PM sets an example from the top

By a single gesture Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has made a strong statement of propriety, respect for others and nearness to people. She has put forward a useful message to organisers of events by setting aside a flashy, ornate and throne-height chair reserved for her in preference to the type others sat on at the inaugural of the SME Financing Fair on Tuesday. We thank her for her thoughtful act of conscientious self-effacement. A Prime Minister is prime minister no matter whether she sits on a big or small chair or fanfare accompanies her or not. The moral needs to catch on amidst our elitist frills.
In our rather sycophantic political, administrative and management culture, oversized decorative chairs have come to be regarded as status symbol and, therefore, an ungainly ubiquitous feature in public functions. That this is rather discriminatory and an anathema to a democratic psyche seems to slip through the indifference of the system. Their sensibilities thickening people in high places tend to accept it as something of a norm being habitually oblivious of the unwholesome effect it could have on the other guests on the podium, especially the audience. But the organisers are to blame for it in no small measure as well.
The Prime Minister, we think, has made a point whose significance should transcend the event. The underlying message that comes through her gesture is that it shouldn't be one-off but something that ought to be followed through. We would urge the PM to issue formal instructions to all concerned that she should be provided with no different chair than what others will be in official and public functions she would have consented to attend. She has already indicated her choice and led by example. Replicated on a wide scale, the high and noble sprit of her gesture can be truly lived up to. What is furthermore important is the adoption of a general attitude of austerity reflected through the policies of the government.