EDITORIAL: NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES

By Daily Observer Gambia Editors

Our good friend Musa Bassadi Jawara has given us something rather different to write about this morning. Yesterday, somewhere between Brussels and Washington, at 33,000 feet, he found himself caught up in a medical emergency involving a 75-year-old fellow passenger. It is not every day that an ordinary flight produces such an extraordinary tale. Fortunately, the story appears to have had a happy ending. We congratulate Musa for his concern for a fellow traveller and commend the cabin crew for their part in the episode.

We believe United Airlines should formally recognise Jawara for his actions and the humanity demonstrated during this encounter.

Airlines spend millions of dollars annually advertising their commitment to passenger welfare, customer satisfaction and corporate responsibility. They employ expensive public relations consultants to convince the travelling public that their business is about considerably more than transporting passengers from one airport to another.

Yet here is an opportunity for United Airlines to demonstrate those principles without spending another penny on expensive advertising campaigns. We would encourage its Chief Executive Officer, Scott Kirby, to take a personal interest in Jawara’s account and, once the circumstances have been established, ensure that his contribution receives appropriate recognition. A formal commendation from the airline would be a fitting gesture.

There is also a case for giving this story wider publicity. Newspapers are remarkably generous with their headlines when politicians misbehave, celebrities disgrace themselves or public figures become embroiled in scandal. Yet the decent conduct of ordinary citizens seldom receives comparable attention. One wonders whether we have become so accustomed to reporting human failings that we have forgotten the importance of celebrating human virtues.

For Gambians, there is an additional reason to take pride in this account. Our compatriots abroad are too often noticed only when something goes wrong. Here is a Gambian economist and author whose conduct, as he recounts it, offers a more agreeable picture of our country. Such stories deserve a place in the international press, not as an exercise in national vanity, but because they remind us that a country’s reputation is also shaped by the behaviour of its citizens.

We commend Jawara for his actions and hope the elderly passenger enjoys continued good health. We equally applaud the United Airlines crew for their professionalism. Above all, we hope the airline will recognise that this is one occasion when a simple public acknowledgement may accomplish more than a costly advertising campaign.

Not all heroes wear capes. Some simply happen to be sitting in the right seat when another human being needs them.

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