A healthy democracy is the one that is based on the will of the people. Public participation is crucial to democratic governance. People’s right to participation in polls is important in empowering a political party. Good citizenship entails participating in polls to elect representatives in parliament to be part of the decision-making process. But according to a report published in this newspaper’s yesterday issue, the opposition BNP has launched a campaign to motivate voters to boycott upcoming city polls. Inciting voters to boycott the polls contradicts the values of democracy. The election boycott campaigners do not believe in democracy as a tool for change. They can urge people to cast votes for them. But in no way, they can tell people to boycott polls.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights emphasises that the will of the people is the basis of the authority of government. Respect for human rights and the principle of holding elections are essential elements of democracy. Boycotting strategies tend to derail rather than promote democratisation. The act of inciting voters to boycott the elections is purely anti-democratic. BNP’s strategy of boycotting polls is a defeated strategy. Its result is a failure or political suicide.