An open letter to the first time voters
Monday, 29 December 2008
Syed Munir Khasru
Dear first time voters,
Congratulations on your successful registration as a voter of Bangladesh. With this registration, you have embarked on a very important role of your life whereby from now on you have a direct role to play as to who gets to represent your constituency in the parliament and ultimately who are the people who would govern the country. Of the many things making this election unique, nothing is more inspiring and futuristic than the significant number of first time voters like you who will be unleashed into their franchise career on December 29, 2008. You are a distinct group of people for a number of reasons. First of all, by the sheer number you represent, your impact on the outcome of the national elections is expected to be critical. Secondly, you represent the seeds of positive transformation that Bangladesh will hopefully embrace in the near future. Thirdly, a big portion of your lives have been spent under a period where we have had parliamentary democracy firmly established but weakly practiced. Fourthly, you are the constituency of voters who will be spearheading the development of the country for a long period to come. Finally, you are the embodiment of energy and ambition, passion and idealism, honesty and patriotism in its purest form. Hence, how you exercise your voting rights will have considerable effect on the democratic future of the country, both short and long term.
Your dreams for a better Bangladesh and commitment to achieve the same gives the nation a beacon of hope even in the midst of despair and gloom. People of your age historically have been vanguards of freedom and democracy in Bangladesh. They have led the movement for establishing democracy in the early nineties when many who are seeking vote today failed to unite to achieve the same. If there is any group to which the democracy in Bangladesh is most indebted for its revival after the shameful dictatorial period - it is the student community in the eighties and early nineties. They risked and some sacrificed their lives to depose the dictator and establish peoples' rights. Never did they perceive that one and a half decades' later something like 1/11 would happen. Nor did they imagine that the then deposed dictator would someday become a sought after trophy by the very political parties who wanted to remove him.
Your predecessors could not foresee the failures of the future, but you have to dare to dream a better tomorrow for Bangladesh that has eluded us far too long as a nation. In this election, too much is at stake here for you, us, and the country to leave any room for indifference or nonchalance. Unfortunately, the setbacks of politics of the last one and a half decades have overshadowed whatever achievements that also have happened -- a free and vibrant press that in many cases have acted as the de facto parliament when we either had no parliament or had a parliament more in paper than in practice. We also have seen a resilient entrepreneurial class venturing into new enterprises, growing presence of women in every sphere of national life, world class NGOs spearheading development and serving as a model for the rest of the world and so on and so forth.
Many of you may be disillusioned by the quality of political leadership and frustrated by the deep divide between their electoral pledges and actual performance. Election manifestos have become more a formal document than a credible commitment. Too many a times, our leaders have shaken our hands before the polls and our confidence after the polls. Confrontational politics have driven many of you away from politics and corruption has eroded your interest in the same. Failed leadership can hurt the credibility of the politicians but don't let that disrupt your dreams for a better Bangladesh. That is why it is so important that you make your voices heard in the elections. If you don't vote, then you are not even in the game, no matter how ugly or pretty the game is and who wins or who loses. So, please go out and vote and be in the game. Show everyone that you have duly performed your responsibility as a voter for the first time even when the leaders may not have behaved responsibly many times.
Access to correct information and ability to make a good decision are two most important factors that will determine the quality of your vote and ultimately the quality of the candidate that gets elected. Please try to know as much as possible about the candidates, particularly those you are seriously considering to vote for. Go to the website of the Election Commission where basic information on each candidate should be available. Have a quick look at the profile of different candidates regularly appearing in almost all the newspapers for last two weeks. Talk to family, friends, neighbours and anybody you rely on and respect for their integrity and character. Voting for the right man is more important than voting for the right party -- if there is anything called "right party" under the current circumstances. That is the underlying spirit of this year's election campaign (in English), "My vote I shall cast, knowing the candidate well is a must." (in Bengali) "Amar Vote Ami Dibo. Dekhey, Shuney, Jeney Dibo."
After gathering the required information, independently apply your judgment and conscious as to who in your opinion would serve the country best. If you still do not feel like voting for any of the candidates, go ahead and cast the "No" Vote. Let the parties know that first they must learn how to "Select" before they ask us to "Elect". This is an opportunity that was not there before and by using it effectively, you can send a powerful message to the politicians on the changing times coming from a changing generation. Don't let this opportunity slip away because of your frustration with dysfunctional politics and discontent with the quality of candidates.
You have the power to make a positive change and probably this is the beginning of your auspicious journey. Make your presence known - either cast vote for the right candidate or reject the wrong candidates by saying NO. Bangladesh does not belong to only 300 MPs, it belongs to all of us. Your first vote is your first legitimate claim to the ownership of this great country, please don't disown or squander this great opportunity. As a wise man from the old said, "Politics is too important to be left alone to the Politicians." Your vote is your right, your obligation, your responsibility -- please exercise it wisely. Hope to see you in the vote centers on December 29, 2008.
