One serious issue in our society today is the problem of integrity and accountability. The government, Religious community, the constitution and secular society expect our citizens to live that life of integrity and accountability. But for most times people fall short of this expectation. This essay addresses the need for all sundry in this nation to live morally exemplary lives by proving honest, prudent, transparent and accountable to all citizens.
Integrity is the quality of being honest, morally and spiritually upright in character. It is the desire to do the right thing and to adhere to and live up to set values and expectations. It is the state of being sound and morally principled. It implies sincerity and observance of high standard of ethics. Integrity is the bedrock, the major fundamental basis for human and societal interaction and relationship. If integrity is soiled once with a mere drop of stain for lack of honesty like cheating or lack of transparency it may be difficult to remove the stain.
By definition, a public official is a person holding an office and position of authority. A public official may remain just a public official i.e. he may hold an office, but whether he can be and effective leader depends on whether he maintains highest ethical and moral standards. An effective leader is someone who himself practices and thus inculcates in his followers, rules, conforming to the standards of conduct of his profession. .
An official has to deal with people all the time with respect to jobs being done. Also, he has to lead a team of members or an office in the process. All the people who deal with him, whether those working under him or the common people, look up to him. He has responsibilities that he has to fulfill. Such official needs to be exemplary by setting moral standards. This is because a good leader should act as a motivator and the best motivation to adhere to rules and regulations can be provided by a leader if he practices the regulations himself.
