Alma Tegar Nasution: Senators Cant Work Alone

By UKM Student English Forum

Editor UKM Student English Forum

"Senators have three function, representative, aspirative, and monitoring. Senators need senators team to function," explained Alma Tegar Rahman Nasution, the current Congress Leader of ITB Students Council (KM ITB) when interviewed in Gunadharma Architecture Students Council (IMAG) secretariat on Wednesday (27/10/2010).

Congress is the superior body in KM ITB. Members of this body are senators from faculty-level students councils in ITB. This body functions as the highest structure that represents all ITB students aspiration and monitors the performance of KM ITB. For internal congress coordination, a leader is appointed which is in the hands of IMA-G senator, Alma Tegar.

Alma, as what he's called, joined the central students activity when he was in New Students Welcoming Committee (PMB). As architecture students 2006, he once occupied the vice head of IMA-G external division. When he was the Vice Chairman of Students Council, Alma confessed to obtain experiences in interacting with other campus elements from central students council. Now he chairs the Congress of KM-ITB while still representing IMA-G.

"No ideal senator if he's alone"

As quoted before, senator has three functions, representative, aspirative, and monitoring. Representative function means the senator has to represent an institution (in this case the faculty-level students council). Senator can't represent himself in every decision making in Congress. Aspirative function means senator has to be able in delivering the mass aspiration from his institution to Congress. Monitoring function means senator monitors every movement and policy from KM ITB cabinet from Congress.

All three functions of senators can't be executed well if senators do it individually. Senators need senators team to help him function well. This team will help senator in gathering the aspiration from his institution so that senator can really represent and aspire his instituion in Congress. "There's no ideal senator if he works alone," Alma emphasized. "I myself can only monitor if I work without help from senators team."

The Chairman of KM ITB Congress

Becoming a Congress chair is not an easy job, but not too hard. Some challenges have to be met by Alma when chairing. The difficulty to coordinate all senators to gather in Congress constantly disturbs Alma. Another hard challenge is the decision making when all senators hand it over to the chair. "At the end, all the decisions lie in my hands, while I sign it myself," Alma said.

Eventhough ripe with challenges, Alma feels lucky in becoming the Congress Chairman. "There're so many advantages I have got. If all the existing challenges point to process, the advantages are just a by-product of the process," Alma said. The side effect he mentioned is like being acquainted with other councils condition. (Shella Gustia)