He lost the election, but he has not lost his spirit. He is not willing to halt his journey due to defeat. Instead, Chhatra Dal leader Abidul Islam Khan has expressed his determination to work with renewed vigour to bring positive change to student politics in Bangladesh.
After losing by a large margin to the Chhatra Shibir-supported candidate in the DUCSU election, Abid expressed this in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
Reassuring the students of Dhaka University, Abid said, “My journey does not end here; my journey is much longer. I am still a student leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Chhatra Dal at Dhaka University. I promise that whatever was in my election manifesto, I will achieve it from the administration as a student leader. I will do whatever is necessary for this.”
Expressing confidence that a new beginning in Dhaka University’s student politics will happen through their efforts, he said, “We will stand as vigilant guards, protecting the streets, and with all our might, we will bring positive change to the student politics of Bangladesh. Insha’Allah, you will see its reflection in the next DUCSU.”
Abidul is a student from the 2015-16 academic year in the Department of Islamic Studies. He is the Joint General Secretary of the Dhaka University branch of Chhatra Dal.
Mentioning that he had only 20 days for the DUCSU election campaign, Abid wrote on Facebook, “As humans, none of us are perfect. I know I couldn’t do enough for you. Honestly, life didn’t give me that opportunity. I sincerely thank all the student brothers and sisters of Dhaka University for coming to vote. In just a 20-day campaign, I tried to reach out to every student at Dhaka University. I got very close, but perhaps I couldn’t touch everyone.”
His words also reflected hope to make up for this shortcoming next time.
He said, “In this short life, I never thought I would come this far. The night before the election, Khaled Muhiuddin Bhai asked me where I see myself in five years. I couldn’t give a proper answer. I actually never knew where I should see myself, where it is appropriate to see myself.”
“One after another, movements and struggles came, and I devoted myself to the streets. That path has brought me this far.”
On Tuesday, election day, Abidul was vocal about various irregularities by the administration. After the voting ended, he highlighted these issues in a press conference. He also accused Chhatra Shibir of rigging.
Regarding this, he wrote, “My day in this election started with media propaganda. From noon, I kept finding one problem after another in various voting places, and I spoke about them all day. I still hope that the administration will conduct a fair investigation into all these complaints and take appropriate action.”
Promising to stand by the students of Dhaka University, he also wrote, “Abid will never leave you.”
Abid concluded his expression with a quote by African-American human rights activist Martin Luther King Jr.: “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
