THE LEADER-MANAGER

 

A Leader-Manager is someone who can lead and manage himself, others, processes, and change—often all at the same time.

He must have the capacity and ability to perform the essential tasks of both leadership and management with excellence. He sets clear goals and deliverables and helps his team connect to them by making them meaningful. At the same time, he exercises discipline, holds people accountable, is willing to have tough conversations, and when necessary, takes firm action to manage performance.

In fulfilling these roles, the Leader-Manager embraces several core responsibilities:

1. Economic Performance as the Central Mission

A Leader-Manager must first understand how his responsibilities serve the organization’s overall mission. Since a business is an economic organ, every decision, action, and deliberation must be measured against its ability to deliver economic performance. A business justifies its existence only by producing results: supplying goods and services customers want at a price they are willing to pay, while ensuring profit. The Leader-Manager must therefore be clear that his foremost duty is to safeguard and grow the wealth-producing capacity of the resources entrusted to him.

2. Human Capital as the True Resource

Economic performance is only possible if people perform. The true resource of any enterprise is its human capital. A Leader-Manager must be skilled at bringing out the best in people. He does this by enabling achievement—because achievement is both fuel and reward for self-motivation. To unlock this, he must see subordinates as human beings first, not merely as resources. He takes into account their dreams, aspirations, personalities, skills, motivations, and reasons for action or inaction.

3. Building a Culture of Duplication and Best Practices

A Leader-Manager multiplies success. He is quick to transfer knowledge and make best practices part of the organization’s culture. He ensures that top talents share insights across teams—in innovation, marketing, operations, and management. He encourages collaboration, discourages silos, and builds systems where success is celebrated, codified, and replicated. In this way, ordinary people are lifted to do extraordinary things, and the organization keeps moving upward.

4. Balancing Administration and Entrepreneurship

The Leader-Manager is both an efficient administrator and an entrepreneur. He reallocates resources from declining areas to those with greater potential, ensuring both effectiveness and efficiency—doing things right while also doing the right things. As an entrepreneur, he creates and grows tomorrow’s business through systematic analysis, foresight, and hard work today.

5. Managing the Short Term and the Long Term

One of the Leader-Manager’s most critical skills is managing two time dimensions simultaneously. He must balance short-term results with long-term sustainability. He cannot chase immediate profits at the expense of the company’s long-range health, nor can he dream of a distant future while neglecting present demands. His responsibility is to harmonize the two—running today’s business while preparing the changes needed for tomorrow.

6. Stewardship of Social Responsibility and Brand

Finally, the Leader-Manager is custodian of the organization’s wider social responsibilities. He safeguards its reputation, ensures its brand is trusted, and manages its impact on society. In doing so, he positions the company not only as an economic institution but also as a respected member of the community.

Anas Zubedy
Kuala Lumpur

Ref: Inspired by Peter Drucker’s management insights

 

HAVE A MEANINGFUL HARI MALAYSIA - What We Want Our Leader-Managers to Lead and Manage

In politics, government, business, and social institutions, Leader-Managers must be able to lead and manage in four key areas:

1. Lead and Manage Oneself

Before leading others, a leader must first lead and manage himself. He must be clear about his goals and vision, and live by them. He must ‘cakap serupa bikin’—walk his talk. If his vision is integrity, he cannot compromise with corruption. When a leader fails to manage himself, organizations fail, and even nations and civilizations can collapse.

2. Lead and Manage Others

A Leader-Manager must be effective with people. He sets clear goals and deliverables, and makes them meaningful to the team. He removes uncertainties, holds people accountable, and is willing to have tough conversations —and take tough actions—when needed. His aim is always to build and sustain a high-performing team.

3. Lead and Manage Execution and Processes

A Leader-Manager makes things happen. He does not just make speeches or set lofty goals without substance. Promises are commitments, backed by well-thought-out plans. He ensures processes run, plans are executed, and results are delivered.

4. Lead and Manage Change

Change breeds uncertainty. Leader-Man
agers must remove confusion, clarify direction, and help people adapt. They can either guide their organizations through change and emerge stronger—or succumb to it, dragging everyone into failure.

Talk to us if you want to strengthen your leaders and managers—especially when your strategy involves moving technical specialists and individual contributors into people-management roles. We help them first lead and manage themselves, then others, while ensuring processes and goals are executed effectively, all while guiding their teams through change.

Let us add value,

Have a Meaningful Hari Malaysia.

Peace.

