Speech / Elocution on Promoting Integrity ensures the prosperity of Nation
Answers
When you think along those lines it becomes clear to you that promoting this quality in human beings is worth the while. A man or woman with integrity is an asset to the society. Needless to say, when a society can boast of many individuals with integrity, it will indeed be an ideal society in which well-being prevails.
Corruption, nepotism, backbiting - the list of negative aspects of our present politics is so very long. Common man is tired of choosing this party or that party for the administration of the country. Ultimately he gets disillusioned by all the parties, as what all the politicians can think of is to see that their side of the bread is properly buttered. The voter who had bestowed power up on him with great hope is cheated.
A society or a nation in which corruption is the minimum is an ideal nation. To achieve this we have to see that each citizen is inculcated with honesty, reliability and truthfulness, which sum up as integrity. It is, of course, difficult to develop integrity in a grown man who had been living his whole life without caring much about the quality. It is indeed futile to try to convince him about the desirability of integrity.
So, catch them young. Impress up on the young generation the necessity of integrity. Teach them integrity from a very young age. They are the future of the nation. A generation which adopts integrity as a way of life will surely bring prosperity to the nation and its people.
As writer C.S. Lewis put it, ‘Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is watching.’ Integrity thus refers to an individual’s ability to be honest, sincere and righteous in any situation. As surprising as it may seem, integrity has an important role to play in the development of a nation.
With nations trying to improve their economy and make some headway, one of the biggest obstacles in the way of a country’s progress is corruption. This in turn is completely at odds with integrity. So, logically speaking, promoting integrity is bound to facilitate national prosperity. Each individual can make a positive impact, irrespective of how minor that impact may seem. With a multitude of such responsible citizens supporting such a noble ideology, the face of the nation will definitely change.
As is the case in most corrupt nations, corruption percolates downwards. The stakes and commissions are higher on the higher levels and gradually decrease with each rung. Put together, the amounts can be intimidatingly huge. Had a person of integrity being in control of the situation, he would neither have siphoned off any funds nor would he have let anyone else indulge in wrong practices. The entire amount would have been used for the purpose it had been allocated for. Imagine the growth of the nation if each penny was accounted for and was invested in social upliftment, betterment of educational facilities and building of developmental projects!
On the grass root level, the common man often finds himself tempted to resort to unlawful or immoral acts of offering or accepting bribes. It may be done to save himself from perceived harassment, as in case of a crime, or to save time, as with issuance of a license or to return a favour, when it is done for acquaintances. In each case, there is a trade-off between principles and convenience, often at the cost of others’ time and effort.
Integrity has a direct impact on the functioning of the public services and government departments like the revenue department, the Ministry of Defense and many others. With integrity, comes transparency in procedures related to recruitment as well as operations, thus making room for greater professionalism. The more the professionalism, the greater the efficiency. Efficient use of time and resources reduces wastage and improves productivity. It is aspects like these that keep a nation steady on the path to progress, while also attracting more foreign investors and providing the nation a sound footing on the global front.
A nation that wishes to improve its standing in the world needs to have people with great integrity at the helm of affairs. If the lower officials are willing to accept under-the-counter payments, it is the responsibility of the citizens to report it and the duty of the concerned authorities to take strict action against it. Integrity among adults needs to be reinforced using the legal framework. For a citizen to be able to take a stand against corruption, it is imperative for the individual to be principled too. Since that cannot possibly happen overnight, the onus of raising honest people lies in the hands of three people, as President Kalam rightly identified- the father, the mother and the teacher. If each of these three value integrity as an essential trait, the nation will witness the growth of the right sort of people, who in turn will lead the nation in the right direction.