Ducsu polls: Kader wants to work towards students' financial independence
In an interview with The Business Standard, Kader, convener of Bangladesh Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad, shared his commitment to work for the welfare of the students if he is elected. He also talked about various challenges ahead of the election.
Abdul Kader, a student of the Institute of Social Welfare and Research at Dhaka University from the 2018-19 session, is a candidate for vice-president (VP) in this year's Dhaka University Central Students' Union (Ducsu) election, representing the Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad panel.
In an interview with The Business Standard, Kader, convener of Bangladesh Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad, shared his commitment to work for the welfare of the students if he is elected. He also talked about various challenges ahead of the election. The interview was conducted by Tahmidul Alam Jaeef.
What's your current view on the election situation?
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A deep conspiracy surrounding the Ducsu elections has been ongoing since 5 August. There's a competition among various candidates to see who can violate the rules more. Online bullying is rampant, with an organised group harassing women online. The Election Commission's various actions seem to be an effort to deter general students from voting. Otherwise, they would not be talking about deploying the army in a healthy, normal environment.
Could you explain your view that the administration is trying to discourage students from voting?
The polling centres have been arranged in a way that discourages students from voting. For instance, the centres for the hall-area dorms could have been in the Faculty of Business Studies, but they were moved farther away to Udayan School. The centres for the three women's halls have been set up at TSC, where there are 14,000 voters. Additionally, for the students of the Kuwait Moitree Hall and Bangamata Hall, the nearby Institute of Social Welfare and Research could have been used as a centre. However, the Dhaka University Club was chosen as the centre. It is clear that these are all part of a plan to keep women out of the voting process.
Many candidates from your organisation, Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad, are running outside of the main panel. Is it harming your election campaign?
There's no denying it. We had 79 aspirants for 28 positions from our organisation. Since the Ducsu election is happening after a long time and is part of a democratic process, we allowed them the opportunity to be candidates for the overall good. However, it would have been better if we had all stayed together.
What is the strength of your panel?
We're not going to the students with a new set of commitments for Ducsu. We are approaching them based on the legacy of our past work. We built a place of trust among students by coming to campus in '19. In every crisis students faced, we stood by them – be it against the "Gono Room-Guest Room" culture, protesting oppression and abuse, or ensuring transparency and accountability. We never made excuses, even when we were not allowed to stay in the halls or enter the campus. We were beaten by the Chhatra League in the morning and returned in the afternoon to participate in protest programmes. We have stood by the students without thinking about our families or our careers. This is what makes the students feel attached to us and trust us more than the other candidates.
The issue of online harassment of female students is a matter of great discussion. How do you plan to ensure their safety?
When different organisations step outside their political or ideological boundaries, they resort to violating women's human rights, physical assault, and cyberbullying. This mindset is a canker in society. There are two ways to stop it: creating awareness and taking proper legal action. Additionally, many female students on campus face immoral propositions or harassment from teachers, but no action is taken. The anti-harassment cell has been kept completely ineffective. We want to make it functional and create an environment where female students can come to campus without fear and their families can be at ease.
What expectations are students sharing with you?
Most Dhaka University students are concerned that the "Gono Room-Guest Room" culture might return. They want certainty regarding housing and freedom from administrative harassment. They also want economic independence, with options for part-time campus jobs and loans, besides tutoring. Students also expect transparency and accountability from the university's teachers.
If elected, what will be your main goals?
First, we want to fix the structure of student and teacher politics. We want to work towards students' financial independence. Alongside the "one seat, one bed" initiative, we aim to arrange various scholarships and educational loans for them. We also want to create opportunities for students to work as teaching and research assistants. At the same time, we want to bridge the gap between teachers and students and build a strong connection between them.
How hopeful are you about winning?
We will definitely do well. Every person on our team has been by the students' side for a long time. We want to continue doing student-friendly work. We expect that students will elect us based on our past work.
