Hasina given lifetime Ducsu membership

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was given lifetime membership of Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (Ducsu) during the student platform’s second executive meeting yesterday.

The meeting, chaired by ex officio president of the Ducsu and DU vice-chancellor Prof Md Akhtaruzzaman, also approved a TK 1 crore and 89 lakh budget for Ducsu’s fiscal 2019-2020.

Besides these, other issues, including introducing health insurance for students, controlling mass transport movement inside and fixing rickshaw fares on campus, were discussed at the meeting, Ducsu Assistant General Secretary Saddam Hussain told The Daily Star.

As per sub-section Five 9 (C) of the Ducsu charter, the meeting was called by the student union’s General Secretary Golam Rabbani.

During Ducsu’s first executive meeting on March 23, Shahrima Tanjina Arni, international affairs secretary of Ducsu, made the proposal of giving the PM lifetime membership of the union. The proposal was supported by 23 members who won the Ducsu election from Chhatra League’s panel.

On the contrary, Ducsu Vice-President Nurul Haque Nur and Social Service Affairs Secretary Akhtar Hossen opposed the proposal, saying a highly respected person like the prime minister should not be included in Ducsu, which was “formed through a questionable election”.

Asked, Nur said, “I have been opposing the proposal from the beginning because a controversial election took place. It would not be wise to give lifetime membership [to such a highly respected person]. There is also no such clause in the amended Ducsu charter [to give lifetime membership to anyone].”