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A photograph that shows some railway staffers helping passengers get into a train through the windows cost two station managers their jobs. Last Thursday, some 1,500 passengers waited at Dongguan railway station in Guangdong province to board a train, which was scheduled to stop there for only 4 minutes. When some of them tried to get into the carriages through the windows, some staffers gave them a helping hand. After seeing the photographs on Internet websites, the Guangdong Railway Group sacked the station's director and Party chief for "poor management of the station". The decision triggered a debate both on the Net and in the traditional media. While 90 percent of the respondents in online surveys have sympathized with the sacked officials, the commentaries focus on whether they deserved the punishment. Most of the commentators agree with the Guangdong Railway Group that the "chaotic state at the station" suggests the station managers had been negligent and were incapable of handling situations, though they acknowledge the "kindness" of the railway staff. In my opinion, the fact that so many people have sympathized with the sacked officials - when usually the public exults at news of officials being punished - deserves more attention than whether the managers deserved the punishment. In the Dongguan incident, railway employees showed concern for the passengers, most of who were migrant workers. It is inconsistent with the stereotyped image of employees of government organizations or certain State-owned enterprises that enjoy monopoly. In people's impressions, such employees are usually arrogant and indifferent. | 
