Refrain from hoarding

In a period of crisis what is needed most is a considerate approach with emphasis on collective survival instead of individual protection. In that spirit, the government has called on the people to buy the necessary items as per need and refrain from panic stockpiling which may result in market shortage, leading to artificial price hike. The country is currently under coronavirus lockdown with the next ten days staying in this situation unless things improve. At such a juncture, the people living in the cities have gone into a buying frenzy, fearing a shortage of products in the market. Such a mad rush to buy essentials plus the tendency to hoard can have several negative consequences, first of which is a dent in the morale of the nation.

There is a crisis which affects the world and since Bangladesh has also seen death from coronavirus, it’s natural that there will be precautions and safety measures everywhere. While we need to safeguard ourselves and take necessary measures to minimize risks, it has to be kept in mind that society is not about one family or person but about people from different social and financial backgrounds. The callous act of emptying shelves only prove that living in a consumerism driven society, our humane ideals have been banished. One has to live and create a space so others can also live. Reportedly, there are 17lakh metric tonnes (MT) of food grains in government warehouses alone. The amount of wheat is 3.5 lakh MT while private rice-millers have huge stock in addition to the stock of big farmers. With the current reserve, the country has the capability to procure food for the next one year.

With a pervasive feeling of unease, the government is also monitoring the market since profiteers may emerge to manipulate the crisis to make a quick buck. The law has already punished several pharmacies for selling hand sanitisers at inflated rates and such surveillance should also extend to the kitchen markets and super shops. In a time of crisis, the main social credo has to be laced with compassion, not selfishness. We may be isolated physically, the spirit and the mind is free to interact with others to share ideas, messages of comfort and courage. In testing times, humane values should come to the fore not predatory ones. Let’s face the tribulation with a considerate feeling for others.

 

Refrain from hoarding

In a period of crisis what is needed most is a considerate approach with emphasis on collective survival instead of individual protection. In that spirit, the government has called on the people to buy the necessary items as per need and refrain from panic stockpiling which may result in market shortage, leading to artificial price hike. The country is currently under coronavirus lockdown with the next ten days staying in this situation unless things improve. At such a juncture, the people living in the cities have gone into a buying frenzy, fearing a shortage of products in the market. Such a mad rush to buy essentials plus the tendency to hoard can have several negative consequences, first of which is a dent in the morale of the nation. There is a crisis which affects the world and since Bangladesh has also seen death from coronavirus, its natural that there will be precautions and safety measures everywhere. While we need to safeguard ourselves and take necessary measures to minimize risks, it has to be kept in mind that society is not about one family or person but about people from different social and financial backgrounds. The callous act of emptying shelves only prove that living in a consumerism driven society, our humane ideals have been banished. One has to live and create a space so others can also live. Reportedly, there are 17lakh metric tonnes (MT) of food grains in government warehouses alone. The amount of wheat is 3.5 lakh MT while private rice-millers have huge stock in addition to the stock of big farmers. With the current reserve, the country has the capability to procure food for the next one year. With a pervasive feeling of unease, the government is also monitoring the market since profiteers may emerge to manipulate the crisis to make a quick buck. The law has already punished several pharmacies for selling hand sanitisers at inflated rates and such surveillance should also extend to the kitchen markets and super shops. In a time of crisis, the main social credo has to be laced with compassion, not selfishness. We may be isolated physically, the spirit and the mind is free to interact with others to share ideas, messages of comfort and courage. In testing times, humane values should come to the fore not predatory ones. Lets face the tribulation with a considerate feeling for others.