Empowering youth with integrity

My uncle used to give lengthy lectures to my sisters and me as children, mostly centralizing on moral philosophy, but more prominently, I recall his algebraic formula “2R+I” which he wilfully ingrained into our minds. Repeatedly, we would unharmoniously utter together, “2R+I equals Respect for yourself, Respect for others and uncompromising Integrity!”

Never would I have thought such a simple formula would have an enormous impact on defining my identity through the values and principles that I choose to govern me over the years.

Eventually, this notion gave me an idea of the essence of true leadership.

The value of integrity is the highest quality that needs to be preserved in an individual and it is only by abiding by that, that we can preserve the integrity of all our institutions that promote the kind of democratic governance that prioritizes civil liberties and seeks to elevate human dignity.

Evidently, this only comes with a comprehensive understanding of forging an identity of moral integrity – consisting of the responsibility and duty to the public, in respect of one’s own image as an elected contributor for the betterment of society and hence, “2R+I”.

Unfortunately, as we see it today, integrity is as evident as dinosaurs. A shocking cabinet reshuffle that has resulted in an upsetting of all forms of check and balance to the Executive, coupled with the sacking of the Attorney General and silenced critics. All this has led to the inevitable collapse of the separation of powers.

I wonder if our founding fathers would like to make a charitable “donation” of their integrity right now.

It is a shameful example our current leaders are setting for the next generation of the Executive. It is one that neglects the notions of integrity that empowers Malaysian society, swallowed by greed and a fetish for an exploitative autocracy.

In what state of mind would any educated person think this culture of feudalism guarantees long term sustainability in nation building?

Just over the weekend, I attended the first ever Malaysian Students’ Global Policy Symposium (GPS) which was held in Sunway University, organized with the collaboration of several Malaysian student councils across many countries, including the United Kingdom, USA, Japan and Egypt.

In the session, the students presented policy papers that proposed ideas to be added in the Higher Education Blueprint to bring its implementation to greater effectiveness.

Intriguingly, some of the concepts revolved around empowering student unions and providing them with greater autonomy to push for the changes that are consistent with the notions of progressiveness.

There have been a lot of initiatives revolving around youth engagement with the government. However, in spite of these efforts, I believe it still lacks a general sense of sincerity in instilling integrity in our future leaders.

It is most disheartening that the “anak-anak muda” who seek to attain social and political justice have had their advocacies demonized – persecuted and dropped from being integrated with mainstream society as “threatening to parliamentary democracy” simply because their ideologies are not consistent with that of the establishment.

Especially with the draconian nature of the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA), the Sedition Act, the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) and the revived Section 145B of the Penal Code – the capacity for youth to engage in changing the gradient of the political landscape has been greatly inhibited.

In fact, I choose to opt out from partaking in Bersih 4 because I feel that I have a lot more to lose from attending a single rally than to continue contributing to my community in ways that do not incapacitate my ability to nurture my ideals of improving the state of Malaysia.

It is daunting enough to seek opportunities in an environment that does not favour me, so perhaps a little submission (as dishonest as it may seem) might benefit me in the long run.

In the capacity to succeed, youth today accept the sacrifice of their personal liberty, freedom of movement, freedom of speech and right to peaceful assembly so that they can continue with pursuing their desires.

What this has led to is a lack of moral integrity due to a fixation over the self, rather than working to ensure that the welfare of the society is always maintained. To a certain extent, we have bred a selfish generation that is blind to perceiving the true ideals of the nation – one that is inconsistent with the spirit of constitutionalism.

“The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home,” Confucius philosophized.  It is vital that the youth of our country learn to reclaim their own moral integrity for themselves. It is only through this realization, lies the essence of formulating the kind of leadership that paves back the spirit of freedom, that sense of Merdeka that we once romanticized so deeply.

As the 58th year that marks the independence of this great nation approaches, I hope that more people of my age understand how important it is for us to rebuild the integrity of our institutions that has been burnt to the ground, and that certainly begins with respect for ourselves and the people, and an uncompromising integrity. – August 6, 2015.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.