Do politicians need a code of conduct?
Saturday, 13 September 2008
Dr. Mohammed Hossain
AN article on the above-captioned issue was published by the Canadian Journal of Political Science 23 years ago. It presents an interesting reading.
Michael M. Atkinson and Maureen Mancuso, two researchers of McMaster University and Oxford University, interviewed 84 backbench MPs for the write-up -- "Do we need a code of conduct for politicians, or are the existing unwritten rules a sufficient safeguard against acts of political malfeasance"?
The study revealed a considerable disagreement in assessments of particular acts, notably those involving conflicts of interest and constituency service.
Differences among MPs are related to a number of factors including partisanship, political experience and spatial cleavages. Such divisions of opinion belie the presence of a single elite political culture of corruption and underline the need for a code of conduct to clarify and augment the unwritten rules as they exist. That's why Dr Simon Longstaff of St James Ethics Centre commented, "We want politicians who see engagement in public life as a vocation and not just a game. We want politicians who will speak the truth - even when it harms them to do so. We want politicians who respect us as citizens and not just as voters." Most important thing is politicians must be honest in their dealings and should not intentionally mislead parliament or the public.
Politicians in Bangladesh also need to behave in same manner for the best interest of the public as well as the nation.
Australian Democratic party web site www.democrats.org.au show how can a code of conduct help the ministers or members of parliament perform their duties. It argues that a code of conduct would:
* clarify what is required of parliamentarians in the exercise of their duties;
* act as a public statement of the minimum standards of behaviour that the public and the media can and should insist upon;
* establish the Office of Commissioner for Ministerial and Parliamentary Ethics to enforce the Code; and
* allow any breaches of the Code to be reported to parliament by the Commissioner along with any appropriate disciplinary recommendations.
It spells out duties of the parliamentarians and calls for the establishment of regulatory body who can enforce the code. The establishment of a code is an important step towards increasing openness and accountability in political parties and government processes. The politicians need to acknowledge that the restoration of their credibility needs greater professionalism, is about personal honour and of profound importance to proper functioning of our representative government. Voters and taxpayers who elect politicians to office and pay the salaries should be able to feel confident that their elected officials will function judiciously and with moral responsibility while serving their constituency. The politicians in Bangladesh need to address the above issues and function accordingly.
We have to respect our value, people, and country. In all our professional works, we have to follow moral and ethical values. A code can not be a solution but can a guide. However, a written code of conduct provides clear ethical guidelines for everyone. Every profession has a code of conduct.
Politics is a good and honourable profession with an unwritten code of conduct that would make a politician proud.
Preston (1998) argued that codes are effective means leading to the adoption of other helpful and essential ethics stratagems, a package of measures supportive of politicians. The development of code for politicians involves a long process.
Now is the time to start a code of ethics or conduct for politicians. A codes may help resist unethical pressures they face.
Politicians must think about this issue to establish a high standard for themselves and for the next generation of politicians of Bangladesh. Otherwise, just as, bad money drives good money out of circulation, similarly good politicians could be thrown out by bad politicians.
The writer lives in Qatar
AN article on the above-captioned issue was published by the Canadian Journal of Political Science 23 years ago. It presents an interesting reading.
Michael M. Atkinson and Maureen Mancuso, two researchers of McMaster University and Oxford University, interviewed 84 backbench MPs for the write-up -- "Do we need a code of conduct for politicians, or are the existing unwritten rules a sufficient safeguard against acts of political malfeasance"?
The study revealed a considerable disagreement in assessments of particular acts, notably those involving conflicts of interest and constituency service.
Differences among MPs are related to a number of factors including partisanship, political experience and spatial cleavages. Such divisions of opinion belie the presence of a single elite political culture of corruption and underline the need for a code of conduct to clarify and augment the unwritten rules as they exist. That's why Dr Simon Longstaff of St James Ethics Centre commented, "We want politicians who see engagement in public life as a vocation and not just a game. We want politicians who will speak the truth - even when it harms them to do so. We want politicians who respect us as citizens and not just as voters." Most important thing is politicians must be honest in their dealings and should not intentionally mislead parliament or the public.
Politicians in Bangladesh also need to behave in same manner for the best interest of the public as well as the nation.
Australian Democratic party web site www.democrats.org.au show how can a code of conduct help the ministers or members of parliament perform their duties. It argues that a code of conduct would:
* clarify what is required of parliamentarians in the exercise of their duties;
* act as a public statement of the minimum standards of behaviour that the public and the media can and should insist upon;
* establish the Office of Commissioner for Ministerial and Parliamentary Ethics to enforce the Code; and
* allow any breaches of the Code to be reported to parliament by the Commissioner along with any appropriate disciplinary recommendations.
It spells out duties of the parliamentarians and calls for the establishment of regulatory body who can enforce the code. The establishment of a code is an important step towards increasing openness and accountability in political parties and government processes. The politicians need to acknowledge that the restoration of their credibility needs greater professionalism, is about personal honour and of profound importance to proper functioning of our representative government. Voters and taxpayers who elect politicians to office and pay the salaries should be able to feel confident that their elected officials will function judiciously and with moral responsibility while serving their constituency. The politicians in Bangladesh need to address the above issues and function accordingly.
We have to respect our value, people, and country. In all our professional works, we have to follow moral and ethical values. A code can not be a solution but can a guide. However, a written code of conduct provides clear ethical guidelines for everyone. Every profession has a code of conduct.
Politics is a good and honourable profession with an unwritten code of conduct that would make a politician proud.
Preston (1998) argued that codes are effective means leading to the adoption of other helpful and essential ethics stratagems, a package of measures supportive of politicians. The development of code for politicians involves a long process.
Now is the time to start a code of ethics or conduct for politicians. A codes may help resist unethical pressures they face.
Politicians must think about this issue to establish a high standard for themselves and for the next generation of politicians of Bangladesh. Otherwise, just as, bad money drives good money out of circulation, similarly good politicians could be thrown out by bad politicians.
The writer lives in Qatar