LEARN FROM HISTORY, WITHOUT INTEGRITY, NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE IS AT RISK - SULTAN NAZRIN

IPOH, Nov 5 (Bernama) -- The current generation must view history as a lesson that without integrity, the nation’s independence and sovereignty could be at risk, said Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Shah.

His Royal Highness highlighted that the nation’s history, particularly the fall of Melaka to the Portuguese in 1511, serves as a cautionary tale, not only due to external attacks but also because of internal betrayal arising from a loss of integrity.

“Therefore, all those entrusted with responsibility, be it in the public or private sector, politics, religious institutions, volunteer organisations, welfare, or sports, should take history as their guiding teacher.

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“Philosopher George Santayana once said, ‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’ It is worrying that this failure to learn from history seems to be happening right before our eyes,” the Ruler said at the official launch of the 2025 National Integrity Month (SBIN) at the Perak Darul Ridzuan Building here today.

Also present were Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad and Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, who also serves as Chairman of the Malaysian Institute of Integrity (IIM).

Sultan Nazrin stated that the nation’s leadership has consistently worked to promote the importance of integrity, highlighted by the launch of the National Integrity Plan on April 23, 2004, alongside the establishment of the IIM during the administration of the late Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

However, he observed that even after 20 years, the country’s ranking on the Corruption Perceptions Index remains disappointing, with corruption and misconduct still prevalent.

His Royal Highness highlighted that this is reflected in government reports, which show RM15.5 billion in public funds recovered from corruption and money-laundering offenders over the past two years.

“Every day, newspapers report on arrests, investigations, prosecutions, and trials related to corruption, breach of trust, resource leakages, cronyism, and abuse of power.

“Newspapers have revealed cartels controlling the chicken, fish, and rice industries, alongside a surge of undocumented foreign workers, illegal land encroachments, unlicensed factories, gambling dens, entertainment outlets, and massage parlours, as well as environmental pollution, each taking place openly and unabashedly.

“The nation has been brought to shame on the world stage by the largest financial scandal in its history, saddling it with debt and undermining both economic development and the value of its currency,” he said.

The Ruler urged institutions like the IIM to adopt wise and strategic approaches, prioritising the most critical areas in tackling the nation’s integrity challenges.

“A strategic approach must be thoughtfully devised, and wise measures pioneered to ensure that efforts to cultivate integrity yield results, enabling the IIM to be strong and capable of membuang yang bengkok – mengambil yang lurus; jika berladang biar menjadi – jika bersawah biar berpadi (weeding out the crooked—preserving the upright; if tending farmland, let it prosper—if managing paddy fields, let the rice thrive),” the Sultan said.

Sultan Nazrin noted that the IIM has been tasked with a wide-ranging mandate and substantial responsibilities, yet operates with limited funding and manpower. Unsurprisingly, the institute faces significant challenges when expected to achieve near-miraculous results in tackling the nation’s integrity issues.

“With limited funding and manpower, likened to possessing a cloth only a cubit long, the IIM must exercise prudence to ensure that even such a short cloth sufficiently covers the body’s most vital parts,” Sultan Nazrin said.

His Royal Highness stated that the institute’s funding has grown nearly fourfold, from RM5 million in 2004 to RM18 million in 2024, yet it continues to face expectations of achieving near-miraculous results in tackling integrity issues.

-- BERNAMA