No ‘honourable’ tag for chief, secretary in this municipality

Thiruvananthapuram: In a pioneering initiative, Chittur-Thathamangalam municipality in Palakkad has decided to stop using the honorific "honourable" before the names of its chairman and secretary. The LDF govt had recently refused to remove the honorific, though it said there was no law requiring it to be used before elected representatives.The newly elected municipality chairman, Sumesh Achuthan of the Congress, said the decision was based on the belief that honours and titles that citizens did not get in a democracy were not necessary for public servants too. "By removing the term ‘honourable,' which creates a divide between citizens, we aim to ensure equality, dignity and civil rights for every citizen of Chittur as guaranteed by the Constitution," he said. The decision will be soon presented in the council and ratified. The municipality will also not use the honorific in its documents and letters to the govt. "Someone should make a beginning. Citizens should not think they are below anyone," said Sumesh, son of former Chittur MLA K Achuthan.Human rights activist Boban Mattumantha said our govt systems operated without recognising that people were the ultimate authority in a democracy. "Chittur-Thathamangalam municipality intends to correct this. When respect is documented in govt notices, plaques and official letters, it serves as a reminder of authority, creating an impression that public servants must be respected and honoured. Such usage of titles is a remnant of royal and colonial rule," he said."Terms like ‘his majesty,' ‘your highness,' used as forms of address, disappeared with the end of monarchy, but the tradition did not. Through the gaps in democracy, new titles were introduced for modern-day rulers. Public representatives and officials became honourable, revered and respected. The term ‘honourable' found its way into official documents and inscriptions with a bit more prominence. While ‘his majesty' was limited to one person, 'honourable' spread wide, including many people holding positions in the bureaucracy and elected govt," he said.In response to an RTI request from Mattumantha, the state govt had said the honorific was intended to respect the position and not the person and that it was part of basic courtesy in a democracy. Mattumantha said other local bodies should emulate such initiatives. Mathur panchayat in Palakkad already did away with the practice of using ‘sir' and ‘madam' in its offices.