That said, since the debate was shared live on Facebook, it also gave students a platform to voice themselves on the candidates’ proposals through comments, shares and by sending their own questions to be answered during the debate.
What sparked a lot of conversation during and after the debate were allegations that were reportedly made by Bajada throughout the debate. What did not sit well with many regarding these allegations was that they apparently had no basis in fact on the most part. The most heated allegations were centred about KSU’s work this past term on the Barts’ Medical School issue as well as the Engineering Warrant issue, claiming that the Council’s work has been close to futile.
These allegations stemmed from the fact that the issues are still not resolved despite many months of work by KSU in conjunction with the respective student organisations (MMSA and UESA). However, a number of students clarified that issues such as these are not easily resolved and that the work has been put in by the taskforces. These statements were seconded by representatives of KSU, MMSA and UESA who worked directly on these issues.
With regards to the engineering warrant issue specifically, Bajada alleged that he, as an Executive Member within UESA, was not invited to join the Task Force working on the issue. UESA in fact published a statement following the debate that clarified that all members, including Bajada, were invited.
Despite the disagreement with Bajada’s performance in the debate there was some praise of his willingness to bring up some issues not yet contested publicly and his general determination to come forth for as an independent candidate. One such issue was the question of KSU’s finance management, having spent 16,000 EUR on printing. In response to this, William Farrugia, outgoing KSU President, defended the amount by outlining where the expenses went (i.e. Freshers’ Week, Careers Expo, AGM reports etc.). Another critique was of the Green Fund, which was also clarified in that it does not have to do with printing but offers discounts and cash-backs to students on sustainable modes of transport.
Xuereb has since posted a video as a reaction to the debate’s outcome but the student body is still awaiting a response from Bajada’s end at the time of writing. Silent day will be starting in a few hours at 22:00 tonight, and after that time, no platform will be allowed to publish any election-related material.