COMMENT | Let’s not let our freedoms backslide

COMMENT | On Monday, my heart swelled with pride as I saw junior contract doctors stand up for their rights to express themselves by participating in a brief strike action called by the Hartal Doktor Kontrak (HDK).

Here were government contract doctors at around 20 hospitals carrying out mass walkouts in a nationwide strike to demand job security and better career opportunities. What’s more, many turned out despite facing intimidation from their superiors threatening to take disciplinary action against them.

The striking doctors also went to great pains to ensure that the care of hospital patients was not jeopardised in any way with guidelines for participants assigned to critical care departments that they should only walk out at 11am after "pass-over", or transfer of duties, to the permanent doctor on duty.

Now before we go any further, let’s be very clear about this – the strike action would not have happened if our society was structured in a way that junior people can express criticism and suggest improvements in their respective fields without their seniors feeling threatened and overreacting.

These were frontliners, brave individuals who have been risking their lives daily in one of the most important battles we will ever know – that of the deadly Covid-19 pandemic.

They did try to raise their grievances through proper channels repeatedly but felt they were brushed off and being treated unfairly. So what other choice did they have other than a public protest?

This was no fiery demonstration but an orderly one as doctors, clad largely in black and carrying placards and posters, left their respective health facilities in...