***Dr A A M S Arefin Siddique joined the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, University of Dhaka in 1980 and was the chairman of the department from 1993 to 1996. A science graduate’ from Dhaka College, he did his master's in journalism from the University of Dhaka in 1977 and went on to obtain PhD from the University of Mysore, India in 1986. His area of specialisation is Interpersonal Communication and Instructional Communication. In 1989, he went to Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, USA as a visiting fellow.

A former member of DU Syndicate, Dr Siddique who is a member of the DU Senate too, is the General Secretary of Dhaka University Teachers' Association (DUTA). With a view to giving fillip to the on-going process of ensuring peace on the campus. The Daily Star interviewed Dr Siddique for an insider's view on the issue. Following are excerpts from the interview conducted by Fakrul Islam Chowdhury.

*No one can force the VC to do anything. Even government cannot terminate him, once he has been elected. My question is: despite holding such a strong position why couldn't the VC maintain VC's firmness?

VCs don't need to yield under any pressure.

*There is a tendency on the part of the university authority to suppress the unlawful activities by turning a blind eye to those incidents.

*He could have taken some initiative to solve the crisis before tendering his resignation.

The Daily Star IDS) : Please tell us what would you like to see as the top priority of the new VC?

Arefin Siddique (AS): The first thine the new VC is expected to do is to take necessary steps to restore a congenial academic atmosphere at Dhaka University. The two main purposes of the university are providing proper education for the stadents and conducting research. So. the priority should be to ensure a favourable academic environment to pursue knowledge. And in the present context of DU to ensure a suitable academic atmosphere, the VC must ensure improvement in the law and order situation prevailing on the campus.

DS : As the chief executive of Dhaka University what qualities should a VC have?

AS : Firmness in maintaining utmost neutrality. On several occasions in the past we saw VCs failed maintain neutrality. The administrative neutrality is a must to continue a peaceful and favourable aca-demic environment. One hopes, the new VC will have strong will and courage and would not wilt under pressure for compromise on the administrative neutral-

ity. If utmost neutrality could be maintained from the executive side, many of the problems now faced by the university would be automatically solved.

DS : Why this neutrality could not be maintained?

AS : For various reasons. Generally speaking, vested interest has always been the biggest enemy of neutrality. Sometimes it is personal interest, sometimes it is political and sometimes it is social identity.

DS : Do you think that the ex-VCs did not have the required firmness to maintain administrative neutrality?

AS : I don't want to say this directly, because we are all colleagues. you know, but what I would say is that, firmness was wanting. You should understand from this what I mean. If firmness was there we could have avoided the problems that we are facing now.

DS : Are you saying that if VCs were firm enough and were neutral, pressures from different vested quarters would have not been able to tell on the congenial academic atmosphere on the campus?

AS : Exactly. Because you should remember the position

of the VC of Dhaka University is an elected one and our's is an autonomous body. No one can force the VC to do anything. Even government cannot terminate him. once he has been elected. My question is: despite holding such a strong position why couldn't the VC maintain VCs firmness? VCs don't need to yield under any pressure.

DS : Can Syndicate or Senate or any other body of the university terminate the VC?

AS : There is no directive on this matter in our University Ordinance. But no one can terminate VC on any trifling matter. According to the Dhaka University Ordinance, we appoint him as VC for four years and until his tenure expires no one cart terminate him without strong reason.

DS : Then, is VC accountable to the Senate?

AS : In theory, yes. but in practice — no. Because according to the Ordinance. VC is accountable to the Senate. But if you study the minutes of several Senate sessions of Dhaka University you will find that during the reign of the former VC. a number of times there were incidents when he ignored the democratic norms and did not

bother about accountability to the Senate.

DS : Why could not the Senate do any thing about it?

AS : Sometimes he had majority support from the Senath and oh other occasions he made light of it through sheer autocracy.

DS: What is the power of the Chancellor?

AS: The overall controlling authority lies with the Chancellor.

DS ; Is VC accountable to the Chancellor?

AS : Yes he is.

DS : Why can't the President of the Republic as the Chancellor do something about it when it comes to the autocratic behaviour of any VC?

AS : Though the Chancellor is the overall controlling authority. the convention is that he does not interfere. The guiding spirit of the University Ordinance was that the VCs would be accountable to their conscience.

DS : Can you tell us what the Enquiry Committees, usually formed after untoward Incidents on the campus, do? Do they file any report? Has any action at all been taken on the recommendations, if any. of those reports?

AS : Let me just cite two personal examples. On the 11 tn of April, 1991. a terrorist threatened me with my life, an enquiry committee was formed after that incident as usual. But I don't know whether It filed any report. No report was published, this much I can tell. And in 1994. a group of terrorists attacked my office when I was working inside. No report has been submitted yet on that incident too. Though, as usual, the formation of an enquiry committee Immediately followed the incident.

DS : What about the Enquiry Committee on the Jagannath Hall Incident?

AS : I don't know anything about it No report has been published yet. this much 1 can tell.

■DS : What happened when the enquiry committee submit ted their report on the infamous attack on female students' pro cession? Did. the university take any action? Or was any re port submitted at all?

AS I don't remember whether or not any report was submitted. But 1 don't think any stringent action was taken against anybody. Because if it was. it would have been published by the media.

DS : What about the enquiry committees formed with a view to investigating in the murders that took place in the university during last two decades?

