Duties of Good Citizen

Essay on Duties of a Good Citizen
A citizen is a member of the community or a state enjoying certain privileges and performing certain duties He looks after security and the well being of the community and the community looks after his safety and security. He works for the welfare of the community or the state of which he is a permanent member. As a member of a civilised state he is expected to discharge his duties well and to enjoy the privilege granted by the state. In short, his rights and his duties are interred connected. He cannot ask for privileges or right without performing his duties.
It is the sacred duty of a citizen to defend his country against external attack of the enemies. If required he must be prepared to go to the battle-field as a soldier and fight for the safety of the nation. He must pay the taxes imposed on him from time to time. He must obey all the civil and criminal law and the orders of the Government from time to time. He should always feel that he is part and parcel of the Government. Thus he should show interest in public affairs and should deal with his fellowmen honestly.
A citizen generally enjoys three kinds of right: — (1) Economic, (2) Political, (3) Social. He enjoys certain fundamental rights such as rights to property, right to equality of opportunity, right to freedom of speech and freedom of movement. He has the freedom of professing, practicing and propagating any religion. The most important of his political right is the right to vote.
A good citizen always acts as the guardian of law of the state. He exercises his right to vote in a very responsible manner.
Good citizens always make a good nation. Therefore it is necessary that the children of a state must be trained properly to be good citizens in their youth.

The duties of a citizen

The word citizen has three shades of meaning. It may mean to town-dweller as distinguished from a villager; or, secondly, the member of a city, who has recognized municipal privileges and duties – as, a citizen of Manchester, or of Bombay; or lastly, it may mean the subject of a sovereign state, in which sense we speak of an English citizen, or a French citizen.

The first meaning may be left aside here; for the subject is concerned with the second and third meanings only. What, then, are the duties of a citizen to his city and his country?

A citizen is the member of a community, whether that community is a town or a great country: and as the member of a community he has both privileges and duties. We may think of a community as existing for the sake of its individual members, or, the individual members as existing for the sake of the community. The first view, held by individualists, emphasizes the privileges of a citizenship. One says, the State exists for the good of the citizen – and that is true; the other says, the citizens exist for the good of the State – and that also is true. Both views must be combined and a citizen must recognize that the State he belongs to has a duty to him (his privileges) and that he has an obligation to it (his duties).

However, as we are in no danger of forgetting our privileges as citizens, it is wise to emphasize our duties.

The first obvious duty of a citizen is loyalty to the country of his birth or adoption. Patriotism does not mean “My country, right or wrong”; but it does mean that in a national crisis or danger, a citizen must be prepared to support and defend his country even, if necessary, with his life.

Secondly, it is the duty of a citizen to obey his country’s laws. He must have no sympathy with crime, which is a breach of law. He may consider some laws imperfect, unwise and even unjust; and he may, and should, use all constitutional means in his power, such as public speaking, writing to the press, organization, and the use of his vote, to get such laws reformed or abolished. But so long as a law is a law, he must obey it.

Thirdly, he must do more than keep the law himself, he must, as occasion arises, actively assist the guardians of the law in the performance of their duty in putting down crimes and arresting criminals. Criminals must be made to feel that they have, not only the police, but also all respectable citizens against them.

Fourthly, he ought to take an intelligent interest in politics; for as a citizen he has a vote, and he is responsible for using that vote for the good of his country as a whole. He must form definite opinions as to what is best for his country, and what men are the best to rule it, and what new laws and reforms it needs, and then actively use such influence as he has to forward such measures.

Lastly, a citizen must be ready, if he has the ability and is called upon to do so, to render active voluntary service to his city or country, by serving on municipalities, education committees, and other public bodies, or even in the central legislature. Good citizens have no right to leave the management of local or national institutions to professional politicians.

The rights and duties of a citizen

Almost every modern state, especially a democracy, allows its citizens several rights; but in return, it expects its citizens to perform certain duties.

Among the rights enjoyed by the citizen in a democracy are the right to pursue his own affairs as he prefers; the right to express his views, however silly they may appear to others, and the right to move about as he pleases. The citizen is considered so important that his rights are protected by the law of the state, and whenever they are infringed, he can secure redress.

But in a totalitarian state, the rights of the citizen are so restricted that he has practically no freedom. The citizen is supposed to exist for the state. His interests are always subordinated to those of the state. Thus, his duties exceed his rights.

Even in a democracy, however, the citizen is expected to exercise his rights within the limits of the law. He should not do or say anything that may affect the rights of others. In exercising his right to act as he pleases, for example, he should not try to elope with another man’s wife or say anything slanderous about her or anyone. In the same way, his actions should not cause injury or damage to any individual or his property. He cannot kill as he pleases. If his conduct infringes the rights of others, then those who have been affected by his misconduct could take legal action against him and he will be punished according to the law of the state. In this way, the state protects its citizens and their rights from the thoughtlessness of any individual in the state. This means, of course, that every citizen in the state is expected to do his duty to his fellow citizens.

The citizen is also expected to give his services for the protection of the state in times of war, and to maintain law and order in his state, at all times.

Thus, every citizen who is conscious of his rights should also be conscious of his duties to the state and his fellow citizens.