BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday described Dhaka University Syndicate’s decision to suspend all kinds of political activities on campus as a "bad move."
“Politics must exist; we must accept politics. Depoliticisation is not an answer. I think suspending student politics at Dhaka University is a completely bad step,” he said.
Justifying his remark, the BNP leader said cutting off the head to get relief from a headache is not a solution. “We should try to solve it… identify where the problems are and attempt to overcome them through discussions with the student organisations... to address the problems.”
He made the remarks while exchanging views with journalists at the BNP Chairperson's office in Gulshan.
Fakhrul said he agrees that student organisations should not be directly affiliated with political parties. “We can find solutions by talking to students about what measures can be taken to eliminate this.”
He also said this issue cannot be resolved forcibly or through imposing restrictions. “If it happens, what is the difference between a martial government and this government? We have to do it politically within the realm of politics.”
The BNP leader said if student politics is not healthy, the country's politics will not be healthy either. “If leadership does not emerge from student politics, then leadership for the nation will not be created.”
He said campuses are the breeding grounds for creating future leadership for politics or bureaucracy. “The reason our youth became disinterested in politics is that student politics had been driven out of educational institutions. Now they are starting to return… If we ban student politics again, who will benefit? It will benefit those who work in the dark, those who operate underground.”
Fakhrul said politics must remain open and should be motivated to ensure good and healthy political practices. Crimes such as occupying halls, seats, and common rooms must be stopped. But banning politics in this manner is not the solution, he said.
About the government’s move for state reform, he said reforms should not exclude the people, as they are essential for the country's institutions.
Fakhrul also said any changes to the constitution must first consider the public’s opinions and desires.
He emphasised that a constitutional assembly should be formed before making fundamental changes or drafting a new constitution, as public consensus and legal considerations are essential.
