Dear Editor,

As reported in the Jan. 28 article “Council Excuses Senator Absences, Re-examines Loft,” A.S. Advocate General Parminder Sandhu proposed a resolution of impeachment for three senators.

Unfortunately, councilmembers thought it made for good politics to not vote to impeach the aforementioned senators. I understand that councilmembers do not want to antagonize their colleagues, but not impeaching those who have horrendous attendance records sends the clear message that one will never be held accountable for one’s actions and duties in council. The same council that was worried about donating money to Haiti is clearly setting a dangerous precedent for unaccountability among its own members.

I understand that councilmembers have to juggle numerous responsibilities in addition to serving their constituents. However, if a senator or associate vice president is continually absent and not held accountable for doing his job, then how else are his constituents’ interests adequately represented? How will students take the A.S. Council and its work seriously when the members of the said council do not take their jobs seriously?

Accruing more than three absences not only makes a councilmember look incompetent and irresponsible, but it clearly conveys the fact that the said councilmember does not care about his job and constituents. It boggles my mind that some councilmembers have already racked up 7.5 absences and are now pathetically begging and kowtowing to not be impeached for their ineptitude.

If the A.S. Council wishes to be more efficient in its representation of students’ interests, then swift punishment must be meted out to the incompetent few. Otherwise, they will continue to miss council meetings and concoct weak excuses as to why they were absent. Rewarding those unfit to serve students’ interests makes for bad governance. If the A.S. Council were a business, most of its employees would have been fired already for their poor attendance records. Councilmembers must view the work they do as another important job — not some additional extracurricular activity to be added on their resume.

— Victor Lin

A.S. Physical Sciences Senator