Power and privilege

Once trucks were the kings of the road. Not because these vehicles enjoyed the regal privileges like those of the very important persons (VIPs), but because they had an unwritten approval of leaving a trail of death and destruction on their way. Now public buses have taken the role of accomplishing that job but without the aura of royalty (!). Bus accidents have become too frequent to shock people as much as these should do.
However, if a worthy successor of trucks has to be selected, the double-decker buses maybe a suitable candidate. But the candidates are a particular breed among the large behemoths. With a coat of red all over, these buses ferry university students from several areas of the capital to their universities such as Dhaka university or Jagannath university and back to the starting points.
These buses have been behaving like the kings on the road. When tailbacks force passengers of public buses and other vehicles to silently suffer the ordeal of delay, heat, nauseous smell from exhaust fumes combined together, the double-deckers carrying varsity students come lumbering on the wrong side of the road. Sometimes a few of the more enthusiasts among the young passengers get down to take the responsibility of guiding the vehicles in order to make their way.
Usually, the traffic police including the sergeants turn a blind eye to the violation of traffic rule by these buses. After all, they bear the brand name of the country's premier university or a college-turned university. Recently, however, things took a nasty turn when a police sergeant of traffic division tried to stop such a bus from taking the wrong side. He was manhandled by a few unruly students.
This prompted the Dhaka university authority to announce that if any bus of the university fleet is found violating the traffic rule in the manner those were habituated to, the route would be cancelled. This means no university bus will be permitted to operate on that route.
Now the question is, why did the students consider themselves above law? That they were not only  entitled to run their buses on the wrong side but also take law into their own hands if a traffic sergeant tried to stop them was the line of thought. Have not they taken the cue from the VIPs who feel no qualms about driving on the wrong side of the road? Power has to be followed by privileges. Or, why are they different from the run of the mill?
Such flagrant display of power in broad daylight can encourage others to use their collective power. The very thought that enrolment with a university is a distinctive quality and it should be used in order to enjoy privilege cannot be ruled out. 'If the men in the corridor of power can make the most of their position, so can we' -runs the thought process.
This is a dangerous mentality. Power is not for treating others disdainfully; rather it should be humbling enough. The VIPs are setting a bad example for the young generations. Money and power must be used discreetly or their corrupting influences can prove ruinous.