THE much-awaited DUCSU election is today. The general students will cast their votes to choose their leaders. But some general students have alleged they were “forced” to join the meetings at hall guestrooms where a few student leaders threaten to oust the students from halls if they vote anyone outside their organisation, as per newspaper reports. Some students have also alleged that they were being asked to cast their votes openly or show their ballot papers to the specific candidates despite of polling agents before dropping them in the ballot box. Candidates have also expressed their worries about the election-day environment.
Like other students’ organisations and DU authorities, President of Bangladesh Chhatra League’s election conducting committee, however, said they would provide all sorts of assistances to the university authorities in order to hold a free and fair election.
Meanwhile, candidates held their campaigns for the last day on Saturday for the DUCSU election that is taking place after 28 years. The last committee of the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) was dissolved in 1998, and students have since waged several movements demanding an election. In January last year, the High Court ordered the DU authorities to hold the election in six months, but that did not happen. Last month, the university set March 11 for polling.
We know, terror and intimidation are tactics which will not work in the long term. None can force someone to vote for his choice of candidate. The purpose of DUCSU is to represent fellow students in the specified affairs, and this union run by students is also responsible for providing a variety of services to the general students. Not only that, DUCSU is a primary field for aspiring students who want to pursue political career in the future. DUCSU had played very significant roles in the political history of erstwhile East Pakistan and later in Bangladesh. In fact, country’s future leaders are born and brought up here.
We want a free, fair and peaceful DUCSU election for the sake of the nation.
