The role of government has evolved over time and nowadays its objective is to govern the nation well by ensuring peace and prosperity in the country. The Singapore People's Action Party (PAP) sums this up in its manifesto which is to "build a just and equitable society where the benefits of progress are widely shared for all". It aims to achieve this through its core value system, honesty, multiracial, meritocracy and self-reliance. This is no small feat and requires the group of leaders to be reliable, pragmatic, united, far-sighted, decisive, compassionate. and resilient. (PAP, 2013) As Confucius states, a person must first cultivate his moral character; only then would he be able to command his family well; as soon as one is capable of commanding one's family, one is then capable of governing the nation. (Confucius, 1979) Therefore, state leaders will need to have good morals and the highest standards of personal conduct in order to govern the country well. Michael Palmer, in this case study, tainted the squeaky clean image of a member of the state. Parliament (MP). He had an extramarital affair and revealed it a year after it started. He confessed to DPM Teo Chee Hean and resigned from the service. He apologized to his superiors, colleagues and the public for his misconduct. He acknowledged that “his conduct was inappropriate and constituted a serious error of judgment.” (Tan J, 2012) Although he was very successful in his political career, his misbehavior was completely unacceptable. This is mainly due to the nature of his work. This mistake made by Palmer showed that he lacked morality because, according to Aristotle, morality lies in a person's character and a person's character can be judged from his conduct. Aristotle po...... middle of paper ......June 6, 2012). Former SCDF leader accused of widening sex-for-hire scandal. Yahoo! Newsroom, retrieved from https://sg.news.yahoo.com/ex-scdf-chief-peter-lim-charged-in-court.html.Tan, J. (February 14, 2013). Former CNB chief Ng Boon Gay acquitted. Yahoo! Newsroom, retrieved from https://sg.news.yahoo.com/former-cnb-chief-ng-boon-gay-acquitted-072825790.html. Swanton, C. (2003). Virtue ethics: a pluralist vision. Rosenstand, N. (2013). Using Your Reason, Part 2: Kant's Ethics (7th ed.). Singapore: McGraw-Hill Education. Rosenstand, N. (2013). Aristotle's Theory of Virtue: Everything in Moderation (7th ed.). Singapore: McGraw-Hill Education. Rosenstand, N. (2013). Case Studies in Virtue (7th ed.). Singapore: McGraw-Hill Education.PAP. (2013). Popular Action Party: our fundamental values. Accessed April 3, 2014 from https://www.pap.org.sg/about-pap/our-core-values