Editorial

Voters' right to know

Ensure it to make elections credible
The full implementation of the High Court (HC) verdict on voters' right to know about candidates submitting papers for contesting elections is a universal demand of the citizens in the country at the moment. This demand stems from the fact that country's constitution has safeguarded people's right to information during holding of elections in order to ensure transparency and accountability. According to Section 111 of the constitution, any verdict of the HC can be treated as a law, and according to Section 112 implementation of the HC verdict is mandatory. Only through holding of free and fair elections can our pledge to strengthen democracy and democratic institutions be fulfilled, and it is the solemn responsibility of the incumbent government and office of the Election Commission (EC) to guarantee that such rights are protected.

It goes without saying that the political system of the country has largely fallen into the clutch of a section of people who have questionable antecedents, and who maintain liaison with criminals to climb the ladders of power through terrorising the voters. These people have already done considerable damage to democracy, social order and country's image in the international arena. This was possible because voters did not have any access to information on the unscrupulous people who got elected by them. But this time voters do not want to make the same mistake. Once they would enjoy the right and have access to full information on candidates, it would become difficult for the black money holders to join politics and plunder the exchequer.

We strongly endorse the citizens' demand for immediate implementation of the HC verdict on voters' right to know. The government and the EC should furnish full particulars of the candidates, such as, their social and educational background, sources of earning, assets and property etc., to ensure that honest and competent people get elected to become lawmakers. No doubt, this would be a step forward towards making democracy meaningful in Bangladesh.