Ducsu election uncertain, once again

Highlights

• No student body has yet submitted any written applications, seeking election
• No meeting held to arrange the Ducsu election right now: Professor ASM Maksud Kamal, pro-VC 
• The last Ducsu election was held after 28 years on 11 March in 2019
  

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Once again, uncertainty has loomed large over the Dhaka University Central Students' Union (Ducsu) and hall union elections as the university authorities are yet to take any initiative to hold the elections although the immediate past committee was dissolved last year.

The last Ducsu election was held after 28 years on 11 March in 2019. The tenure of the immediate past committee ended nine months ago.

But, no student organisations have yet submitted any written applications to the universities authorities, seeking the election.  

Professor ASM Maksud Kamal, pro-vice-chancellor of the university, told The Business Standard that they did not hold any meeting to arrange the Ducsu election right now. 

Al Nahian Khan Joy, president of Bangladesh Chhatra League, told The Business Standard that they have been verbally demanding the Ducsu election.

"If the election is held, we are ready to take part in it as the Bangladesh Chhatra League is the student-friendly organisation," he said.

Kazi Rownakul Islam Shrabon, senior vice-president of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, told TBS that they will meet with the vice-chancellor after classes resume. "We want to help the authorities hold the election peacefully. And we want the election as soon as possible," he said.

It has been a demand from all quarters to hold the Ducsu election in time to build future leadership in the country. Even President Abdul Hamid underscored the need for holding the Ducsu polls to develop leadership for democracy.

"Ducsu election is a must to create future leadership to strengthen the foundation of democracy. Otherwise, the country will face a void in future leadership," the president had said while addressing the 50th convocation of Dhaka University in 2017.

The president's speech had made the students hopeful about fruitful changes in the university's overall atmosphere. After the election in 2019, the Ducsu leaders took some initiatives to ensure proper distribution of seats in the dormitories and develop canteen services. But none of these could go far because of violence on the campus. 

Even, the five student leaders who went to the Senate as members failed to play any important role for the students' interest. 

Nurul Huq Nur, former vice-president of Ducsu, told TBS, "It is true that we could not work for the students properly due to the ruling party's student wing. Even they attacked us in the Ducsu room," he said. 

"We demand the election as early as possible. We will raise our voice after the campus reopens. We have also a plan to launch a movement again along with the general students if the authorities show any unwillingness to hold the election," he added.

Nazim Uddin, an MBA student of the university, told TBS, "We dreamt that the hall atmosphere would change; there would be no gono room and other problems created by the ruling party student organization. But the last Ducsu leadership also failed to materialise our dream." 

Some changes 

However, there have been some changes on the Dhaka University campus in the wake of the last Ducsu election. Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) could not do politics on the campus since 2010. But, now the JCD activists can go to the campus and operate there. 

The general students and also different students' organisations can express their opinions and hold rallies on the campus. 

"I tried to restore the democratic atmosphere on the campus. I also succeeded to some extent," Nur claimed.

Ducsu history

Ducsu was formed in 1922, a year after the establishment of Dhaka University. Later, the Ducsu leaders played a pivotal role in the Language Movement and the Liberation War. 

To hold a Ducsu election is mandatory by its constitution, but unexpectedly only seven elections have been held since independence. 

The second last election was held in 1990 under a dictatorial regime. The university authorities time and again backtracked on their promises to hold the election after Ducsu was formally dissolved on May 28, 1998.

The incumbent government held the election after 28 years in 2019.