Noting the practice of “sepukku” or “hara kiri” among the Japanese, the ritual suicide practised as an alternative to disgrace, Maszlee pointed out that it showed how the feeling of shame was important for their culture, just as the Chinese have a smilar virtue of “preserving face”.
“In the Malay community, too, we used to have this feeling of shame. Now, we have increasingly lost that,” he told a forum titled Corruption and Hypocrisy in Malay-Muslim Politics yesterday.
“These days, we see people who are not embarrassed to take money, steal or receive bribes and even if they are too lazy to work.
“They get bribes, abuse their power or give tenders to get rich in the blink of an eye. They don’t feel embarrassed. This is an attitude we have to correct.”
The other speakers at the forum included Barisan Nasional secretary-general Zambry Abd Kadir, Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and Amanah’s Dzulkefly Ahmad.
Zambry agreed with Maszlee’s view, stating that while mutual respect, dignity and spiritual values were once hallmarks of Malay society, rapid development and the push for modernisation meant people were now “chasing materialism” at the expense of these values.
“Like Maszlee said, when systemic corruption exists, it involves all aspects of life and creates an environment where people no longer feel ashamed. They seek a life of luxury and leisure,” he said.
Maszlee also stressed how the pursuit of a materialistic life played a part in corruption, stating that a government official who approved a tender and got a bribe may not necessarily feel ashamed.
“Instead, he feels proud because he can buy a big car, a big house,” he said, stating how politicians felt they had to keep up with the Joneses by buying fancy cars, expensive handbags and holidaying in exotic destinations.
He also related an anecdote about some politicians’ wives ridiculing their peers who did not use expensive, branded handbags which were “at least from the Pavilion”.
“This sense of shame, once it is lost, will be replaced by greed and a desire to always want more.
“If we want to overcome corruption and abuse of power, we have to revive the feeling of shame for corrupt practice among our people,” he said.
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