'The voting right'

A section of the educated mass have a false sense of superiority, just by virtue of their academic qualification. Because of their snobbish blindness, they fail to realise that only formal education doesn't make one politically conscious, nor do they understand that political and social awareness can be evident in an uneducated person. "Uneducated are ignorants", that's how the 'educated' categorise others, as if their petty knowledge about economics, political science or international relations has made them truly enlightened and thus superior to the rest of the society.

However, it is the 'ignorant' mass that come to the streets in times of need. They give away their lives for the educated to thrive on. From the Language Movement in 1952 to the Asia Energy movement in 2006, the 'unaware' people have sacrificed their blood just for the sake of democracy, people's right and empowerment. Who will ever forget Noor Hossain, was he 'ignorant' or 'unaware'? What about the people killed in Kansat, how many economists or political scientists were there?

And lastly, the crown of the most corrupt nation in the world -- is it due to the unawareness of the uneducated mass or due to the unscrupulous avarice of the 'enlightened' educated mass ?

I won't say the educated people have not sacrificed for the country. The students in particular have always responded to the call of the nation, the majority of the educated people are patriotic and politically conscious. But any attempt to disenfranchise the uneducated yet conscious people or creating a barrier for them to vote in the national elections will be antithetical to the essence of democracy. Because the first and foremost pillar of democracy is the universal voting right for all the adult citizens, irrespective of their education and social or economic status.

The people of Bangladesh have always taken the right decision in the elections, despite their lack of formal education, and I'm sure they will continue to be equally prudent in doing so in future.