DU Correspondent

The Dhaka University unit of Islami Chhatra Shibir has demanded the announcement of Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) election roadmap by the end of January and submitted a 9-point proposal for amending the DUCSU constitution.

It has also said that if the university administration requests additional time for the DUCSU election, they must provide valid reasons for the delay.

SM Farhad, President of DU Chhatra Shibir, made the remarks during a press conference held at Madhur Canteen on Monday.

At the press conference, General Secretary of the organization, Mohiududdin Khan, presented the 9-point proposals for amending the DUCSU constitution.

Farhad said, “We are suggesting reforms, and other organizations will also do the same. Among these, reasonable reforms must be ensured through the Syndicate meeting, and DUCSU election roadmap must be announced by January. However, if the administration requests additional time for the elections, they must provide valid reasons.”

He further added, “This might be the first time in Dhaka University’s history where the negative culture of things like ‘Gonoroom’ and guest rooms has been abolished. If DUCSU election is delayed, this old culture might resurface.”

When asked about the possibility of conflict with other student organizations around the election, Farhad replied, “DUCSU is a competitive space. We do not want to present it as a conflict but as a competition. Moreover, if elections are held regularly, no organization will engage in conflicts prematurely. If anyone does, students will not vote for them.”

Under the current DUCSU constitution, the president has authority over all meetings, executive committees, and subcommittees. The president has the power to take necessary steps in case of emergencies, disruptions, or rule violations and can dismiss committee members or cancel a committee entirely, among other powers.

Chhatra Shibir argued that the president, despite being unelected, holds unlimited powers, which they believe is fundamentally contradictory to democratic values.

The organization has proposed reducing the president's powers and turning the president's position into a ceremonial role with no executive powers.

According to the revised DUCSU constitution of 2019, there are 14 positions, including the positions for common room and cafeteria affairs. Shibir has proposed separating these into two distinct positions: “Library, Reading Room, and Common Room Affairs Secretary” and “Cafeteria and Canteen Affairs Secretary.” They also proposed merging the “Literature Secretary” and “Culture Secretary” into one position titled “Literature and Culture Affairs Secretary.”

Furthermore, Shibir has proposed creating two new positions: “Women and Equality Affairs Secretary” and “Religion and Harmony Affairs Secretary.” Regarding the creation of these positions, SM Farhad said, “Since all our halls have places of worship and students of all religions are enrolled at the university, we want to ensure that interfaith harmony and the proper protection of religious rights are maintained.”

Shibir has also proposed changing the “Liberation War and Independence Movement Secretary” position to “Liberation War and Democratic Movements Secretary,” emphasizing that the role should include all democratic movements such as the Anti-Colonialism struggle, the Language Movement, the Liberation War, the Anti-Autocracy Movement, the Safe Roads Movement, and the July Uprising, aiming to preserve the country's sovereignty, basic rights, democratic values, mutual harmony, and the spread of Bangladeshi nationalism.

Additionally, the organization has proposed that the Election Commission for DUCSU should be formed within 30 days of the end of the committee's term, in contrast to the current rule where it was allowed to take up to 90 days.

Shibir has proposed that the Election Commission should be established within 30 days after the end of the DUCSU committee's term, and it should hold elections within 90 days. They have also suggested that the power to amend the DUCSU constitution should be shifted from the Syndicate to elected representatives and that the requirement for the president's approval to discuss any agenda should be removed.