CUCSU Term Ends, Doubts Grow Over Next Election as No Budget Allocation Exists

The term of the seventh cabinet of the Chittagong University Central Students’ Union (CUCSU) ends on Thursday (22 October). Beyond the year-long balance sheet of the union’s successes and failures, the biggest question now on campus is when the next CUCSU election will be held.

Under the CUCSU constitution, the union’s term ends automatically one year after the elected members take their oath. The rules provide for the next election to be held within three months after that.

But no election roadmap has been announced yet. On top of that, the absence of any allocation for the election in the current budget has created real doubt about the next students’ union poll.

Students have demanded a swift next election to maintain continuity in education, research and democratic practice at the university, to build capable leadership and to keep various development activities going.

Alamin, a student of the university’s statistics department, said that various development work had taken place at the university because CUCSU existed. Despite some shortcomings, he said, the union had done a great deal for student welfare. If the next election is not held, he warned, that stream of work will stall, which is why students are strongly demanding a quick election.

CUCSU leaders have also demanded that the election be held within the stipulated time. They have warned of a tough movement if necessary.

CUCSU vice-president Ibrahim Hossain Roni said that putting the CUCSU election into the academic calendar was one of their manifesto pledges. They have been raising the demand since the first executive meeting, he said, but the university administration has not implemented it.

He added that they definitely want the CUCSU election, and it must be given quickly. If the administration backs away from the election because of anyone’s conspiracy or intimidation, he warned, they will build an irresistible movement together with the students.

The vice-chancellor, Professor Dr Mohammad Al-Forkan, for his part, said the next election would be arranged on time if the situation remained normal.

The vice-chancellor said they had given CUCSU maximum cooperation because most of its work was for the welfare of the university and its students. Within the university’s limited resources, he said, they had tried to keep CUCSU as effective as possible. In his view, CUCSU had been a highly effective students’ union.

On the next election he said discussions were under way within the administration. If a peaceful, stable environment favourable to an election is maintained, the necessary steps will be taken to arrange the next election on time — that, he said, is the administration’s position.

After a gap of three and a half decades, the CUCSU election was held on 15 October last year. In that election, the panel backed by Islami Chhatra Shibir won 24 of the 26 posts. The elected members took their oath on 23 October.

So the question now is a single one — whether the administration can announce an election roadmap and arrange the budget within the constitution’s three-month window. Between the demands of students and CUCSU leaders and the administration’s assurances, the whole campus is watching for that announcement.