by Peggy Kerns
Why are these people in the photo enjoying themselves? Because they are discussing ethics! These members of the Algerian Parliament are analyzing an ethical dilemma in a workshop NCSL faculty recently presented in Algiers to the Algerian Parliament and staff. The photo shows a wonderful moment. The men called out, “We need a woman!” So a woman joined the group to discuss the case of a parliamentarian who devotes long hours to his public duties and fears he neglects his family.
The faculty included former Kansas State Senate Majority Leader Lana Oleen; Counselor Rebecca Lennahan, former Colorado Office of Legislative Legal Service Staff; and Peggy Kerns, director of NCSL’s Center for Ethics in Government and former Colorado representative. We were accompanied by Christy Delafield, project coordinator, NCSL International Programs and hosted by Dr. Boualem Tatah, Director of the Department of Legislative Training and Research of the Algerian National Assembly. The project is funded through the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Office of the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI).
The purpose of the 2-day workshop, Parliamentary Ethics and Deontology of Elected Officials in the Exercise of their Mandates, was to guide participants to acknowledge their own ethical values and how they apply these values to their personal and political lives. We also offered tools for participants to use in making ethical decisions when these values might be in conflict. Dr. Tatah chose the word “deontology” to identify best practices in ethics.
The faculty led the MPs (members of parliament) and staff in discussions, translated into French and Arabic, of why ethics is important in the public sector, definitions of ethics, and the difference between ethics as laws and ethics as values. Highlights included viewing of NCSL’s video, Reflections: Being Ethical in Today’s Legislature and an exercise where participants brainstormed and then voted on their top six ethical values and described their meaning. Becky Lennahan followed with a description of the process she and other NCSL members used when they developed the Model Code of Conduct for Legislative Staff.
The faculty shared with participants their own struggles with ethical dilemmas. Lana Oleen described her 10 years of opposition to expanded gaming in Kansas. Finally, a bill came out of committee that would expand gaming with a possible casino location in her district, affording potential jobs. As senate majority leader, she scheduled bills for debate on the calendar. She chose to schedule the bill for debate, honoring the legislative process while still maintaining her "no" position when the bill came up for the vote. Also discussed was the legislator’s role of being a steward of the people, even when a position might be unpopular.
One of the most meaningful sections of the program was when we divided the participants into 10 small groups and asked them to analyze a different case study involving an ethical dilemma. Cases included a legislator receiving a gift from a friend without strings attached with a major issue looming in the future; staff being asked to organize and support a citizen’s meeting to gain support for a new subway system – an issue the staff strongly opposed; a reporter betraying a promise of confidentiality; an MP asked to lead an effort to get more industry into an area where a brother owned a farm; and a staff member asked to gather sensitive information from her contacts in the executive branch and courts about criminal cases, but to not reveal the reasons.
The groups discussed what values were at stake, what values were in conflict, and how they would resolve it. They then shared their analysis with the entire group at large. The large-group discussion generated a lot of debate and some disagreement, as people had different viewpoints on the values conflicts and resolution of the case. It was at this point in the workshop that we observed a voilà moment--when the participants connected the values exercise with the ethical scenarios and became fully engaged. The energy in the room was infectious. The most rewarding moment of all, however, was meeting and interacting with the wonderful people from Algeria and realizing that we share many of the same experiences and the same ethical values.
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