The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah said all religions denounced corruption, as it is a cancer that can ruin civilisations.
Citing the historic Malay chronicle “Sulalatus Al-Salatin”, he noted how the centuries-old Malacca sultanate was brought to its knees because of the Bendahara Maharaja's corrupt practices.
Therefore, His Majesty urged all institutions of higher learning to instil honesty, trustworthiness and integrity in their students.
He said instilling these values must begin at school and be nurtured during tertiary education.
Sultan Abdullah stressed that efforts to strengthen national integrity and good work ethics among citizens should be nurtured and formed in every lecture hall.
“Indeed, a precondition for a country's success is to depend on its people and workforce who are honest, trustworthy and have high-level of integrity,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama.
Sultan Abdullah, who is also the chancellor of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), was speaking at the institution's 93rd convocation ceremony in Shah Alam today.
Good core values
The king cautioned that a borderless world and globalisation would not only impact the country's economy but also lead to various impacts from social and cultural aspects that would go unnoticed and affect the noble virtues and moral values of any society.
“Therefore, today’s graduates, who will inherit the country, need to be instilled and nurtured with good core values to develop honest characters filled with integrity,” he added.
Sultan Abdullah also praised the successes of UiTM graduates to stamp their mark on the global stage through excellent academic achievements.
“I am also very happy with UiTM’s performance and achievements as the university is now ranked among the best in Asia and the world in 2021 and 2022.
“I am also proud of the success of 26 UiTM athletes who were chosen to represent Malaysia at the recent 31st South East Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam,” he added.
Sultan Abdullah earlier consented to the proclamation of Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin of Selangor as the new UiTM pro-chancellor.
The king's remarks on corruption came amid intense speculation that former premier Najib Abdul Razak, who has been convicted and sentenced to a 12-year prison term for graft-related offences, could seek a royal pardon.
Political rivals have accused Najib and Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also embroiled in a corruption trial, of pushing for an early general election to secure their freedom.
Najib was granted a stay of execution pending the disposal of his final appeal at the Federal Court.
Recently, former Malaysian Bar president Ambiga Sreenevasan expressed regret that the former premier was invited to the palace. - Mkini
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