Bangladesh: All Is Not Well In Chittagong Hill Tracts

Written by Nikhil Chakma on October 4, 2013 in his Facebook's Notes. 
https://www.facebook.com/notes/nikhil-chakma/all-is-not-well-in-cht/242970569191639

Bangladesh: All Is Not Well In Chittagong Hill Tracts

General perception is that the three decade-long ethnic conflict of Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) ended with the CHT Accord of 1997 signed between the Government of Bangladesh and Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS=People’s United Party), a political organization representing the indigenous people of CHT, and that peace has been restored in the region with a Local Government at the helm of the overwhelmingly majority representatives of the indigenous people. But the reality tells a different story: all is not well in CHT.

This note tries to show how the CHT Local Government is functioning and how autonomy of the Local Government and democracy at large are being killed for a calculated purpose: Bengali Muslim demographic invasion in CHT and marginalization and ethnic cleansing of the indigenous people under a hidden policy called “Islamization Policy”. 

CHT Local Government

As per the CHT Accord, the CHT Local Government consists of the Ministry on CHT Affairs headed by an indigenous MP and Deputy Minister in Dhaka, the CHT Regional Council (CHTRC) at the CHT main township Rangamati, three Hill District Councils (HDCs) in the three Hill District Headquarters and their subordinate bodies. And to execute and manage the planning and decisions of the CHT Local Government on the matters given to it under the CHT Accord there is a CHT local administration consisting of the three Deputy Commissioners (DCs who are usually non-indigenous people -- Bengali Muslims deputed by Dhaka -- the capital city of Bangladesh -- from Bangladesh Civil Service Cadres) of the three Hill Districts and their subordinate offices.

The CHTRC consists of the 22 elected members out of whom 15 are indigenous persons, including the Chairperson, and 7 are non-indigenous persons from among non-indigenous permanent residents.

Each of the three HDCs consists of 34 members out of whom 22 are indigenous persons, including the Chairperson, and 12 non-indigenous persons from among non-indigenous permanent residents.

As the apex Local Government body of CHT, the CHTRC supervises and coordinates the functions of the HDCs and the CHT local administration, apart from its other duties and functions. 

As per the Acts passed under the CHT Accord, the interim CHTRC has been formed soon after the 1997 CHT Accord. Most of the senior PCJSS leaders, including its President, have been nominated as members of this body. The interim HDCs have been formed with the nominated members of the ruling party [whosoever party comes to power in Bangladesh -- the current ruling party is Awami League (2009-2013) who signed the CHT Accord with PCJSS; opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) opposed the Accord and it even tried to scrape it (the Accord) during its term (2001-2007) followed by an Interim Government backed by military in 2007-2008 and in this period a case was filed in court urging for scrape of the Accord]. As per the Accord, the HDCs are supposed to be formed with the elected members; elections of the HDCs are supposed to be held after making the CHT voter list with indigenous people and non-indigenous permanent residents of CHT. The Government of Bangladesh has made the voter list with indigenous people and non-indigenous permanent and non-permanent residents (Bengali Muslim settlers) of CHT in violation of the concerned provision of the CHT Accord! No elections of the HDCs have been held over the last 15 years! In the meantime, the Government of Bangladesh has passed an ordinance authorizing the DCs to issue permanent resident certificates to all non-permanent residents of CHT in violation of the CHT Accord! As per the CHT Accord, it is only the three traditional Circle Chiefs called Rajas who have the authority to issue such certificates to permanent residents (indigenous and non-indigenous) of CHT. CHT is, it may be mentioned, divided into three Circles, each of which is headed by a Chief, as per the traditional administration of the region). 

How CHT Local Government is Functioning

The Ministry on CHT Affairs has been hijacked and made hostage to the “Islamization Policy” as stated above. 

The CHTRC has been trying hard to exercise its mandated power for proper functioning of the CHT Local Government and for realization of local autonomy. However, the Government of Bangladesh advised by CHT military strategic experts and proponents of the “Islamization Policy” in CHT continues to overlook the CHTRC and to run the CHT Local Government only with the HDCs and the CHT local administration backed by Bangladeshi military. The CHTRC and PCJSS have been pushing the Government of Bangladesh hard from inside (CHTRC) and outside (PCJSS) for proper functioning of the CHT Local Government, realization of local autonomy and proper implementation of the CHT Accord, especially resolution of land-disputes between indigenous persons and Bengali Muslim settlers and restoration of the traditional land right of the indigenous people, withdrawal of over 500 temporary Bangladeshi military camps from CHT, making the CHT voter list with indigenous people and non-indigenous permanent residents of CHT, formation of the local police with indigenous people and non-indigenous permanent residents of CHT, among others.  Not surprisingly, the Government of Bangladesh has been using (according to the order of need and convenience) the anti-CHT Accord faction (“B Team”) and elements such as, Muslim jehadi organizations (“C Team”), military (“A Team”) and the HDCs and the local administration, including police (“D Team”) -- the Teams as they are called -- against PCJSS (the party resisting the “Islamization Policy” and working for implementation of the CHT Accord) and its political and democratic movement for its calculated purpose: Bengali Muslim demographic invasion in CHT and marginalization and ethnic cleansing of the indigenous people. And it appears that the Government -- the ruling party no matter whosoever party comes to power -- is always ready with an emergency backup plan to replace the CHTRC with its favorite candidates and agents -- proponents or supporters of the said "Islamization Policy" -- in the event of the body's resignation or otherwise. This is how the CHT Accord, autonomy of the CHT Local Government and democracy at large have been made a hostage to the “Islamization Policy” of the Government of Bangladesh in CHT. It goes without saying that the policy has totally upset and undermined the objectives of the CHT Accord and already resulted in an alarming increase of Bengali Muslim population in CHT from some 7% in 1971 (when Bangladesh became an independent nation) to 60% in 2011 (the figure was 2% in 1947 when the British colonial rule ended in the Sub-continent and Pakistan and India got independence. Now Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics does not provide any information on the subject) and threatened the indigenous people to extinction.

Bangladesh has proven that it has no heart for implementation of the CHT Accord. Had it had a heart for implementation of the Accord, it would have not foul played with it (the Accord). It is foul playing with the Accord to make its way for its "Islamization Policy" in CHT-- for Bengali Muslim demographic invasion in the region and ethnic cleansing of the indigenous people.

Recommendations for Solution to the “Post-conflict” Challenges in CHT 

1. The Government of Bangladesh must stop its “Islamization Policy” in CHT and withdraw all Bengali Muslim settlers from the region with their rehabilitation in their original lands outside CHT; 

2. The Government of Bangladesh must allow the CHT Local Government to function as per its mandate. 

3. The Government of Bangladesh must implement the CHT Accord in letter and spirit and the international community must press the Government of Bangladesh for 1., 2. and 3. mentioned here and above.