The valuable assets of every state are honest, competent and principled citizens. The structure of a state depends on the behavior and nature of its citizens. The progress of the state requires citizens who are fully aware of their rights and duties. Therefore, it is the sacred duty of every citizen to know about his rights and duties. Only full knowledge and awareness about these can lead a state to its desired goal.
★Definition of a citizen:
In general, those who live in a city are called citizens. But at the present time the concept of citizen has gained much popularity. Citizens are no longer just city dwellers. Everyone who lives in a country is a citizen of that country. In ancient times, city-dwellers were considered citizens only because the states were city-centered. At present, a citizen is a person who shows loyalty to a particular territory, performs the duties and responsibilities imposed on him and enjoys fair privileges.
★Good citizen:
A person with the necessary qualities for the welfare of the state and humanity is called a good citizen. Good citizens are valuable assets for every state. Good citizens have many qualities. Wisdom, conscience, self-control, knowledge, awareness, honesty, justice are some of them. The good citizen serves the state through these qualities and helps the state to reach the desired destination.
★Rights and Duties:
Rights refer to the freedom to act as you wish. But rights do not mean arbitrariness. The right is the freedom to do as you wish without violating the freedom of others. Duties, on the other hand, are certain responsibilities imposed or voluntarily performed by the state that benefit the state and the people. The difference between rights and duties is that a citizen can claim his rights from the state. On the other hand, the state can demand from the citizen to perform his duties.
★Civil Rights:
The rights that citizens can claim from the state as legal residents are civil rights. Professor Lasky, the famous sociologist, said that rights are all those conditions (opportunities) of social life without which man cannot realize his personality. The development of civil life is facilitated through the availability of rights. Civil rights can be divided into two main parts.
Namely-
1. Moral rights and
2. Legal rights.
Legal rights can again be divided into three parts. Namely:
a) social rights,
b) political rights,
c) economic rights.
Civil rights are discussed below-
★Social rights:
Social rights are the opportunities that citizens need to live a decent life in society.
The social rights of the citizens are:
* Right to life
* Right to move
* Right to enjoy property
* Right to contract
* Religious rights
* Right to form family
* Right to fame etc.
By ensuring these social rights, the state helps in the smooth development of civic life.
★Political rights:
The extent of a citizen's participation in state affairs depends on the extent of his political rights. Political rights create opportunities for citizens to participate in the work of the state. In a state where political rights are more widespread, citizens have more opportunities to participate in state affairs.
The political rights of the citizens of the state are-
* Right to vote
* Right to appeal
* Right to criticize the government
* Right to security while abroad
* Right to live permanently etc.
Through these rights, the state provides citizens with the opportunity to participate in state affairs.
★Economic rights:
Economic rights are the rights granted by the state for the economic prosperity and better living of the citizens.
Economic rights are-
* Right to work
* Right to fair wages
* Right to leave
* Right to workers' organization etc.
Economic rights provide the economic security of a citizen's life. Through this right, the citizen leads his life in the path of better life.
★Civic Duties:
The citizen becomes responsible for certain tasks while enjoying the rights granted by the state. These responsibilities towards the state are called duties by the citizens. By performing their duties, they work for the welfare of the civil society and the state.
The duties of a citizen can be divided into two parts. Namely:
1. Moral duty
2. Legal duty.
The duties which a citizen is driven by his sense of principle are called moral duties. The duties prescribed by the laws of the state which are essential for the citizen to perform are called legal duties. The duties of a citizen towards the state are to obey the law, to show allegiance to the state, to select eligible candidates by exercising the right to vote, to pay taxes, to provide good education to the children, to serve the state, etc.
★Rights and Duties of Citizens in the Constitution:
The Constitution of Bangladesh has fully guaranteed the fundamental rights of citizens. At the same time, the direction of the duty of the citizen towards the state has also been given. In this case, religion, caste or any other obstacle will not create discrimination in the realization of the rights of citizens. Articles 26 to 48 (a) of the Constitution of Bangladesh fully guarantee the rights of citizens. Notable among these are: equality before the law, equality of opportunity in government employment, right to legal protection, freedom of movement, freedom of association, freedom of thought and conscience, freedom of religion, etc. The civic duties mentioned in it are- to obey the constitution and law, to maintain discipline, to perform civic duties, to protect national property and to try to serve the people at all times. The Constitution of Bangladesh has fully guaranteed the rights and duties of the citizens. Through which full development of civic life is possible.
★Ways to be a good citizen:
In order to be a good citizen, a citizen must first acquire the qualities of truthfulness and justice. One of the best qualities of a good citizen is patriotism. You cannot be a good citizen without patriotism. A good citizen should not be confined to the borders of his own state. He must be a world citizen. To be a good citizen is to accept sacrifice. He will be ready to risk his life for the country and the nation. The good citizen must be wise, responsible and have good character. In order to acquire these qualities of a good citizen, one has to be educated in justice and patriotism from an early age. A citizen will acquire good qualities through his own pursuit and conscious supervision. In this way a citizen can become a good citizen.
★Responsibility of the citizen towards the state:
Just as the state has fully guaranteed the rights of the citizen, the citizen has to fulfill some responsibilities while enjoying these rights. Good relations between citizens and the state are established through the realization of rights and responsibilities. Citizens should always be aware of the overall development of the state. A competent and responsible citizen can play the greatest role for the development and prosperity of the state. For this the citizen should be well educated, responsible and aware of the problems of the state. Citizens will be world citizens in his mind. But he has to be inspired by nationalist consciousness. We have to work for the welfare of the state by eliminating the narrow factions. Citizens need to be strong in morality, avoid narrow-mindedness and be open-minded. Above all, the purpose of all the activities of the citizens will be for the welfare of the state and its citizens.
★Recommendation:
It is often seen that the state deprives the citizens of their rights and obstructs the realization of the rights of the citizens. It is also seen that the citizen is not able to perform the desired duty due to his own ignorance and indifference. Therefore, the following steps can be taken for the full realization of rights and the involvement of citizens in the performance of their duties.
- To make strict laws for the implementation of rights.
- To make the citizen aware of his rights.
- Promoting the rights and duties of citizens in textbooks, media etc.
- Maintain good relations between the state and the citizens.
- The state must be aware and sincere for the full implementation of rights and duties.
It can be said that the implementation of the rights and duties of the citizens is very important for the management of the state and for the welfare of the people. For this, the state has to take the role of supervisor with full responsibility. Besides, the citizens have to be developed as competent, honest and aware. Only then will the citizen be able to realize his rights and play a role for the welfare of the state.
