PERSONS who are elected or selected to serve in positions of authority in the Government of Jamaica must accept that increased power and prestige imposes on them a higher standard of conduct than the ordinary citizens.

This places on the public office holders the responsibility to conduct themselves in a manner which is appropriate to the post they occupy. The more power and freedom that accompanies a post, the stricter is the appropriate conduct.

The code of conduct applicable to the behaviour of the office holder covers both their conduct on the job and their private conduct. It covers all conduct, in all places and at all times. For example, a police officer must abide by and uphold the laws of Jamaica both when on and off duty.

The code of conduct of those who have the privilege of holding public office is not always written down, and includes not only the terms of reference of the post but also what society believes is right and proper. These unwritten societal mores and folkways derive from a social understanding subscribed to by a majority of the populace, based on tradition, morals, ethics and religion. This amalgam changes over time and there is always a minority.

The societal consensus is enforced in some instances by laws, with punishment ranging from fines to the death penalty, and in other cases they are imposed by social sanctions such as shame, expulsion, exclusion, vocal condemnation and embarrassment, depending on the indiscretion.

These sanctions may have limited efficacy in Jamaica where people find acceptable a wide range of illegal activities such as trading in ganja and squatting on other people’s property. The citizen may do this, but the public office holder cannot and must not.

The restrictions on the conduct of public office holders are further tightened by the need to uphold the prestige of the post they occupy and, very importantly, to retain the confidence of the public in their ability to conduct themselves in a manner suitable to the post.

Former United States President Bill Clinton was almost impeached and removed from office for a sexual act which was not illegal and was socially acceptable, but it called into question his judgement as head of a nation. In the early 1960s, John Purfumo, a minister in the British Government resigned from his post because one of his sexual partners was involved with an attaché in the Russian embassy. The mere possibility of loss of confidential information was sufficient grounds.

Jamaicans need to impose upon public office holders the strictest code of conduct, starting with ministers of government and members of the police force.

Those who do not wish to be held to these high standards should not seek public office. Regrettably, too many do.