MM:The students of Birzeit were preoccupied in the last few weeks or so with two major events. The first of which was the incidents that followed the visit of the French Prime Minister, and the second was the death of three students from drowning while on a trip to Akka. These two events have affected the spirits causing some confusion especially among the leaders of the Students Movement. But generally speaking, the Students Movement this year is more unified than in the past years, despite some disagreements here and there as part of the competition over votes which is quite normal during the elections. I expect the elections to go smoothly and successfully.
In 1996, the political closures and the raids by the Security bodies on Al Najah University reflected strongly on the elections at Birzeit then. How do you expect the events you pointed out would reflect on the current elections?
I believe that the Students Movement, during the last three years, has overcome the disputes relating to action taken by the Palestinian Authority. The attitude of the Shabiba for example is clearer now than it was in 1996 when the PA first entered the West Bank. The Shabiba today stands as a critic of the practices of the PA and its Security Bodies towards the universities. I also believe there is some kind of consensus regarding the independence of the University as well as the decision making of the Students Movement, and therefore the trend this year is pushing towards better understanding among the various blocs in the university.
In article, written by you a few yeas ago, about the Students Movement in Palestine, you said that the Students Movement is moving away from the political (trends). Do you still think so today?
Yes, that is true. Unfortunately, the gap is becoming deeper everyday. One of the indications of this is the widening gap between the (students) base and the leaders of the blocs. This is manifested in disobedience by the students of the decisions of the blocs as in the recent incidents that followed the French Prime Minister to Birziet. Some of the main conflicts between the blocs are due to failure in gaining actual support by the students. Nevertheless this might not affect the voting process greatly.
Based on what you've just said. Do you expect a drop or a rise in the voting percentage in the coming elections?
Actually, I expect a slight drop in the voting percentage due to the aforementioned reasons in addition the fact that there wasn't enough time to prepare for the elections as supposed.
As part of the university, a member of the elections preparatory committee, and a former Birzeit graduate, what is your main remark on the election today?
The main remark is that the students are no longer interested in union matters. The main focus is on the political issues although there is a lot going on in the Palestinian society and I believe more attention should be paid to union matters especially that the academic output has witnessed a great drop in the last years