DUCSU poll: Hasnat Abdullah calls for respecting voters' verdict

The candidates of Chhatra Shibir-backed panel have won Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) elections. According to the final results, Shadik Kayem has been elected as vice-president, SM Farhad as general secretary and Md. Mohiuddin Khan as assistant general secretary.

After the results of this election were announced, National Citizens Party (NCP) Chief Organizer (South) Hasnat Abdullah has called for respecting the verdict of voters.

Hasnat Abdullah made this comment in a status on his verified Facebook page at 12:30 am on Tuesday (September 9). He wrote: "How will those who win in DUCSU today take responsibility and how will those who lose accept defeat - the answers to these two questions will tell us the direction in which the future of our national politics and democracy is heading."

Expressing concern about the direct and indirect influence of political parties surrounding the DUCSU elections, Hasnat Abdullah wrote: "The direct and indirect influence of political parties surrounding this university election is very worrying. The attempt to control the electoral environment through muscle power, manpower and organized presence has damaged the character of student politics itself. DUCSU is now not only carrying the mandate of the students but has become an extension game of the national political party, which is setting a negative example for the future."

Complaining about the tendency to 'tag' everyone, from teachers with different opinions to political opponents in the election process, he wrote: "The tendency to tag everyone, from teachers with different opinions to political opponents in the election process, has become clear. This mentality, in continuation of the division, suspicion and suppression policies of Sheikh Hasina's tenure, will make politics unsafe and narrow in the long run."

Hasnat Abdullah called for the emergence of new leadership regularly and for a culture of accepting defeat as part of the preparation to revive student politics.

He said: "The DUCSU elections could have been the beginning of creating that culture, but the uncertainty about accepting the results is setting a harmful precedent for the democratic process."

Calling on all political parties to remain calm, he further wrote: "Everyone should respect the verdict of the voters. The main foundation of democracy is tolerance. Even if the people choose someone I don't like, democracy is about respecting that."

Finally, he warned: "For the past 17 years, the country has been suffering from the consequences of the democratic process being damaged for the short-term interests of political parties. This time, it is time to build a culture of respecting defeat. Otherwise, the politics of the future will remain confined to the joy of the victors and the anger of the vanquished, and democracy will never be complete."