Chapter Five

Responsibility

Definition of Responsibility
Responsibility means duty or obligation that is entrusted to an individual or group of people.
It is also the duty of not to do something that is not desirable.

For example, obeying the laws and regulations of a country is the responsibility of citizens. It
is also the responsible citizens to make other people obey the laws and regulations of a
country or institution. Paying taxes or doing one’s work effectively is also the responsibility
of a citizen.

On the other hand, not to steal someone’s property or not to damage individual or public
property is a responsibility that is entrusted to all citizens of a country.

Thus, we can say that responsibility is the duty of a citizen which involves all appropriate and
lawfully and activities related to the economic, social, and political activities in a country.

When one fulfils or fails to discharge one’s duty or responsibility lawfully and acceptably,
one would be either rewarded or penalised.

a) Reward: it is something that is given to someone as a result of discharging his/her

responsibility.

b) Penalty: it is a kind of punishment imposed upon someone for not doing one’s
responsibility. Responsible is obligated to do something; having care for or control over
something or someone; answerable or accountable for or in charge of something; liable
responsibility.

 Duty is a commitment or expectation to perform some action in general or if certain

circumstances arise. A duty may arise from a system of ethics or morality, especially
in an honor of culture. Many duties are created by a law, sometimes including a
codified punishment or liability for non- performance. Performing one’s duty may
require some sacrifice of self- interest. Civic duty is also often perceived as something
owed to one’s (patriotism) homeland or community. It could include:
 Obey the law
 Paying taxes
 Provide for a common defense, enroll to vote
 Volunteer for public services
 Donate blood periodically or when needed
 Give time to voice advice on relevant field of expertise
 Duty of revolution against an unjust government etc.

Cicero, an early Roman philosopher who discusses duty in his work “On Duty”,
suggests that duties can come from four different sources:

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 1. As a result of being a human
2. As a result of one’s particular place in life (one’s family, one’s country, one’s job)
3. As a result of one’s character
4. As a result of one’s own moral expectations for oneself

The specific duties imposed by law culture vary considerably, depending on

jurisdiction, religion, and social norms. There are many form of duty:

Duty to support is the legal obligations of each parent to support minor natural or
adopted unemancipated child.

Duty to act is an obligation to perform some act to prevent harm to someone else. A
duty to act is often imposed under a statue (law enacted by the legislature) or from a
contractual relationship.

E.g. - A doctor’s duty to care for patients.

- An owners’ duty to protect those who are invited upon his land

- A restaurateur’s duty to provide proper fire escapes for patrons

- Parent’s duty to act affirmatively to safeguard his children and safeguard third
persons from children etc.

Unless there is a statute or contract creating the duty, there will usually be no duty to
act. However, a duty may arise when a person voluntarily assumes responsibility for
another.

Duty to retreat is the principle that a person being attacked should always retreat if
possible instead of using force in self- defense.

Duty to mitigate is the obligation of the plaintiff in breach of contract case to

minimize damages resulting from the breach.

A person who suffers personal injury through no fault of his or her own has an
obligation to take reasonable steps to avoid further loss, and minimize the
consequences of the injury. A personal injury plaintiff’s obligation is to act in a way
that an ordinary, reasonable person would have in a similar situation.

Duty counsel is a duty of legal aid. Duty counsel are lawyers provided by legal aid
who can assist you on the day that you are in court by giving you advice about your
rights, obligations and the court process.

Duty – is the act of students completing homework assignments

- is an obligation, often legally sanctioned,

- A tax on imported and exported goods or tax charged by the government

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 Duty free is not to subject to tax on imports or exports. Duty free goods are sold at
airports or on planes or ships at a cheaper price than usual because you do not have to
pay import tax on them.

 Obligation is a course of action that someone is required to take, whether legal or

moral. It is also a legal duty, by which a person is bound to do or not to do a certain
things.

Obligations are divided as obligations to do, obligations to give and obligations not to do.
Obligations to do and to give are referred to as positive obligations whereas obligations not to
do are said to be negative obligations. Negative obligations are obligations to refrain from
doing something. Doing the act prohibited is a breach of such obligations. Example:
obligation not to block free passage through the debtor's compound. Positive obligations on
the other hand require the debtor to perform something.

Obligations to do are further divided as obligations of result and obligations of diligence.1

In the case of obligations of result, a specified and determined result is aimed at and is
normally attainable. Examples of obligations of result include obligations undertaken by a
painter, a sculptor, a builder, a publisher, etc. On the other hand, in the case of obligations
of diligence, one does not guarantee to bring about a determined result. Instead, one
undertakes to do his best to procure it. A physician does not guarantee saving the patient’s
life. Likewise, an advocate does not does not guarantee to win the suit. In such cases, the
physicians and advocates assume the obligation to do their best to procure the specified
and determined result.

