Hold elections of central student unions of all universities

After a long six years, elections are going to be held again for the Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU). According to the announced schedule, voting will take place on September 9. Nomination papers can be submitted until August 19. The final list of candidates will be published on August 25. Not only the DUCSU election, but the schedule for the Rajshahi University Central Students' Union (RUCSU) election has also been announced. The date for this election has been set for 15 September. In addition, the Vice-Chancellor Professor Mohammad Kamrul Ahsan has stated that the schedule for the Jahangirnagar University Central Students' Union (JUCSU) election will be announced today.

The probable date for the JUCSU election is 11 September. In the changed context following the mass uprising, the elections of DUCSU, RUCSU and JUCSU student unions are a good initiative. We at Views Bangladesh welcome this initiative. At the same time, we call for the immediate announcement of the schedules for the central student union elections of other universities.

Established in 1923, the Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) has been referred to as Bangladesh's 'second parliament' because of its historic role. The Language Movement, Six-Point Demand, the mass uprising of 1969 or the anti-Ershad movement in the nineties—DUCSU has played a significant leadership role in every historic struggle and has influenced national politics through student movements. Alongside this, the demand for elections to the central student unions of RUCSU, JUCSU and other universities is longstanding.

This is because such elections are immensely important in nurturing future leadership in the country. It is often said that DUCSU is the breeding ground for political leadership. Many of the country's political leaders had their initiation into politics on the Dhaka University campus. By contesting in DUCSU elections, these leaders began their journey in representative politics. For this reason, DUCSU was once called the second parliament of the country.

The schedules announced by the administration regarding the DUCSU, RUCSU and JUCSU elections in the coming September are undoubtedly an important step. However, hidden within this announcement is a potential picture of future politics.

This is because tensions and violence may arise among various student organisations before the DUCSU, RUCSU and JUCSU elections, which could not only destabilise the universities but also make the political stability of the entire country uncertain. If the elections are free, fair and participatory, where all sides accept the results and mutual respect is maintained—then this would not only be a revival of DUCSU, RUCSU and JUCSU but could become a milestone for a new chapter in the country’s democracy.

But if these elections give rise to unrest or become a farce, then questions will inevitably arise—if it is not possible to properly conduct an election at a university, how prepared is the government to organise a transparent and credible election at the national level? In that case, the DUCSU, RUCSU and JUCSU elections could become not just a matter of student politics, but a major ‘referendum’ or defining event in national politics.

Therefore, we hope that the DUCSU, RUCSU and JUCSU elections will be held on their scheduled dates. The same applies to other public universities. Through these elections, we expect that a healthy culture of student politics will develop in the country.