Answer:

Ethics is based on adherence to the universal moral principles of honesty, integrity, promise keeping, loyalty, fairness, caring and respect for others, law abidingness, pursuit of excellence and accountability. There are two vital steps to ethics: knowing what is right and doing it. In the real world of politics, both are difficult.

• Politics and those engaged in it, play a vital role in the legislative and executive wings of the State. The members of the ruling party, having the majority, push through various policy initiatives, which are formulated by the Cabinet, having planned within the respective ministries after consultation with affected interests or concerned communities.
• Hence, they decide the course of government and design the welfare agenda for the nation. Due to the vastness of responsibilities, coding an ethical framework for them become difficult as many functions are done at their discretion and all cannot be coded.
• Hence, presently the Laws and rules are applicable when they concern the use of public funds, property, facilities and influence, and in safeguarding the independence of public officials by specifying unacceptable forms of conflict of interest.
• However, Laws are needed to establish minimum norms of behavior, clarify the responsibilities, and prevent abuse of public office.
• Referring to such laws and rules as ‘ethics laws’ or ‘ethical standards’, however, is misleading and counter-productive. Misleading because the laws deal only with a narrow spectrum of ethical issues facing professionals in the public sector; counter-productive because it invites those subject to the regulations to treat the minimalist laws as standards of ethical propriety. Hence, designing an ethical framework for politicians is a difficult task.

• To improve the ethical quality of government, there is a need to acknowledge the limited role of laws and more important the role of character and commitment of an individual.