I claim to be no more than an average man with less than average ability. I am not a visionary. I claim to be a practical idealist. Nor can I claim any special merit for what I have been able to achieve with laborious research. I have not the shadow of a doubt that any man or woman can achieve what I have, if he or she would make the same effort and cultivate the same hope and faith.
Gandhi
Last week’s column on `Ministerial accountability and the public interest’ created quite a stir from the bloggers some of whom sought to attack me personally instead of dealing with the issues I have raised. My message was, however, a simple one. Elected officials must uphold the highest standards of integrity, morality, ethics and discipline in public life since citizens look upon them as role models.
Accountability is not only about maintaining books of account and having a clean audit report. It also exists between the elected and the electorate, the former having the obligation to account to the latter for not only the way they manage the affairs of the State but also the way they carry themselves. Elected public officials must conduct themselves in a manner befitting of their high offices. They are the servants of the people. They must display humility, as opposed to arrogance, even in the face of severe criticisms
