KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 10 — Malaysians must expose and punish those who act unethically and reject double-standards especially for those in high positions, Perak Sultan Tuanku Nazrin Muizzudin Shah said today.

In pushing for an ethical society in Malaysia, Sultan Nazrin said those who exploit weaknesses in the system to take personal advantage of the situations they find themselves in must face legal and social sanctions.

“There has to be a sincere demonstration of zero-tolerance of unethical decisions or actions, especially by those holding high public office.

“These must be exposed and subjected to public disapproval in the strongest terms. If flagrant violations go unpunished, then any effort to put ethics to work in society will be ineffectual,” the ruler said in his speech at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Foundation’s International Conference with the theme “Putting Ethics to Work in Business and Government”.

Prosecution and severe sentencing for unethical behaviour that is also illegal will send a clear message to society on what is acceptable and what is not, the ruler said.

“Where unethical behaviour is not illegal, the media must play an active and instrumental role as the ‘fourth estate’, holding those in power accountable for decisions or actions deemed illegitimate.

“At the same time, those who speak up, make sacrifices and act in ways that promote ethical behaviour ought to be commended and celebrated.  In far too many countries, they are instead silenced, penalised and persecuted,” the leader said when listing five things that Malaysia must do.

The four other imperatives include the need for individual Malaysians to take up personal responsibility on matters of ethics and integrity, as well as the need for ethical practices  and values at home to match those in the school, workplace and society.

“Any evidence of double standards, particularly among those in positions of power, will send mixed messages and undo the good work that has been done elsewhere. This in turn breeds a degree of cynicism that will be extremely difficult to eradicate from the mindsets of the present generations of Malaysians,” the ruler said.

An open, democratic and transparent society is also needed to allow ethical behaviour to flourish, the ruler said, adding that Malaysians have to work together to build a high-trust society by addressing the widening-divisions and unequal or unfair treatment.

Earlier in his speech, Sultan Nazrin said that Malaysia has to look at the country’s ethical problems honestly and openly in order to push for ethical behaviours in businesses and the government, noting that indicators of ethics show a bleak picture of the effectiveness of the country’s laws and institutions.

“While there are many who believe that we should not be overly concerned by indices, we have to realize that perceptions of our country have not arisen out of thin air.  Perception is part of the reality.  And the perception tells us that, in many aspects of life, our moral compasses have gone awry,” he said.

He referred to Malaysia’s performance in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index 2014 where it ranked 50th out of 175 countries with a score of 52 out of 100, and also in the World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index 2015 where its score of 57 out of 100 placed it in the 38th spot out of 102 countries.