Thirty-five eminent citizens of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) have demanded the transfer of Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin, appointed as State Minister for the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs, to another ministry, protesting his appointment.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, they said that appointing a “non-hill” person, who is not a resident of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, to this ministry – which was formed in light of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord – is contrary to the accord.
The statement said that Article 19 of Section (d) of the accord mentions appointing a minister from among the indigenous people. They alleged that although Dipen Dewan, MP from the Rangamati-299 constituency, was made a minister, the appointment of Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin, MP from the Chattogram-5 constituency, as state minister violates the spirit of the accord.
They demanded that those holding executive responsibility in the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs should be residents of the hills, to ensure effective representation of the hill communities in the state decision-making process.
The statement further said that the participation of hill citizens in the appointment of ministry officials and employees is negligible, and priority needs to be ensured in this regard.
Intumoni Talukder, general secretary of the Bangladesh Indigenous Forum, Chittagong Hill Tracts Region, signed the statement on behalf of the signatories.
