DUCSU Polls – Can Nurul turn down “mother-like” PM

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Nadeem Qadir
Published : 19:16, Mar 19, 2019 | Updated : 19:28, Mar 19, 2019

Nadeem QadirThe DUCSU polls, as I believe, produced two instant heroes. The first was Nurul as he beat strong rival Shovon despite facing some obstacles. On the other hand, Shovon’s gesture on the advice of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, to gracefully acknowledge defeat and congratulate the winner – Nurul, also deserved praise.
The election is an historical one as it was held after 28 years and some hiccups were likely. But, at least the premier’s decision to start organising student union polls is a huge step forward in ensuring democracy from the root level with new leaders emerging among the students.
One would like see DUCSU’s elected officials getting down to reality and end all kinds agitations, which might give rise to unwanted new tensions on the campus.
I was delighted when the premier very affectionately invited the newly elected DUCSU officials to her official residence Ganabhaban for a treat and to bless them. She rightly said the elected leaders do not belong to any political party, they represented the students of the university.
The photographs splashed the next day in the newspapers indeed spoke a lot of the premier’s love and affection for her prime guest --- DUCSU Vice President Nurul.
“I lost my mother at the age of two and half. After losing her, I saw my mother’s image in one of my school teachers during my childhood and now I have found it in prime minister,” he told reporters after the meet at Ganabhaban.
However, many people including myself, will echo Nurul who said that a distance was sought to be created with the premier by feeding her wrong information.
Nurul pledged to start work as the Vice President of DUCSU to help Sheikh Hasina in implementing her plans to develop Bangladesh. Thus it was believed that the dust over the DUCSU election had settled and life would return to normal on the campus.
Nurul led the anti-quota campaign on the Dhaka University campus and was suddenly thrust into limelight. In last Monday's elections, which came after 28 years, BCL got 23 of the 25 DUCSU posts. Nurul shocked the BCL by winning the VP post by a huge margin of votes. Another quota leader also made it to the committee. Nurul represents the general students.
But a day after the DUCSU-Prime minister meet the country was in for a big surprise or rather a big shock.
Nurul withdrew his promise made to the prime minister and plunged the campus into uncertainty.
He demanded fresh polls, saying the recently held one was marred by vote rigging and other malpractices. He demanded the resignation of the incumbent officials involved in the DUCSU and hall union elections of March 11, and called for fresh elections under the supervision of new officials and the immediate announcement of a new polls schedule.
At a press conference on Sunday, Nurul demanded re-polls for DUCSU claiming major irregularities in the election. “I lost my concentration during my speech at the Ganabhaban” he said.
Dhaka University Central Students Union Vice-President Nurul Haque Nur exchanges greetings with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the Ganabhaban on Saturday (Mar 16). FOCUS BANGLAWhy a leader who has been voted to office shocking all pundits should lose his concentration as it was not a written speech from which he read out a message, but an extempore one? Thus we can assume that he spoke the truth and made his commitments based on what he thought was right. If not, he was hoodwinking the premier.
He said that successive governments after 1990 did not want to take any risks by holding DUCSU polls, but the prime minister took the risk.
Nurul’s acknowledgment that the prime minister has taken risk to hold the DUCSU deserves thanks, but what will he say if asked that it was him who was in some ways making the situation volatile by breaking his promise to his “mother-like” Sheikh Hasina.
Does Nurul realise his constant change of position about the election is eroding his credibility as a dependable leader and earning him the tag of an “unpredictable” man who possibly changes decision by listening to others rather than making a final one by himself.
I think Nurul must understand that it is the peace of the country, which is the most important thing along with a smooth education system, rather than re-polling of the DUCSU election as this is not the time to take chances with vested quarters trying to fish in murky water.
All students past and present feel proud to have spent a crucial time of their lives in this university and we must all work to make a Bangladesh free from Razakars and pro-Pakistanis.
The DUCSU must help the prime minister instead of making her life, already overburdened, difficult and Nurul must not break his promise made to “mother like” Sheikh Hasina. You should consider yourself lucky that despite everything you got her love and blessings. Do not throw it away ---is my message to him.
For me, the prime minister is not only my “Apa,” but also my mother figure with my mother who passed away in 1999.
Nadeem Qadir is the Consulting Editor, Daily Sun and a UN Dag Hammarskjöld fellow.

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***The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the opinions and views of Bangla Tribune.
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