Obligations may arise either from a contract or law. Obligations arising from contracts are
assumed by free will. However, obligations arising from law such as the obligation to pay
tax are mandatory.

Types of Responsibility
There are two types of responsibilities. These are individual and group or collective
responsibilities.

i) Individual Responsibility: this refers to the moral and legal obligation of a citizen. For
example, supporting own family or respecting the values of society and obeying the laws
when doing one’s daily activities. Also, accepting and practicing others’ rights and interests is
the responsibility of individuals.

1 Article 1712, Civil Code

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 ii) Collective or group responsibility: this is the kind of responsibility that is shared by all
members of society or groups of people. This kind of responsibility fosters common good
deeds of a society that help people work and live together. All the members of a society or all
groups of people are required to act for the common benefit and good of citizens. It is only
when this happens that we can say all citizens are living and acting responsibility.

Sources of Responsibility
The responsibilities citizens bear could originate from various sources. Some of them are:

- Promise: this is one source of carrying responsibilities. If we promise to perform

something, we are supposed to keep our promise. If we fail to live up to our promise,
it is tantamount to become irresponsible. There are two types of promises that we
make. These are:

a) Formal Legal Agreements (contracts): this promise that we make between two or
more people or groups of people. This is often in a written form.

b) Informal Verbal Agreements: these are not written promises. These are usually
oral or verbal promises that we make friends, relatives, or colleagues.

- Appointment: this could be like being elected or appointed to a certain public or

governmental position and being responsible to fulfil what is expected to do.

- Assignment: a citizen could be assigned by the public or government to accomplish a

certain mission. This assignment ought to be accomplished responsibly.
- Occupation: any occupation entails certain responsibilities on a person and that
person has the duty to carry out that responsibility. E.g. a doctor, carpenter, lawyer,
engineer etc. are responsible to do their job quite responsibly.
- Custom: this is responsibility of respecting the customs or traditions that have been
respected by a public.

E.g. a person is expected to respect elderly people

- Citizenship: being a citizen of a country entails some responsibilities. E.g. a citizen is

expected to obey the laws, respect human and democratic rights of others
- Law: this is another major source of responsibilities. A citizen is expected to pay
taxes, respect traffic laws, observe election rules etc.
- Moral Principles: these are responsibilities related to become honest, to respect
people, to be truthful and to become concerned about the welfare of other people.

Developing Social and Moral Responsibilities

A citizen is expected to observe the values and norms of society and act in a responsible
way for the maintenance of the social and moral values and norms. Some of these value
and norms are discussed below:

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 - Punctuality: a citizen is expected to respect the time set for him to do his/her
work. This could be for a certain event once, or a regular event fixed for him/her.

However, many people fail to become punctual to correct such problems. Some
strategies are suggested below:

i) To set one’s mind to work according to the time set for him/her.

ii) To record the times you do certain activities this would help you re-time your pace and
procedures in doing certain tasks or responsibilities.

iii) Setting one’s alarm clock a little earlier etc.

- Keeping One’s Promise: a citizen is expected to keep his/her promise and do

whatever is required of him/her. Failing to live up to one’s promise is immoral
which would lead to being unacceptable by the society we live in.
- Honesty: this is becoming trust worthy in telling the truth. Every member of a
society is expected to be honest.
- Loyalty: this means a citizen is expected to be loyal to the constitution. Every
member of a society is responsible for the realisation of such loyalty. This is
detrimental for the welfare of the people.

5.1 Civic character

Democracy would flourish if certain individual and public characters are done in an
acceptable way. The major types of traits are civic dispositions and civic commitment. Each
of them explained below.

5.1.1 Civic disposition

This refers to the characters or traits that are deemed necessary for the healthy functioning of
the society. Civic disposition includes the following characters or traits that should be
implemented for the common good of the society.

5.1.1.1 Civility
This means treating or considering others as individuals irrespective of who they are and the
kind of position they have in the society. It is civility to consider all people as equal. It is also
a sign of civility to respect all people irrespective of their religion, race, or political position
they hold.

Besides, it is a sign of civility to allow others to think, debate, and argue in support of or
against any view. One should not condemn individuals or groups of people for holding an
opinion different from or opposite to one’s own view. Moreover, it is civility to respect the
rights of other people. It is civility to accept that, others like us have the rights and privileges.

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One should also look after or take care of others’ property. One should not let other’s property
be exposed to mishandling or damage.

