Calling officials ‘sir’ as a requirement is ‘dangerous’, says Zahed Ur Rahman

Calling government officials ‘sir’ is a personal choice, but turning it into a requirement is ‘very dangerous’, said Prime Minister’s Information and Broadcasting Adviser Dr Zahed Ur Rahman.

He made the remarks in response to a journalist’s question about whether government officials, from doctors to Ansar personnel, should be addressed as ‘sir’.

“Anyone can call someone ‘sir’; there is no problem with that. But it has been turned into something like a requirement. That is very dangerous.”

Dr Zahed made the comments during his weekly briefing at the Secretariat on Tuesday (September 15).

He said there had previously been incidents where people faced negative reactions at government offices for not addressing officials as ‘sir’, with some such practices even being communicated at the ministry level.

“A long time ago, when we used to follow the news, we saw incidents where people faced reactions in some offices simply because they did not say ‘sir’. There were even instances where such instructions were announced at the ministry level.”

The adviser said efforts should be made to change such practices, but noted that simply introducing a legal prohibition might not eliminate the underlying problem. He called for continued discussion and a gradual change in attitudes toward how citizens interact with government officials.

“We should try to implement this. But let me point out one thing. Suppose you make a law saying that ‘sir’ cannot be used. At the end of the day, if the person in charge is dissatisfied with you and links that dissatisfaction to whether or not you receive a service, that problem will still remain. This discussion should continue. Hopefully, people's mindset will gradually change. I hope this practice will change.”