Satyajit Das (Moulvibazar Correspondent):
"In your own Bangladesh, we will vote together" - National Voters' Day was celebrated in Moulvibazar, like the rest of the country, with this theme in mind. A colorful rally was organized on March 2 (Sunday) to establish the fundamental rights of democracy and encourage the exercise of voting rights.
The rally started at 11 am from the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Moulvibazar and ended at the Deputy Commissioner's hall. The spontaneous participation of government officials, politicians, law enforcement officers, students and the general public was remarkable.
The rally was led by Moulvibazar Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Md. Bulbul Ahmed and Additional Superintendent of Police Asif Mohiuddin. District BNP convening committee members Md. Fakhrul Islam, Mujibur Rahman Majnu, officials of various government departments and students of educational institutions were also present.
The main purpose of celebrating National Voters' Day is to make citizens aware of their voting rights and encourage new voters. However, increasing voter awareness alone is not enough; voting rights cannot be meaningful without establishing a democratic state and ensuring impartial and fair elections.
If the voting rights of the people of the country are not ensured and if the participation and impartiality of all political parties in the electoral process are not ensured, there will be a reluctance among the voters, which is a threat to democracy. The apathy of the voters and the low voter turnout in the past few elections are evidence of this. According to experts, to restore the people's trust in the voting rights, a credible, transparent and participatory electoral system must be ensured.
The participation of government officials and students proves how important such events are in spreading democratic values among the new generation. However, campaigning or formal events alone are not enough; an environment for fair elections must be created.
While the celebration of National Voters' Day is a shining example of people's commitment and awareness towards democracy, it will only be successful when the country's voters can freely exercise their voting rights in a truly democratic environment. Unless real changes are made to establish fair elections and democracy, Voters' Day will remain a mere formality.
