MD. Noor Hamza Peash

Ethics in public life simply means the moral values that govern leaders, officials, and institutions towards improving the common good. Public service ethics guarantees integrity, transparency, accountability, and fairness. Ethical conduct instills confidence between citizens and government, enhances respect for the rule of law, and guarantees justice. Governance is un-ethical when corrupt, unfair, and non-performing. Ethics is thus crucial in guaranteeing democracy, guaranteeing policies are fair, and maintaining the confidence of the people in government institutions.

Bangladesh's liberation in 1971 was built on moral foundations of justice, equality, and good governance. The dream was that of a corruption-free, people-oriented democracy. Political instability, coups, and authoritarianism undermined the moral framework over the years. Scandals of abuse of power, rigging of elections, and bureaucratic corruption have been shaking public trust again and again. Attempts at reform apart, the distance between ideals of liberation and reality of governance persists. This historical change points out the pressing need to recover ethics in politics and in public administration.

Bangladesh has been witnessing chronic intensification of corruption in the political, administrative, law enforcement, and business fields. Bribery, embezzlement of state funds, procurement corruption, and recruitment and licencing transparency deficits are the order of the day. These tendencies undermine institutional integrity and public trust in government. When leaders and authorities operate above the law, trust in the people is eroded, democratic values are lost, and a culture of impunity prevails that threatens effective and ethical leadership.

It is morally wrong and undermines democratic institutions by negating transparency, impartiality, and the rule of law. When accountability tools like audits, independent audit institutions, or the judiciary are manipulated, misconduct becomes unchecked. It discourages citizen participation since citizens lose confidence in the electoral process and governance systems. A lack of good ethics in public life contributes to the disillusionment of voters, civil unrest, and the decay of democratic values ultimately challenged by the validity of the state itself.

Bangladeshi bureaucrats are frequently faced with ethical decisions between political allegiance and their professional obligation to serve the people fairly. Nepotism and discriminatory decision-making are generated by pressure to favor some individuals or groups. It is responsible for tardy justice, discriminatory distribution of resources, and abuse of authority for personal or political purpose. Such disputes should undermine the integrity of public service, undermine trust in institutions, and impair good governance, since the officials grapple between compliance and adherence to ethical standards that safeguard the rights and interests of citizens.

The political parties promote moral degradation by perpetuating partisanship, nepotism, and intraparty factionalism. Excessive competition ensures party interest takes precedence over public interest, whereas nepotism eliminates merit-based decision-making. Shortage of intraparty democracy handicaps transparency and stifles dissent, enabling unethical practices to remain unmonitored. Abuse of political power for partisan or personal ends like dominance of appointments, tenders, or the police also erodes people's trust. They undermine democratic culture and weaken the moral basis of political leadership.

Independent journalism, social media, and whistleblowers play the most important role in exposing unethical practice in public life by revealing corruption, misuse of power, and policy failure. They are watchdogs that hold institutions accountable and create social awareness. However, problems such as media bias, political interference, paid news, and mounting censorship tend to undermine good reporting. Whistleblowers are most likely to be intimidated, lose their jobs, or be prosecuted. These obstacles undermine the efficacy of ethical oversight and highlight the calls for increased protection and autonomy of the media.

Youths in Bangladesh increasingly feel that ethics is secondary to success, and thus self-enhancement is more important than integrity. Further cases of dishonesty in education like question paper leaks, examination dishonesty, and half-marks all indicate in this direction. Career prospects further intensify the pressure to forsake ethical principles, as graduates have fewer opportunities. This ethical crisis compromises confidence in institutions of learning and encourages cynicism. Unless youth are imbued with values of honesty, fairness, and accountability, the foundations of ethical public life and future leadership can be lost forever.

Moral values of Bangladesh are traditionally imparted through religion, culture, and education. Moral values are imparted by religious centers and families with the highest priority, but their effectiveness is weakening in the face of social change and material constraints. Schools hardly impart ethics at any level in their curriculum and have more of a focus on memorization than on moral development. Thus, most young people grow up with little hands-on guidance on integrity, empathy, and civic engagement. A robust ethical education in all these institutions is central to developing a more ethically aware and responsible society.

In Bangladesh, popular sentiment regarding inappropriate behavior in general has become more lenient, and most inappropriate behavior is viewed as natural or inevitable. Social media platforms tend to blow their tops over corruption or impropriety but can typically not produce prolonged civic activism or the call for accountability. Public apathy, fear of retaliation, and mistrust of institutional recourse account for much of this disparity. As unethical behavior becomes normalized, societal standards decline, weakening the collective will to challenge wrongdoing and uphold moral responsibility in public life.

Ethical governance is the key to restoring people's confidence and consolidating governance in Bangladesh. Ethics training must be made institutional within the civil service, judiciary, and police to raise integrity, impartiality, and accountability levels. Declaration of assets, conflict of interest, and public procurement legislation reform is a matter of urgency. Transparency in elections and enabling anti-corruption agencies will offer public scrutiny. Unless there is institutional reform and moral basis, public institutions will continue to be vulnerable to abuse, undermining democratic values and sustainable development.

Shaping a culture of honesty in Bangladesh will necessitate civic education to inculcate ethical consciousness at an early stage. Ethical leaders, functioning citizen watch institutions, and empowering youth through moral leadership and involvement are needed. Institutions will have to make transparency and accountability their priority. The ultimate solution does not reside only in policy reform but in an irreversible cultural transformation that confirms honesty, accountability, and public collective moral courage.

The author is LL.B. student, Department Of Law

World University of Bangladesh.