35 Eminent Citizens Call for Reassignment of CHT Affairs State Minister

Thirty-five distinguished citizens of the Chittagong Hill Tracts have issued a joint statement protesting the appointment of Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin as State Minister of the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs and demanding that he be reassigned to another ministry.

In the statement, they said that according to the provisions of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord, there is a requirement to appoint a tribal representative as minister. Accordingly, they welcomed the appointment of Dipen Dewan, Member of Parliament elected from Rangamati-299 constituency, as Minister. However, they described the appointment of Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin, Member of Parliament elected from Chattogram-5 (Hathazari), as State Minister of the same ministry as contrary to the spirit of the Accord.

The statement providers claimed that the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs is a specialized ministry formed in accordance with the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord, with the objective of ensuring effective representation of the Indigenous peoples of the hills and playing a policy-making role in resolving the problems of the region. According to them, all those entrusted with executive responsibilities in this ministry should be residents of the hill region.

The statement further mentioned that in the past, the participation of hill communities in the appointment of officers and employees in the ministry has been very limited, which is not consistent with the core premise of the Accord. They also stated that the decision contradicts the concept of a “harmonious inclusive state identity (Rainbow Nation)” declared by the ruling party.

Addressing the newly elected Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Tarique Rahman, the statement providers demanded that Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin be reassigned to another ministry in line with the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord and that priority be given to hill Indigenous citizens in recruitment within the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs.

The statement was issued on behalf of the signatories by Intumoni Talukder, General Secretary of Bangladesh Adivasi Forum, Chittagong Hill Tracts Region.

The signatories include leaders of various social, cultural and professional organizations, retired government officials, teachers, writers, journalists and social activists.