Editorial
PM's dialogue with CHT peers
Election of public representatives crucial to region's future
The August 30 meeting of two CHT kings and a prince with the Prime Minister has, in a way, opened a fresh dimension to the tribal discourse. If anything, a meeting like this will strengthen bonds between our central government and tribal peers by injecting confidence in tribal minds about the government's sincerity in addressing their problems.The CHT has been gem of a region for centuries. It also pained us since the mid 1970s by unleashing an 'up-in-arm' secessionist trend. The turbulence occurred despite the tribal heartland having transformed itself over the century from being an integral part of Chittagong to a 'mini divisional headquarters' with three separate districts tucked to its administrative structure. The evolution followed the British crafted CHT act of 1900 through the administrative devolution of the 1960s and 1980s to the CHT accord of 1996. The 1996 accord was meant to be a road map to guide the CHT's shaping of its own destiny. But the snail-paced progress in the accord's implementation seems to have come from a number of factors, including a measure of opposition to the accord, tribal-settler rivalry, intransigence of a faction of the secessionists and deterioration in law and order situation in the hill districts. Factors like these may have had an adverse impact on the authority's enthusiasm to hold elections to empower local authorities. The lack of a functional public representation thus stymied local development works that were slated to take place in collusion with the newly created CHT affairs ministry. That being an inescapable part of the CHT's convoluted history, Raja Deavsish Roy sounded upbeat in the aftermath of this latest meeting with the PM. The 'second track approach,' if one may brand such a meeting as such, will keep open a direct channel of communication between the top executive of the country and local CHT leaders, the tribal peers believe. Such meetings are also scheduled to be held each year, according to sources, while the tribal chiefs might get their wishes of enhanced government cooperation granted by the PM sooner. Their wish list includes accommodation, transport and administrative backing to function smoothly in running the affairs of their respective fiefdoms. No dialogue, however, can serve as a substitute for the holding of elections in the three CHT districts and to the regional council. Dialogue and collaborations will result in wonder if the decision-making in the CHT becomes a joint venture among traditional tribal leadership, elected representatives and the central government.
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