The 10th National Conference of Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati samiti (PCJSS) pronounced firm vow to plunge into the ‘non-cooperation movement’ from 1 May 2015 as has been declared earlier, if the government does not come forward within 30 April. The conference also adopted decision to accelerate the movement for implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Accord signed in 1997 between the government of Bangladesh and the PCJSS with aim to resolve CHT problem through political and peaceful means.
Keeping the slogan “Consolidate the Jumma National Unity and Integration aiming at strengthening the Movement for the Right to Self-determination” ahead, the three-day 10th National Conference of PCJSS was held on 6-8 March 2015 at the Rangamati Cultural Institute Auditorium in Rangamati. More than three hundred and a half representatives and observers ranging from the district, thana and union level branches of the party (PCJSS) and its associate organizations namely, Parbatya Chattagram Mahila Samiti, Pahari Chhatra Parishad, Hill Women’s Federation, Parbatya Chattagram Juba Samiti and Girisur Shilpigosthi attended the conference.
The 10th National Conference elected a 31-member Central Committee of the PCJSS. The office bearers elected in the election are ? Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma as the President and Ushatan Talukder as Vice-President while Pranati Bikash Chakma as General Secretary and Shaktipada Tripura as the Organizing Secretary. It is mentionable that the election was held for 29 seats from among the 31 membership seats. However, two seats were left vacant of which the conference entrusted the responsibility to the newly elected Central Committee to fill up the seats at some suitable time.
An Overall Report was placed before the conference by the outgoing Central Committee and the issues discussed along with the presented report were the overall situation of CHT, including present status of the movement for CHT Accord implementation, Jummas’ movement for the right to self-determination, anti-CHT Accord and anti-Jumma interest activities, organizational scenario of the party and party’s future program of actions.
In the conference, the representatives expressed highly tempered anguish and deep concern over the gradual deterioration of the situation as a whole due to not having the core issues of CHT Accord implemented properly despite the party that had signed the Accord came back to power again. The representatives maintained that the government, in one hand, continues to resorting to pretext in implementing the core issues of the CHT Accord while on the other, it has been adopting anti-accord and anti-Jumma-interest programmes on pleas of Accord implementation, the main objective of which is to abolish the Jumma peoples racially and turn the CHT into a Muslim-dominated region.
The representatives also added that the ruling class, in one end, has been executing their conspiracy to abolish the national entity of Jumma peoples and their birth land by providing support to the anti-accord armed terrorist UPDF and Reformist Group to carry on extortion, abduction, killing, ransom, etc. while by inciting the communal and fundamentalist forces including the Bengali settlers to carry out communal attack, rape and killing of Jumma women, continued infiltration unabatedly, on the other end. As a result, the Jumma peoples have landed in a state of leading an uncertain life that lacks security under circumstantial obligation. The representatives expressed their heightened anguish over the government’s failure in coming to an ostensible extent in implementing the CHT Accord despite the declaration of ‘non-cooperation movement’ to be commenced from 1 May 2015 if, the government does not undertake an effective and time-framed (roadmap) programme on implementation of the Accord within 30 April 2015 and they pronounced their firm vow to plunge into the ‘non-cooperation movement’ as has been declared earlier, if the government does not come forward within the rest span of time.
Besides, the conference also expressed deep concern over the current situation prevalent throughout the country featured with non-stop blockades and strikes supplemented with petrol-bomb attacks upon vehicles loaded with passengers while, on the other side, killings in so-called cross-fire, secret killings and arbitrary killings and at the same time, oppression, suppression, eviction from lands, killings and violence against women, etc. being perpetrated upon the indigenous peoples throughout the country.
In context of the prevailing situation, after having undergone a threadbare discussion by the representatives, the following 22 programmes of actions were unanimously adopted in the conference:
1. Keeping the demand for a time-lined roadmap and effective measure ahead, to accelerate the movement for implementation of the accord emphasizing upon the followings:
(a) To make the CHT Regional Council Act and three Hill District Act effective and to hold elections in these councils, having prepared the electoral rolls with the permanent residents;
(b) To transfer the subjects namely, Law & Order, Police (Local), Land & Land Management, Forest & Environment, etc. to the Hill District Councils;
(c) To resolve the land disputes having the contravening sections of CHT Land Dispute Resolution Commission Act amended as per the decision taken in the CHT Accord Implementation Committee meeting held on 20 January 2015;
(d) To withdraw all the temporary camps including the ‘Operation Uttoran’ from the CHT;
(e) To rehabilitate the Jumma refugees, internally displaced Jumma families and members of the Jana Samhati Samiti properly.
2. To accelerate programmes of attrition of all sorts of mischievous activities including the anti-CHT Accord armed terrorism.
3. To kick start Non-Cooperation Movement on and from 1 May 2015 as per the earlier declaration if the government undertakes no time-framed effective initiative in implementing the CHT Accord within 30 April 2015.
4. Aiming at strengthening the movement for right to self-determination to expedite the Jumma national unity and integrity.
5. To expedite actions to resist anti-CHT Accord and anti-Jumma interest activities including the initiative for setting up University of Science and Technology and Medical College.
6. To participate more closely in the democratic, progressive and non-communal movements of the country.
7. To participate in the movement of resistance against the ultra-communalism and activities of religious terrorism in the country.
8. To participate in the movement for the rights of world indigenous peoples and workers including establishment of basic rights of indigenous peoples and minority peoples of the country.
9. To strengthen the party leadership having equipped with ideology and principles of the party.
10. To expedite organizing the mass people, workers and families based on party principles and ideology.
11. To expedite program for enhancement of party membership and the supervision and coordination of lower-level committees and branches/units.
12. To expedite the students, youth and women organizational programs with an objective to get the student, youth and women societies involved in the movement.
13. To expedite the organizational activities to organize the Jumma workers working in various industries and the service holders in and outside CHT.
14. To encourage and make consciousness in furthering production among the multi-lingual Jumma peoples of CHT.
15. To emphasize more upon socio-economic development including the education sector of most backward Jumma communities.
16. To preserve and develop the lands including ensuring traditional land right of the Jumma peoples.
17. To preserve and enforce the respective usages, practices, tradition and social/customary law of the Jumma peoples.
18. To expedite movement of resistance against economic exploitation, deprivation and discrimination meted out upon the permanent residents of Jumma-Bengali peoples of CHT.
19. To step up effective measures against camp expansion, illegal installation of eco-park and tourist centers, declaration of reserve forests, the process of taking the recorded and occupied lands and homesteads including Jumming lands of permanent residents in the name of rehabilitation of the outsiders.
20. To step up necessary measures in connection with withdrawal of the racial, communal and anti-CHT Accord decisions relating to CHT taken in the Ministry of Home on 7 January 2015.
21. To undertake initiative to transfer the Tourism subject to the HDCs properly as per the CHT Accord by having cancelled the defective Agreement signed on Tourism between HDCs and Ministry of Tourism on 28 August 2014.
22. To adopt program directing to cancellation of all decisions taken relating to CHT Tourism in the Cabinet Ministers’ meeting held on 4 March 2015.