The current
government�s many
creditable achievements
have been besmirched by the activities of some members
of Awami League�s student and youth bodies
BCL to be nursed back to health
We welcome Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas direction to the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) councillors to elect meritorious and regular students in its council instead of selection culture. The process of selecting office bearers of BCL and indeed the student and youth wing of major political parties have been going on for too long.
Unfortunately, particularly after the Awami League led alliances massive victory in the last general elections, many activists of BCL have shown an utter disrespect for rule of law and even human values. Through their nefarious activities not only is BCL isolating itself from the masses but the image of its parent organisation is also being harmed. The current governments many creditable achievements have been besmirched by the activities of some members of Awami Leagues student and youth bodies.
Bangladeshis know that BCL has a glorious history of struggle against Pakistani rule during the pre-liberation period. It played a great role in the Liberation War and in the anti-autocracy movements during the last two decades of the previous century. It is BCL which is still at the vanguard of the fight against the increasing threat of religious extremism. But now, bereft of all lofty goals, BCL is mainly engaged in contests of money-making pursuits like extortion, tender grabbing, seat-admission-recruitment business, etc. This naturally often leads to bloody internecine clashes.
We believe that student politics in its current form is not healthy for a developing country. Student politics, with its existing apparatus, uses the students by exploiting their vulnerabilities, and makes them participants in political activities. Often students get involved against their will. Every time there is a political crisis, violence between rival student organisations lead to university closures. These occur with such frequency in public universities that four-year degrees can take six to seven years to complete. University education in Bangladesh is being hijacked to serve gross political interests. This cannot continue if Bangladesh is to grow strong and stable, a mature democracy.
