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US mayor sets good example

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-06-11 07:54

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, on a 10-day visit to China, was placed under quarantine in Shanghai on Sunday after a passenger on his flight showed symptoms of A(H1N1) flu. The Chinese media has showered praise on him for the way he accepted the situation, reports the Chongqing Times. Excerpts:

According to media reports, all those put under quarantine in this latest case were economy class passengers, and no one had claimed he was the mayor of New Orleans. Why didn't Nagin disclose his identity when ordered into quarantine? His silence may be attributed to his refusal to see himself as a privileged person who need not submit to routine procedure.

In the US, government officials know how to behave themselves because they are under close public scrutiny. It is common for many officials to travel economy class, for if they choose business class they have to consider how taxpayers would react.

In contrast, many Chinese mayors have squandered public money recklessly when receiving their foreign counterparts on visits to China. The money comes from Chinese taxpayers, but their consent is never sought for such expenditure.

What's more, Nagin accepted the quarantine as he saw himself as an ordinary passenger instead of an official with privileges. His cooperation in submitting to health procedures underscores his belief of all being equal in the matter of rules. He has lived up to the dictum of "when in Rome, do as the Romans do".

(China Daily 06/11/2009 page8)