ACADEMICS and former student leaders have emphasised favourable environment and immediate announcement of schedule to hold the long-awaited election to Dhaka University Central Student Union (DUCSU). While Dhaka University authorities initiated a discussion with student organisations over the issue yesterday, the participants welcoming the DU’s move pointed out that flexing muscle instead of intellectual exercise was the obvious outcome in absence of a functional DUCSU for about three decades. They agreed first of all, political coexistence must be ensured among the students for a fair and participatory DUCSU election which was the cradle of country’s all democratic and cultural movements.
News media said that DU authorities on September 12 sent a letter to the President and the general secretary of all student organisations and their Dhaka University units inviting them to the meeting. The move came after fifteen former students of the university filed a petition with the High Court and the DU authorities faced contempt of court for violating a High Court order to hold the DUCSU polls. VC Akhtaruzzaman said that the move was the first in sixteen years and they would discuss ways of how to revive DUCSU.
The President also underscored the necessity of DUCSU for developing leadership and strengthening the democratic foundation. Everyone wants it but the student union elections did not take place as the successive DU administrations and governments did not want it to maintain their dominance on the campus. The DU statute clearly stated that formation of DUCSU and its representatives in Senate and Syndicate is mandatory.
We welcome the court orders to force the DU authority to hold student union polls as the DUCSU is considered as the mini-parliament and its subsequent effect on national politics is positive. But the coexistence of all student organisations and their equal opportunity in the campus should be the precondition of the much-hyped polls.
The Dhaka University students are so much under control of major political parties that though the election of the students’ body is so desirable but our fear is such election will not bring much change in the campus atmosphere where even the teachers openly know for their party allegiance. We have to have proper political leadership for political reform barring students and teachers not to be benefitted by subservient party politics.
