It seems the moral compass is not that clear.

For this reason, a training program in ethics for employees in the country's government departments has received a lot of attention.

The all-inclusive program is a necessary step to strengthen public service discipline.

The State Administration of Civil Service announced that all the civil servants in China will participate in the ethics training over the next five years.

Examples of unethical behavior by government employees are multiplying as some civil servants pursue their own personal interests at the expense of the public. They abuse power and squander state assets in areas such as project planning, public bidding and quality supervision.

In many respects, scandals in governments are more troubling than in the private sector because they involve public resources.

The overarching concern of the program is how to improve the government's ability to maintain public trust.

Public officials are given the trust of the public to develop and carry out policies that are in the public's best interest. Living up to this trust has a significant impact on the national will. Public confidence is essential to the exercise of national power. Thus public officials have a moral duty to act in a trustworthy manner.

The training should help determine the main rules of conscientious service for civil servants, so they can perform their official duties to the highest level in realizing the government's goals and guarantee the honesty, transparency and effectiveness of state agencies.

There are growing concerns about the moral aptitude of employees in public service agencies. If nothing is done to improve ethics and morality issues, the public will soon lose all trust and confidence in these agencies.

Government organizations should also ensure that perceived ethical violations are adequately investigated and that any wrongdoing is punished. Research suggests that unless ethical behavior is rewarded and unethical behavior punished, written codes of conduct are unlikely to be effective.

The moral obligation of public servants is to follow established procedures, and not to use their power to circumvent those procedures for their own convenience or benefit. Power must be used fairly and for the benefit of the public.

The public servant is morally bound to tell the truth, to keep promises, to respect the person and the property of others, and to abide by the requirements of the law.

Whatever the reasons or excuses for the failures by public servants, it is hoped that the deterioration is arrested and resolved in order for public trust to be regained.

The training program should set the tone from the top down that all government employees should conduct themselves in a transparent and honest manner.

(China Daily 11/07/2011 page8)