Main goal will be to hold another Ducsu election in 1 year and 3 months: Meghmallar
Students want to know whether we can actually deliver on our manifesto under the current structure, Meghmallar says
Meghmallar Basu is the general secretary (GS) candidate from the Resistance Council panel, which is supported by the left-leaning Democratic Students' Alliance. He spoke with The Business Standard's Md Tahmidul Alam Jaeef about the upcoming Dhaka University Central Students' Union (Ducsu) election.
The Ducsu election is taking place tomorrow. How do you see the situation so far?
Our campaign has gone well. After about a week's break, when I went out campaigning yesterday, I found the response to be much stronger. Overall, students' involvement in the election has grown significantly.
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Do you see any risk of manipulation or irregularities?
I don't think vote counting will be a major concern. The worry is more about "slow-moving lines" and different forms of engineering. If non-residential students don't turn out to vote in large numbers, then there may be attempts at manipulation or engineering. That's the main concern.
What is your panel's main strength?
Students can see that in this election there are three main groups: one side that historically supported "gonoroom-gestroom" practices (authoritarian student politics), another that represents anti-liberation forces, and a third that stands for moral policing or mob justice. Outside of these, we are the democratic force that is openly showing political leadership. Others are trying to avoid politics by claiming to be "neutral" or "non-political."
I believe a large number of students at Dhaka University are frustrated with what they've seen over the past year. That doesn't mean they want to return to Hasina's era. What we can offer them is a political pathway through our inclusive panel. The number of women, indigenous, and human rights activist candidates on our panel represents an unintentional diversity. It's not just for show. We've been able to build a politics of diversity that, I believe, will guide Bangladesh in the future.
What are students expecting from you?
Students want to know whether we can actually deliver on our manifesto under the current structure. Their expectation is that, if elected, we don't disappear but stay with them, stand by them, and support their struggles.
What will be your main goal if you win?
My main goal will be to hold another Ducsu election within 1 year and 3 months. Alongside that, one of the key aims is to amend the constitution. Many of the things we are pledging will require a much larger budget, which cannot be achieved under Ducsu's current budget. That's why major constitutional reforms are needed. The vice-chancellor and treasurer must be removed from Ducsu's structure. The focus will be on driving constitutional changes, because only then can Ducsu regain the capacity to address major issues such as housing shortages and research constraints.
Online harassment of female students has become a big issue. If elected, what steps will you take?
Our university has an online harassment cell, but the administration doesn't know how to make it effective. Our goal will be to activate and ensure the effectiveness of this cell to combat sexual harassment.
How confident are you about winning?
If voter turnout is high, then we are optimistic. For example, if out of 40,000 voters, 30,000 to 35,000 cast ballots, we will win a significant share. But whether turnout will be that high, and what equations or conspiracies may emerge at the last moment, we cannot say. Whatever the result, we are already encouraged, because for 13 days we've been able to sustain our campaign in the field against large, powerful political blocs with far greater resources. That in itself has inspired countless people across the country.
