By Yong Soo Heong
IPOH, Nov 5: In a stirring keynote address at the launch of National Integrity Month 2025 here today, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah of Perak delivered a sobering reflection on Malaysia’s moral trajectory, calling for a renewed national commitment to integrity as the bedrock of civilisation.
Tracing the etymology of integrity to the Latin integer — meaning complete, whole, and steadfast— he underscored its essence as a state of being anchored in honesty, sincerity, and moral courage.
He invoked timeless wisdom from Islamic scholar Ibn Taymiyyah and American investor Warren Buffett to illustrate the universal value of integrity in governance and leadership.
Reflecting on the launch of the National Integrity Plan (PIN) in 2004 by the late Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Malaysia’s fifth Prime Minister, Sultan Nazrin lamented the widening gap between aspiration and reality.
Despite noble intentions and five strategic objectives, including reducing corruption and strengthening family institutions, the nation continues to grapple with systemic failures.
He cited alarming trends: daily reports of corruption, cronyism, and abuse of power; cartels dominating essential industries; environmental degradation; and abandoned public projects. The Sultan also highlighted Malaysia’s fall in the Corruption Perceptions Index — from 37th in 2003 to 57th in 2024.
He also referenced the Auditor General’s annual reports, which continue to expose mismanagement of public funds, smuggling, and tax evasion, often with the collusion of enforcement officers.
While Malaysia recovered RM15.5 billion in misappropriated public funds over the past two years, yet the damage to national reputation and currency remains severe, he added.
Malaysians, he said, have to embody integrity not just in policy, but in everyday conduct — from public service to family life.
The sultan did not mince words when he turned the nation’s attention to what he called the first and most urgent priority: restoring the sacred purpose of education.
In a speech that blended historical reflection with contemporary urgency, the Sultan lamented the moral decay evident in schools — once sanctuaries of learning, now marred by bullying, violence, and even murder among children under 17.
He lamented the overemphasis on quantitative Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) at the expense of qualitative values such as empathy, honesty, and civic responsibility. He called for a recalibration of educational goals to focus on nurturing the soul, not just the score.
He urged educators, policymakers, and parents to prioritise character-building, warning that without moral grounding, academic excellence becomes hollow.
In a startling revelation, the Sultan cited former MACC Commissioner Datuk Seri Mohd Shukri Abdul, who exposed cases of corruption within schools — ranging from teachers engaging in sexual misconduct under the guise of academic assistance, to students bribing peers for class monitor positions.
He reminded the audience that as early as 2004, the late Pahang Sultan Ahmad Shah had visited a school in Pahang to address bullying, prompting ministerial promises of reform — promises that, two decades later, remain largely unfulfilled.
The Perak sultan’s address was not merely a critique — it was a call to conscience as he urged Malaysians to abandon the culture of denial, ego, and compromise that has allowed moral decay to fester.
As the nation marks Integrity Month 2025, the sultan’s words serve as both a mirror and a mandate: to confront uncomfortable truths, to act with courage, and to rebuild the moral foundations of a nation that aspires not only to prosper — but to endure with dignity.
When Integrity Fails, So Does the Nation
As a stark warning, Sultan Nazrin said the erosion of integrity among youth is not a future threat; it is a present crisis.
Citing a series of studies spanning two decades, the Sultan revealed troubling trends in the moral compass of Malaysia’s university students. From a 2002 Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia study showing that 30.5% were willing to accept bribes, to a 2017 IIM survey where one in three students failed to recognise corruption, the data paints a sobering picture.
He illustrated the moral divide through three road accident incidents — two in Malaysian villages and one abroad. In the local cases, villagers rushed to collect spilt rice and milk for personal use.
In contrast, a similar incident in a non-Muslim country saw bystanders returning every bottle of the toppled drinks to the truck driver.
Posing a series of piercing questions to the audience, he argued that education must not only produce the brightest minds but also the kindest hearts.
Despite the RM84.8 billion allocated to education in the 2026 budget, he warned that such investments are hollow if they fail to cultivate empathy, honesty, and civic responsibility.
Sultan Nazrin said:“Society today is right to ask: has an overemphasis on examination-grade KPIs pushed aside the fundamental philosophy and true purpose of education? Have we become so fixated on rankings and statistics that we neglect to shape character?
“In the pursuit of academic excellence, have we sacrificed spiritual and moral development? Are we unknowingly responsible for raising a generation devoid of empathy, humanity, and moral awareness?
“Children are drilled to answer exam questions mechanically and intensively, but do they understand how to empathise with and respect others’ feelings? Education is not solely about producing the smartest individuals; it is even more about nurturing the most humane.”
The sultan said big budgets allocated to education remained meaningless “if the true purpose of education is unfulfilled, if young minds remain empty of values, and if the current educational focus fails to produce thoughtful, morally grounded individuals with a clear sense of purpose.”
Sultan Nazrin stressed,” Integrity is not born spontaneously. It is not shaped by a beautifully written plan on paper, nor is it achieved simply by establishing an institution.
“Integrity is cultivated through continuous education-nurtured at home, reinforced at school, strengthened by society, and inspired by exemplary leadership. Parents play the most crucial role in planting the seeds of integrity in their children, for the home is a child’s first school.”
Reminding Malaysians that integrity is not born of policy, but of practice—nurtured at home, reinforced in schools, and modelled by leaders, the sultan also echoed the teaching of Confucius and UNESCO’s 2023 report, both of which stressed that a nation’s strength lies in the integrity of its people, and that moral education must begin early to counter the rise of shameless fraud and corruption.
In the closing passages of his address, Sultan Nazrin spoke about the soul of education and the sacred trust of leadership.
Drawing wisdom from across faith traditions—from the Bible and Bhagavad Gita to Guru Nanak and Buddhist teachings—all of which uphold honesty, morality, and public virtue as sacred duties, he also praised Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye for his humility and spiritual grounding, and cited the inaugural speech of Saidina Abu Bakar Al-Siddiq (PBUH) in reminding leaders that ”truth is a trust, and falsehood is a betrayal”.
Sultan Nazrin said:” Clearly, the sacred meaning of education must be restored. Education is about guidance, not mere instruction. Teachers are not merely conveyors of knowledge; they are sowers of values.
“True education builds the mind and the soul, integrating intellect, emotion, and morality to nurture individuals who are not only intelligent but also noble in character.
“Inculcating integrity must begin in schools so that young people understand that success without honesty brings no blessing. Schools and universities should therefore serve not only as centres of knowledge but also as institutions for moral formation.”
The sultan also warned against the seduction of scripted success and hollow achievements, urging Malaysians to cultivate critical thinking and moral discernment.
In conclusion, he stressed that promoting integrity required more than policies — it demanded a transformation of mindset, courage to admit mistakes, openness to feedback, and above all, leadership by example.
WE