The declining moral dignity among our leaders

Rais was quoted as claiming that their action was not at all synonymous with Malaysian society or the principles of the Rukunegara or the Federal Constitution.

He said the action of those in the DAP who stepped on the photographs of their former colleagues was totally uncultured and demeaning.

Rais told reporters this after launching a book “Kebudayaan Malaysia: Sebuah Pengenalan” (Malaysian Culture: An Introduction) at the Craft Complex in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday 1 December 2009.

It is an irony that the very practice which Rais condemned as “uncultured and disrespectful of individual rights and democracy” was actually innovated by his party Umno when its members stomped on the photo of Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon last year. We didn’t hear Rais condemning the action of the Umno members then, did we?

I am not at surprised by such a contradictory reaction, given the fact that such sheer hypocrisy is generally prevalent among many so-called leaders, including one who wrote a doctoral thesis condemning the ISA and then endorsing the oppressive legislation as an acceptable law.

The condemnation of the DAP action by the PKR leaders, calling it “rude” and “disrespectful” and describing it as  “an act of violence”, is equally puzzling, given the fact that the PKR is well-known for its street-fighting politics involving demonstrations and even riots, ala the Reformasi movement.

No, I am not condoning or sanctioning such demeaning of persons by stomping on their portraits as I believe people are created by God in his own image. What I am simply saying is that those who condemn the DAP action should first examine and evaluate their own poltical ethics and practices.

Malaysian politics has obviously degenerated into a shallow gutter type within the current poor squalid social environment where respect and honour for the dignity of persons have been flushed down the expedient drain of power game.

And while I am at it, I would also want to highlight the increasingly disturbing indifference and lack of indignation among our people on the deficiency of moral quality and integrity among our leaders, including religious ones.

The lack of guilt and shame among the morally tainted and soiled leaders is perhaps one glaring example of how low our moral outlook has degenerated to.

For example, leaders known to be corrupt, immoral and untrustworthy are allowed to continue to lead with the popular endorsement of the people.

A senior pastor who exploited and abused his church members, living extravagantly and extrajudicially, is allowed to continue to preach, being paid a five-figure salary and given extensive privileges and perks. There seem to be no accountability, no transparency and no credibility even in the church!

Edward Gibbon, the author of the definitive “History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” has attributed the fall of the Roman Empire to the loss of civic virtue and decline in morality among the Roman citizens. The gradual disintegration of the Roman economy and the barbarian invasions were the final nails in the Empire’s coffin.

The lesson of Rome has been an archetype for every perceived decline and fall of a nation, and, hence, should also served as a symbol for our own fears. We should pay close attention to Gibbon’s contention that moral decay was the fundamental reason for the decline and fall of Rome.

It is perhaps time for us to restore the moral basis of our nation through a process of religious and moral education in our schooling system. It is time we should have compulsory religious knowledge classes, with all major religions being taught to their adherents. Religious clubs and fellowships in schools should be encouraged and allowed to flourish and promoted.

The concept of “Competence, Accountability and Transparency” (CAT) initiated by Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng should be adopted as a matter of government system as well as a private sector practice. 

Until and unless we start arresting the moral decline in our country, the disintegration of our nation is inevitable.

Quo vadis, Malaysia?