The author is a Professor at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), University of Dhaka. He was responsible for designing the Voter Awareness Campaign for the National Elections
Dear first time voters,
Congratulations on your successful registration as a voter of Bangladesh. With this registration, you have embarked on a very important role of your life whereby from now on you have a direct role to play as to who gets to represent your constituency in the parliament and ultimately who are the people who would govern the country. Of the many things making this election unique, nothing is more inspiring and futuristic than the significant number of first time voters like you who will be unleashed into their franchise career on December 29, 2008. You are a distinct group of people for a number of reasons. First of all, by the sheer number you represent, your impact on the outcome of the national elections is expected to be critical. Secondly, you represent the seeds of positive transformation that Bangladesh will hopefully embrace in the near future. Thirdly, a big portion of your lives have been spent under a period where we have had parliamentary democracy firmly established but weakly practiced. Fourthly, you are the constituency of voters who will be spearheading the development of the country for a long period to come. Finally, you are the embodiment of energy and ambition, passion and idealism, honesty and patriotism in its purest form. Hence, how you exercise your voting rights will have considerable effect on the democratic future of the country, both short and long term.
Your dreams for a better Bangladesh and commitment to achieve the same gives the nation a beacon of hope even in the midst of despair and gloom. People of your age historically have been vanguards of freedom and democracy in Bangladesh. They have led the movement for establishing democracy in the early nineties when many who are seeking vote today failed to unite to achieve the same. If there is any group to which the democracy in Bangladesh is most indebted for its revival after the shameful dictatorial period - it is the student community in the eighties and early nineties. They risked and some sacrificed their lives to depose the dictator and establish peoples' rights. Never did they perceive that one and a half decades' later something like 1/11 would happen. Nor did they imagine that the then deposed dictator would someday become a sought after trophy by the very political parties who wanted to remove him.
Your predecessors could not foresee the failures of the future, but you have to dare to dream a better tomorrow for Bangladesh that has eluded us far too long as a nation. In this election, too much is at stake here for you, us, and the country to leave any room for indifference or nonchalance. Unfortunately, the setbacks of politics of the last one and a half decades have overshadowed whatever achievements that also have happened -- a free and vibrant press that in many cases have acted as the de facto parliament when we either had no parliament or had a parliament more in paper than in practice. We also have seen a resilient entrepreneurial class venturing into new enterprises, growing presence of women in every sphere of national life, world class NGOs spearheading development and serving as a model for the rest of the world and so on and so forth.
Many of you may be disillusioned by the quality of political leadership and frustrated by the deep divide between their electoral pledges and actual performance. Election manifestos have become more a formal document than a credible commitment. Too many a times, our leaders have shaken our hands before the polls and our confidence after the polls. Confrontational politics have driven many of you away from politics and corruption has eroded your interest in the same. Failed leadership can hurt the credibility of the politicians but don't let that disrupt your dreams for a better Bangladesh. That is why it is so important that you make your voices heard in the elections. If you don't vote, then you are not even in the game, no matter how ugly or pretty the game is and who wins or who loses. So, please go out and vote and be in the game. Show everyone that you have duly performed your responsibility as a voter for the first time even when the leaders may not have behaved responsibly many times.
Access to correct information and ability to make a good decision are two most important factors that will determine the quality of your vote and ultimately the quality of the candidate that gets elected. Please try to know as much as possible about the candidates, particularly those you are seriously considering to vote for. Go to the website of the Election Commission where basic information on each candidate should be available. Have a quick look at the profile of different candidates regularly appearing in almost all the newspapers for last two weeks. Talk to family, friends, neighbours and anybody you rely on and respect for their integrity and character. Voting for the right man is more important than voting for the right party -- if there is anything called "right party" under the current circumstances. That is the underlying spirit of this year's election campaign (in English), "My vote I shall cast, knowing the candidate well is a must." (in Bengali) "Amar Vote Ami Dibo. Dekhey, Shuney, Jeney Dibo."
After gathering the required information, independently apply your judgment and conscious as to who in your opinion would serve the country best. If you still do not feel like voting for any of the candidates, go ahead and cast the "No" Vote. Let the parties know that first they must learn how to "Select" before they ask us to "Elect". This is an opportunity that was not there before and by using it effectively, you can send a powerful message to the politicians on the changing times coming from a changing generation. Don't let this opportunity slip away because of your frustration with dysfunctional politics and discontent with the quality of candidates.
You have the power to make a positive change and probably this is the beginning of your auspicious journey. Make your presence known - either cast vote for the right candidate or reject the wrong candidates by saying NO. Bangladesh does not belong to only 300 MPs, it belongs to all of us. Your first vote is your first legitimate claim to the ownership of this great country, please don't disown or squander this great opportunity. As a wise man from the old said, "Politics is too important to be left alone to the Politicians." Your vote is your right, your obligation, your responsibility -- please exercise it wisely. Hope to see you in the vote centers on December 29, 2008.
The author is a Professor at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), University of Dhaka. He was responsible for designing the Voter Awareness Campaign for the National Elections