Unite for full implementation of CHT peace accord
Santu Larma tells headmen
Santu Larma
Chairman of Chittangong Hill Tracts (CHT) Regional Council Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma yesterday urged the headmen (traditional leaders) in the hills to be united for full implementation of the CHT peace accord. Addressing as chief guest at the second CHT Headmen's Conference held at the auditorium of Khudro Nrigosthi Institute in Rangamati town, Jyotirindra, who is popularly known as Santu Larma, also urged the traditional jummo leaders not to get involved with national political parties. "National political parties including Awami League, BNP and Jatiya Party do not believe in democracy and good governance. They are against the CHT peace accord, and always work against the interest of jummo people living in hills," he said. Urging the headmen to support Partbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS), Santu Larma, also the chief of PCJSS, said, "Do the politics which will help to ensure establish your fundamental rights and never betray with us." "The traditional leaders must be competent, qualified and educated to be able to discharge their duty rightly. They have to involve with all kinds of social and development activities in the society. They have to be inspired with the values of jummo nationalism to establish the rights of hill people. "As public representatives, the headmen have to play their role in protecting own culture, tradition and customs as good leaders in the society," said the PCJSS chief. "CHT Regional Council and three hill district councils have become dysfunctional institutions as the successive governments during the last 15 years were not sincere about the rights of the jummo people and lacked political goodwill to implement the peace accord fully," said the former guerrilla leader. Santu said the AL-led government has done nothing other than giving assurance to implement the peace accord in last four years. Traditional leaders put their eight-point demand including increase of a headman's allowance to Tk 7000 (from present Tk 1000) and a karbari's allowance to Tk 3000 (from present Tk 500), making traditional laws and institutions functional, construction of offices for three circle chiefs and headmen. Two hundred and twenty-four headmen out of a total 375 under Chakma Circle, Mong Circle and Bomang Circle took part in the two-day conference, to be concluded today. CHT Headmen's Network organised the conference under the auspices of CHT Regional Council, International Labour Organisation and CHTDF-UNDP. Tarun Kanti Ghosh, vice-chairman of CHT Development Board, Robert Stoleman, UNDP-CHTDF chief of implementation, Shamsul Huda, executive director of ALRD, and Brishaketu Chakma, member of Rangamati Hill District Council, spoke at yesterday's function chaired by Ranglai Mro, president of CHT Headmen's Network.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments