The Civic Duties and Responsibility
Salleri, Solukhumbu
2070/09/09
Dear Anjana,
I am fine here and hope you are also fine over there. It is very cold here, so cold that we don’t feel like going out unless we have urgent work. It sometimes feels that the promising heat in Nepalgunj is rather tolerable than the chilling cold here. However, nothing can be done against the whim of nature.
I am glad to receive your letter that you have written to me after a long gap. I read and reread it because you have detailed everything you have achieved. You said you had stood first in a regional elocution competition. Your dedication, your teachers’ guidance and the inspiring environment of the school are what made it possible.
I know you grumble why you did not get the amount that was mentioned in the announcement. It is natural for one who is not fully aware of the rules and regulations of the country. Many people like you have been stranded in the same condition.
Remember, what you did not get was the tax, and the cash in hand was yours. It is the citizen’s duty to pay tax. Taxation is almost a universal system in which a certain amount from the given income is paid to the government of the country. It results in a benefit to us as well as to the state- the state invests the collected amount in its development work, which cannot be imagined if we don’t pay the tax to the nation. However, you are too small to understand all this.
Nature also teaches us why we should pay the tax. Water in the sea evaporates and goes up to the sky to become a cloud. Then, it condenses into the water and comes back to the same sea. There would have been no rain if the sea had not evaporated and no sea or ocean would have been possible. Same is the process of paying tax that ultimately benefits us. So, don't forget the fact that we will have to pay the tax for the income that you make in the days to come. It is, therefore, a legal responsibility of a citizen to pay the tax. You had better not grumble on what you have paid, and think instead that you have done two good jobs- one, you perform a legal responsibility and the other, you contribute for the betterment of the country itself.
A country cannot run without laws. Therefore, it has to pass law and enforce it for good governance. Like a house, which does not run without certain rules and regulations, the country obviously cannot run without laws. We feel secure with their protection. A law keeps dual power- it confines us if we defy it and gives us freedom, if we follow the path, it is directed to us. Remember that the law never misleads us.
Laws vary according to the situation of a country. The variation depends upon the behavioral pattern of the people living in a country and it depends upon the government system. For example, a country undergoing conflict may require relatively strict law. Therefore, it will be beneficial for a citizen to be aware of the fundamental law of his or her country. It will also grant his or her rights. Law is considered as an organ of the state. The state goes lame if it has a deficient organ or has no organ at all. That is why a country must have laws. Fellow citizens must be aware of it and should implement it.
A country undergoes periodical elections that nominate candidates. It is our vote that determines their victory or their defeat- if we vote for the right candidate, we will do good to everyone but our wrong choice will cost everyone adversely. Law has given us the right to choose the right candidate. We want a true representative to be
in the decision-making body, be it at the local level or in the central level. If so, we must cast the vote. It is a self-evaluation to be able to choose the right person as our representative. To stay passive doesn’t mean that you are abiding by the law or doing your duty, it is also our duty to take care of the public property scattering around the country, it is
our duty to protect and preserve the historical as well as religious places in and around our locality. Sometimes, there can be a crime in the society and a criminal can take shelter there. In this case, we should inform the concerned authority about the crime and the criminal- it is our legal responsibility.
The Constitutional body consists of the representatives whom we have chosen through voting. They propose and pass the law and it is the law that should be obeyed by everyone. If everyone obeys it sincerely, the country can be strong, and it is what we all want. You too, can build a strong nation if you pay the tax, exercise the right to vote, and help in good governance.
Chhori, tell your classmates what I have written to you, for sharing becomes fruitful to both- speaker and listener. I will explain to you more about it when you come home on vacation. By the way, excel your academics and keep on writing to me.
Hoping to get a reply.
Your loving father,
Vishal
SUMMARY
A state needs various laws for its good governance and thus formulates a code of laws and enforces them. It is the citizens’ duty to respect them and to follow them, too. Laws grant the rights and security to the citizens and empower the state. Similarly, our duty comprises paying tax, exercising the right to vote and assisting the government to maintain social security and peace. If we perform our duty sincerely, we can have a strong nation that equally means to have strong citizens.