Why ethical conduct is key to positive societal transformation – 2

 By Muhsin Salim Masoud

This is the second part of my series on ethical conduct and its impact on societal transformation.

I will continue to discuss the importance of education and provide more examples of comparisons of ethical and ethical conducts in various societies and the importance of law enforcement.

I was deeply impressed when I visited a primary school in Dar es Salaam to pick up my nephew. There were colourful posters on the walls educating pupils on the importance of being honest.

One poster caught my eye and I asked for permission to take a photo. It read: “Integrity, being true, honest and sincere. I show compassion, I believe in being kind. I believe in honesty, so I do my best to be truthful.”  Another simply poster stated, “Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching.” These beautiful messages, if truly embraced and practiced, have the potential to transform the societies we live and make them better for everyone.

Those posters reminded me of a situation I encountered in Sweden back in 2006.

I witnessed someone attempting to take items that had been left behind by others, clearly for his their use. I cautioned him, saying it wasn’t the right thing to do.

His response was, “But no one is watching”. That was the very opposite of integrity. True integrity is about doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.

Fortunately, in Sweden technology often serves as a silent guardian. Surveillance cameras are commonly used, recording every action. While technology can deter unethical behaviour, values like honesty and integrity should be deeply internalised instead of being enforced through the fear of being caught.

During my PhD studies, I spent several three-month periods in Sweden between 2001 and 2006. Based on my experience, I can confidently say that the Swedish society has made remarkable progress when it comes to ethical conduct. At the university we were assigned office space and, interestingly, all office keys were identical, yet no one dared enter someone else’s office without permission. The same level of trust and respect applied to students’ quarters.

People behaved ethically not only because these values had been deeply ingrained in them, but also because there was a well-functioning system in place to ensure accountability. It was clear that integrity was both a cultural norm and an institutional expectation – an ideal combination for nurturing an ethical society.

I remember having a friend, who was a Tanzanian medical doctor who had settled in Sweden. One evening he invited my fellow students and I to dinner to celebrate the reinstatement of his driver’s licence, which had previously been suspended due to a traffic violation. He explained that in Sweden if your licence is suspended and you are caught driving, you could be banned from driving for life.

Moreover, such an offence can seriously tarnish one’s reputation. It shows that one cannot be trusted to respect the law and this can have serious repercussions on one’s career. Adherence to rules is not just a legal matter, it is a reflection of one’s integrity and character.

An effective way of evaluating the level of ethics within a society is by observing people’s behaviour on the roads. When those who are expected to uphold the law are the ones breaking it, it signals deeper societal issues. In societies struggling with ethical standards it is common to witness certain drivers, often those with special licence plates, being the worst offenders as if they are above the law. They ignore speed limits, run red lights and sometimes disregard all traffic regulations.  Such behaviour not only endangers lives but also reflects a culture where accountability is weak and privilege overshadows responsibility.

In these societies, those offering public transport, especially motorcycle taxis known as bodabodas and motorised tricycles known as “bajaji” or “tuktuk”, often operate in complete chaos. Their actions are driven by self-regarding values and a lack of responsibility, fairness, respect and compassion. In such a situation, one would expect strong institutions to ensure that laws and ethical conduct are consistently observed.

I once delivered a talk on ethics to secondary school students and one of them asked me how I handled unethical behaviour during my time as a leader in various institutions. I responded that I dealt with such cases firmly, always following the laid-down procedures. In one instance, I fired an employee after solid evidence showed he was a pathological liar. In another case, shortly after joining an organisation, I found out that the head of a key department was treating customers unfairly. He, too, had to leave the organisation.

In the next part of this series I will dwell more on the importance of leadership in enshrining ethics from personal, organisational and societal levels.

Dr Muhsin Salim Masoud is a seasoned banker and academic, who has also served as managing director of the People’s Bank of Zanzibar and Amana Bank. [email protected]