AS : To put it simply, a good number of the enquiry committees did not submit any report, and even when some did, the reports in most cases were not Eublished. And it was not nown if actions were taken against those who were found responsible*

DS : Do you agree this practice encourages unlawful activ- . Hies?

AS : You may say so.

DS : Why enquiry committees do not work seriously?

AS : Because there is a tendency on the part of the university authority to suppress the unlawful activities by turning a blind eye to those Incidents. Sometimes, they thought if things were probed in and those responsible were to be punished. the situation might deteriorate further Sometimes they bent under pressure from various vested quarters. Some times, it was just banal optimism that things would improve with time. The essence of all this is procrastination

DS . Who comprise the enquiry committees?

AS Usually the represents fives of the university author »y

DS : If they do not submit any report, can any action be taken against them?

AS : I think the point here should be. we must make the enquiry committees effective. Otherwise these committees are meaningless.

DS : Who is responsible for the inefficiency of these committees?

AS : Senate or Syndicate do not come into consideration In this respect. The VC is responsible. because It is to him the enquiry committees are accountable. DS ' Who you think is re-■ sponsible for not making Ihe enquiry committee effective?

AS : The university administration.

DS Tell us specifically.

AS : The VC,

DS : Are you blaming any particular VC or are you speak ing tn general?

AS I am speaking in general.

DS: Whi/ the police fail to recover arms and ammunition from the residential halls?

AS: Because terrorists do not keep arms and ammunition in the dormitories nowadays. Most ol the arms come from outside Arms and ammunition which are used during the gunfights usually come from the nearby areas and are returned to their sources once the battle Is over. It is also learnt from the informed sources that both the rival factions often rent these arms from the same outside sources in exchange of a certain amount of money. 1 don't know whether it is true or false. But one thing is for sure if the sources of the arms and ammunition cannot be stopped, mere raids into the residential halls will not bring any result.

DS: Do you think DUCSU election should be immediately held?

AS: Yes. Because new leadership will not grow among the students if DUCSU elections are not held regularly. Practice of a democratic culture within and among Ute students' organisations depend much on a gradual development of the new leadership. Without regular DUCSU election, one cannot expect the development of new leadership.

DS: Does the presentDUCSU have any legitimacy?

AS: You have to take two things into consideration before coming to any conclusion on this point. First, according to the DUCSU regulation, DUCSU executive body will remain in the office until the next DUCSU election is held, in that sense, the present DUCSU has legitimacy. But on the other hanck no one can hold any position in the DUCSU if his or her studentship expires. In that sense, most of the ptesent DUCSU leadership has lost legitimacy. The present VP Amanullah Aman, MP. and GS Khalrul Kabir Khokon both have long lost their status as students. So questions can be raised about the legitimacy of the present DUCSU. Anyway, a fresh election for DUCSU is long over due.

DS: How do you respond to the resignation of the former VC?

AS: Resignation is not a solution. He could have taken some Initiative to solve the crisis before tendering his resignation.

DS: What do you think of the 10-point peace agreement brokered by the acting VC?

AS: It's a good attempt. 1 hope all the students' organisations concerned wifi fionour this contract. They have a great responsibility now. The leaders as well as the activists of the students' organisations have shown maturity by signing this contract. Now all quarters should be alert so that peace prevails on the campus.

DS: How ivould you evaluate the activities of the present acting VC?

AS: He has been there only for a short time. There is not much to say All I can say is that he h^s taken some initia tive and we all extended our support to restore a congenial academic atmosphere.

DS: Can the present VC eontest as a VC candidate in the coming Senate Session?

AS: There is no bar. It depends on his decision and priorities.

DS: Who will be the next VC?

AS: The Senate will decide on it In the coming session through secret ballots.

DS: According to the 10-paint peace agreement', the JCD-called indefinite .strike was withdrawn from September 7. The agreement was signed at a Joint meeting of the student bodies, proctor of the university and provosts of the residential halls, with acting VC in the chair. But according to Dhaka University Ordinances and Regulations (as amended up to June. 1986). published by the university of Dhaka (1986), "No student of the university individually or collectively shall declare a "strike" nor shall a student prevent another student of the university from attending the classes, laboratories or libraries. A student found guilty of violation of any provisions of this section will be liable to punishment up to expulsion from the university. (The Proctorial system: Sec-6: Page-25)

In the light of this regulation, should not the university authority expel them instead of patronizing them Into signing an agreement?

AS: The interpretation of collectively declaring a strike should be given by the legal experts. Whether or not the word 'collectively' covers an organisational call of a strike should be determined by the legal experts before coming to any conclusion. I don't think I should comment on such a delicate legal issue.

DS: Then, according to the same Ordinance there Is a pro-viiton which says. "No meet Ings of the students of the university other than the meetings organised by the university or by different departments of the university, or by the student unions recognised by the university. shall be held in any part of fhe university without the previous permission of the Proctor. No demonstration shall be organised within any part of the university.

A^tudent found guilty of violation of the provisions of this Section will be liable to punishment up to expulsion from the university." (The Proctorial System: Sec-7: page-26). Now tell us whether the JCD took any previous permission of the Proctor to hold their meetings and demonstrations from , .pihtcfr they declared the indefinite strike?

AS: So far 1 know, they did not take any previous permission. You see. there are a lot of rules and regulations but the important thing is to implement them. The university came to a standstill recently. So. we have started a process A process, hopefully, which will lead us to a congenial academic environment. Then gradually we hope all the provisions, rules and regulations will start to be implemented. Let us all hope that the present peaceful situation is retained for some time.

DS Thank pou very much