The decision to hold elections to the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union has caused division among different student organisations.
The proctor of Dhaka University, Saifuddin Ahmed, recently announced that the DUCSU elections were likely to be held by the end of January or mid-February.
The announcement was made at a press briefing at the Dhaka University Proctor office on December 8.
Saifuddin Ahmed had said that it became challenging for the administration to operate without student representatives.
The DUCSU is the only formal platform through which students can send their legitimate representatives to various administrative bodies.
Disagreements, meanwhile, are evident among student organisations regarding the DUCSU elections.
Leaders of the Student Movement Against Discrimination on Wednesday held a discussion with 30 student organisations. After the meeting they claimed to have reached a consensus on holding DUCSU elections by February.
Some of the student organisations including Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, Chhatra Federation, Chhatra Odhikar Parishad, and the Democratic Student Alliance, however, remained absent from the meeting.
After the meeting, Hasnat Abdullah, a convener of the Student Movement, said, ‘We agreed that all university and college student council elections, including DUCSU, should be held by the end of January or the first week of February.’
Shadik Kayem, president of the DU unit of Islami Chhatra Shibir, told New Age, ‘We welcome the decision to hold DUCSU elections. Ensuring democracy and voting rights at the University of Dhaka will positively influence the entire nation.’
He also stressed the need for mutual tolerance and cooperative relationships among all student organisations and general students.
‘Let us not hinder the path of democracy, but rather prioritise broader aspirations of students.’ Said Shadik.
The BNP-affiliated Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, on the other hand, believes that it is not advisable to rush to DUCSU and other student council elections.
On the night of December 5, Chhatra Dal held a meeting with 28 student organisations at a restaurant at Katabon in Dhaka.
The Student Movement Against Discrimination and Islami Chhatra Shibir, however, were not invited to the meeting.
Chhatra Dal’s central committee general secretary Nasir Uddin Nasir told New Age that, DUCSU elections must be held, but not in haste. Holding the DUCSU election in haste will not be meaningful.’
‘At our last meeting, not a single one of the student organisations proposed holding the DUCSU election in January or February,’ he said.
The Democratic Student Alliance, a coalition of leftist student organisations, has called for changes in the DUCSU constitution before the elections.
Rafiqujjaaman Farid, coordinator of the alliance, said, ‘The DUCSU constitution grants excessive power to the university’s vice-chancellor, which is an undemocratic structure. This undemocratic system must be reformed before the elections.’
Terming the timeframe announced by the proctor for DUCSU elections insufficient, Democratic Student’s Council president Saiedul Hoq Nissan said, ‘We believe the student council elections should be organised as soon as possible. It is, however, equally important to reform the DUCSU constitution, ensure a fair election environment, and establish coexistence among student organisations.’
He further said that they did not find the timeframe mentioned by the proctor adequate.
The last elections to the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) were held in March 2019 after a long gap of 28 years.
The tenure of that DUCSU ended in March 2020. Since then, elections have been on hold for four years. Although students have raised demands at various times, the university administration took no initiative. Following the student-people uprising on August 5, fresh demands for DUCSU elections have emerged.
Source: Newage