The institute of certified public accountants yesterday elected the governing council of their organisation. This development has come at an opportune moment. We have witnessed a number of public officials arrested or accused of misconduct in recent days.

Some professionals in government service have been arraigned before courts of law for such crimes like abuse of office, embezzlement and general corruption. In all professions, it is always possible to find some rotten apples.

This at times soils the reputation of the entire profession. The existence of active professional bodies helps to minimize unprofessional conduct among members. It also serves to weed out quacks from the different professions.

Thus the governing bodies of professional bodies have a role in maintaining professional ethics and conduct. It is always possible for members of professional bodies to point out members and colleagues who may not be in line with the ethics of the bodies.

This is in most cases reflected in the way they conduct themselves at their work place or in any other business to do with their profession.

At the same time the bodies help in carrying out peer review, which can help to keep members on course. Moreover, it is important in carrying out counseling among members who may be on a different path away from what is required of them.

This practice should be adopted by all the other professions that have not yet organized themselves into professional bodies.

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