THE QUALITIES OF AN IDEAL CITIZEN


The qualities of an ideal citizen have never really varied since the earliest days of civilization. What has varied is the emphasis on some t the expense of others, due to factors of time, place and period. Until the recent emancipation of women, the latter were regarded more as servants than citizens, but today, they have equal rights, and therefore, equal responsibilities. Among by-gone societies, the emphasis has been placed on religion, and today still is in some communities, though democracy and religious freedom seem to together. Primitive societies, such as the Native Americans, used to place a premium on physical courage; Indian society in India, on obedience within the caste; British society, respect for class, and so, on. But today, we think in terms of the type of individual, whether male of female, who is of the greatest potential value in a modern, progressive and democratic community. This being so, and, for example, Malaysia being considered, we can broadly classify the qualities of the ideal citizen into four areas of responsibility; the citizen's responsibility to himself, to his family, to his community, and to his nation.First of all, the ideal citizen is a religious man, of whatever religion or denomination he may be. All world religions emphasize duty to God, to one's neighbor and to oneself. in the last analysis, the only real reason for displaying good qualities, when it is often natural to display bad ones, is that it is God's will that we should. The danger of religion is bigotry; only false religious observance can result in riots, political and personal hatreds, or the by-gone excesses of the Spanish Inquisition. Secondly, the citizen has three basic duties to him or herself. The first is to acquire the best possible education, not necessarily for employment purposes only, but also that a positive contribution may be made to the community. Even basic literacy enables a villager to write to his local council about a social problem, or to express a political view, in a letter to the newspaper of unselfishness and self-control, if only for the reason that such a person's actions and views are respected. Of not least importance is the ability to work hard and intelligently. Hard work has a good formative value on character as well as being the essential ingredient in personal success.
So far, we have looked at man or woman as individuals, but we must next see him in family life. Almost all societies see the family as the basic unit in their own structure and do everything possible to uphold it. The ideal citizen is a family citizen. He and his wife are nurtured by the family relationships, and their responsibilities should bring out the best in them. Their children, if carefully brought up, will be a future asset to the community. Their home should be a happy and free place, but guarded by mutual respect, courtesy and consideration, qualities which will be carried thence into the outside world.
An ideal citizen's third major quality must be respect for the law of the land in which he lives. Democracy is based on the rule of law but can only be maintained, provided there is a vast majority of law-abiding citizens. All forms of law-breaking and delinquency must be shunned, and the real training for this comes far more from the home than from the school. If children know their parents are honest, and demand honesty of them, they are more likely to grow up honest themselves. But responsibility does not end here. Hospitality and good-neighborliness, virtues typical of the East, are essential contributions to happy community life, in city as well as in village; wealth, however desirable, should never be pushed at the expense of outside kindness and generosity. An additional quality found n good citizens, is the desire to improve the life of the local community. This can involve a variety of contributions, from voluntary social work to sitting as a magistrate.
Finally, the ideal citizen has an undoubted responsibility to his country. Whatever his views on war, in peace, he accepts the protection of the armed forces and the police. Given a just cause, and no alternative to war, he should, therefore, be ready to fight in his country's defense, though personally, he will shun war as a means of settling international disputes.
Such then is a good Malaysian, a good Singaporean, a good Briton, or a good American. Nobody ever achieves the ideal, but the world would become a far better place, if more people tried.

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