5.1.1.2 Self-discipline
This means to be governed by the fundamental values and principles of constitutional
democracy. This is done with no imposition from other people or from authorities.
Individuals and group of people or from authorities’ individuals and group of people abide
themselves by the constitution. It would be a sign of civility if people or individuals respect
the law without coercion.

5.1.1.3 Civic mindedness

This means that citizens are very much concerned about the common good of the people and
not about their own individual welfare and interest.

5.1.1.4 Open-mindedness
This means that to develop open-mindedness to consider the views, arguments and beliefs of
other people. It is a sign of civility if we accept other’s view or opinion without being over
ridden by our own dogmatic beliefs or ideas. Open-mindedness people would always let other
people hold their own beliefs, opinions and religions, etc.

They do not consider theirs as the only acceptable view, opinion, or belief. This kind of open-
mindedness promotes unity and helps people work and live together.

5.1.1.5 Compromise
This means to accommodate the view and arguments of others in various political processes.
When indecision or violence is to happen, it would be a sign of civility to compromise with
the views of other people. When this is not taken positively, there would be violence or
disagreement between two or more groups who hold opposing or different views and beliefs.

5.1.1.6 Toleration of Diversity

This means to accept other people’s views, customs, religions, values, etc. This could
emanate from the recognition of the basic democratic rights of people. One should accept that
others have the right to hold or promote their own beliefs, customs, religions, etc. There
should not be any kind of restriction on this kind of democratic right.

5.1.1.7 Patience and Persistence

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This means to accept the fact that policies and regulations could be changed through time
using one’s effort persistently. Thus, this requires one to recognise the fact that citizens need
to patiently but persistently fight for the implementation of public policies.

5.1.1.8 Compassion
This means that citizens develop empathy to other citizens and exhibit concern about their
welfare.

5.1.1.9 Generosity
This means to unreservedly spend time, effort and resources for the good of other people. It
would be a sign of civility if a citizen appears generous for the good of the public.

5.1.1.10 Fighting Crime

This means a citizen is obliged to detect and fight all forms of crimes. This is done for the
welfare of the society. When a crime like stealing, killing, rape, etc. are seen, it would be a
sign of civility to fight them before it is too late. Citizens are expected to report such crimes
to the officials or institutions concerned.

5.2 Civic Commitment

This refers to the unreserved effort citizens are required to show for maintaining the welfare
of a society. This is also related to the extent in which citizen strive to the implementation of
the rights of citizens. Some of the civic commitments are:

5.2.1 Staying Informed

This means updating oneself by reading newspapers, listening to the radio, and by watching
television. This would help citizens know what the government is doing and would help them
make informed decisions accordingly. Finally, it would help citizens to know what they are
expected to do.

5.2.2 Paying Taxes

Taxes are payments made by citizens for the smooth functioning of the government and for
the provision of public services.

5.2.3 Participating in Public Government

This is the active participation of people in various public activities. This could be achieved
by:

-attending and actively participating in community meetings,

-taking part in public issues,

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-discussing with officials about relevant issues,

-taking part in peaceful demonstrations,

-taking part in defending a country.

5.2.4 Developing apathy

This refers to developing feeling or interest and concern about others problems. Thus, a
citizen is expected not only to have the feeling and apathy but also to go beyond that to solve
the problem.

5.3 Accountability
A responsible person has some qualities that make the person acceptable in a society. One of
these qualities is that a responsible person knows what is expected of him/her and acts in
accordance to the expected behaviour. The other quality is that a responsible person knows
the consequences of his/her actions very well, and thus, behaves in a responsible way. The
third quality is that a responsible person is reliable and accountable.

Reliability is a manifestation of being trustworthy, keeping words, and behaving and

accomplishing tasks as expected. On the other hand, accountability is the quality of a citizen
to responsibly explain for what he/she has done in a proper way. It is also the quality of a
good citizen to admit his/her mistakes and be ready to take corrective measures.

5.3.1 Execution of Duty

A responsible citizen executes his/her duty in a responsible way. It is also the duty of a
responsible citizen to act according to the law. There are certain responsibilities that every
citizen should bear. These are:

-a responsible citizen respects others’ rights and protects their property

-a responsible citizen acts in accordance to the law, without being forced to do so

-a responsible citizen cares for him/herself and his/her family

-a responsible citizen uses the advantages he/she to develop him/herself intellectually

-a responsible citizen adheres to the social and moral values and norms.

-a responsible citizen acts in accordance to the acceptable civil manner

-a responsible citizen also performs his/her duty in accordance to the law and customs of a
country

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