Demand for the appointment of local tribals as full ministers in the hill ministry
Photo Collected
32 prominent citizens think that the resignation of the minister in charge of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Ministry, Deepen Dewan, has caused disappointment in the minds of the hill tribal people. To resolve this situation, they have called for the appointment of a trusted person from the hilly region and a native of that region as a full minister of the ministry. They made this call in a statement sent to the media on Thursday.
The informants said that the newly elected government under the leadership of Prime Minister Tariq Rahman and on the day of their swearing-in, the responsibility of the hill ministry was given to a full minister, the confidence in the hill community was strengthened. He who was given the responsibility won the highest number of votes as the BNP candidate from O region. But recently he resigned citing personal reasons. This creates a suspicion in the minds of the people, especially the tribal groups of the hilly areas, that he has been unduly directly or indirectly obstructed by some special quarters in the discharge of his duties.
The speakers felt that since this government took over, there was a high level of optimism in the minds of the hill people that the historical neglect and discrimination against them would come to an end. But with the minister’s resignation, that optimism is now being called into question.
The statement given today is said that, like other parts of the country, the hill tribes of the hill districts have been subjected to various kinds of hostile and discriminatory behavior for many centuries and their right to individual lifestyle and cultural practice has been threatened. As a remedy, during the rule of BNP, Awami League and Jatiya Party, after long discussions with their high-level representatives, the Mountain Accord was signed in 1997. It is not the achievement of any single party. BNP, led by the current Prime Minister Tariq Rahman, as the main political party announced the plan to build a rainbow state, taking into account the demands of the tribals of the hills and plains, along with its election manifesto and various important promises. It is a commitment to meaningful and informed action.
It is said in the statement, that the vacuum that has been created around the Ministry of Mountains, is spreading a kind of frustration and anger in the minds of the people, especially in the minds of the hill communities. It is not desirable at all. This does not bode well for the image of the government which has declared its determination to build a rainbow nation at the very beginning of the journey.
The statementers said, “Our only demand in this case is that a full minister should be appointed immediately with the responsibility of the hill ministry and a person trusted by them from among the hill communities in accordance with the provisions of the hill agreement.” He should also be given the responsibility of managing the entire ministry.
According to the statement, Section 19 of Part ‘D’ of the Highlands Agreement states, “A minister shall be appointed from among the tribals”. The BNP government formed under the leadership of Khaleda Zia in the past also did not give any full minister, but the one whom he assigned as deputy minister was a member of the hill community and the responsibility of the entire ministry was also entrusted to him. If you think about it as a custom, BNP has been following this custom since before.
The signatories to the statement are Sultana Kamal, Khushi Kabir, ZI Khan Panna, Iftekharuzzaman, Sara Hossain, Geeti Ara Nasreen, Rehenuma Ahmed, Salma Ali, Abu Saeed Khan, Shahidul Alam, Shamsul Huda, Subrat Chowdhury, Zobaida Nasreen, Khairul Chowdhury, Mirza Taslima Sultana, Kajal Debnath, Saeed Ahmed, Ishita. Dastidar, Nasreen Khandkar, Rozina Begum, Monindra Kumar Nath, Saleh Ahmed, Parvez Hashem, Zakir Hossain, Saidur Rahman, Pavel Parth, Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, Shahed Kayes, Dipayan Khisa, Muktashri Chakma, Mainthin Pramila and Hana Shams Ahmed.
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