Anas Zubedy

UNITY IN DIVERSITY : CHOOSING INTEGRATION OVER ASSIMILATION

Our forefathers, Tunku and his team, were optimistic leaders. They carried with them a deep trust in the future of the Malayan, and later Malaysian, people. Because of that trust, unlike many other nations that emerged from the colonial yoke, we chose integration over assimilation.

We did not erase our differences or pretend they did not exist. We did not aim to be colour-blind. We did not choose to be historically deaf. Instead, we embraced all the colours — every shade, every story, every tradition. We created a nation of many colours with the shared goal of becoming one Malaysian race, anchored in the land’s history — the Malay Sultanates and traditions with Islam as the official religion — while at the same time safeguarding the other cultures. We etched this commitment in our social contract through Article 153, which protects the special position of the Malays and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak while also guaranteeing the legitimate interests of other communities.

This is what our Unity in Diversity truly means.

We decided we are many colours, but one race. Yet when we speak of the Malaysian race, we are referring to the word bangsa, not kaum. Bangsa speaks of citizenship. Bangsa Malaysia means our ethnicity remains Malay, Chinese, Indian, Iban, Kadazan, Melanau, Senoi, Semang, Kelabit, Murut, Kayan, and so on — but our citizenship is one: Malaysian.

Take language, for example.

While Bahasa Malaysia is our National Language — our shared tongue that binds us — we respect the mother tongues of our many communities. We did not impose uniformity. Instead, we anchored ourselves in the Malay language while allowing and encouraging every other language to grow and flourish. This is why we agreed to and encouraged the vernacular schools.

To me, this decision to integrate, rather than assimilate, is not only wise but crucial for humanity.

Across the globe, more than 3,000 languages have already disappeared, and the number continues to rise. Each language lost is a piece of humanity gone forever. Here in Malaysia, we have chosen not to be part of this loss.

We are a nation that treasures culture — and by extension, the cultures of the world.

We want to preserve, promote, and protect the major languages and traditions — Malay, Mandarin, Tamil, English — while also ensuring that smaller and lesser-known ones like Kelabit, Kristang, and Temuan continue to be heard, spoken, and celebrated.

Every culture, every dialect, every dance, song, and proverb adds richness to the Malaysian story. We must never allow even one of our many cultures or languages to vanish — because the loss of one is the loss of all.

To lose a culture is to lose a whole conceptual understanding of a people. We would be losing thousands of years of knowledge and wisdom embedded in language, tradition, and practice. It is like losing a species of animal — only worse.

As a Star Trek kaki, I am reminded of Star Trek: Insurrection (1998). Captain Picard and his crew uncover a plan by the Federation and the Son’a to forcibly remove the Ba’ku from their homeworld to exploit its life-restoring radiation. Recognizing that this would mean the loss of the Ba’ku’s simple, agrarian way of life and the destruction of their culture, Picard and his team refuse to allow it. Even against Starfleet orders, they stand firm to protect the Ba’ku’s right to preserve their identity and way of living.

We too must be like Picard and his team. We must ensure that we lose none, and instead grow all.

“And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your languages and your colors. Indeed in that are signs for those of knowledge.”

(Qur’an 30:22)

Peace.

Anas Zubedy

Penang

SNIPING IS COWARDICE. HYPOCRISY IS COMPLICITY.

Sniping is cowardice.

Charlie Kirk snipes with words. Rightly or wrongly, he debates and ruffles feathers. Instead of sniping back with words, the coward sniped with a bullet.

But the IDF sniper who shoots Palestinian babies is the ultimate coward and wicked.

Hiding at a distance. Taking life from those who cannot speak, cannot fight, cannot even walk. Their only weapon is a cry—for food, for safety, for family.

And hypocrisy?

It is to weep for Charlie Kirk and his family—yet feel nothing when Palestinian babies are killed.

If our hearts choose who deserves compassion, then our humanity is already wounded.

Nothing is more inhuman. Nothing is lower.

Peace.

Anas Zubedy

Penang.

CHARLIE KIRK - Did he, in the end, die exactly as he believed fit?

The irony is this: Charlie Kirk was a staunch supporter of gun rights and consistently opposed most forms of gun control. A gun owner himself, he championed the right to bear arms. Even in the aftermath of mass shootings, he resisted calls for stricter regulations, preferring to point instead toward mental health, cultural decline, or the need for “armed guards and gun detectors” in schools.

Yet, he once admitted that some gun deaths are an unfortunate but acceptable cost of preserving the Second Amendment.

Did he, in the end, die exactly as he believed fit?

Peace,

Anas

UNITY IN DIVERSITY: SIGNIFICANCE OF AUGUST 31ST AND SEPTEMBER 16TH

On August 31st, 1957, we lowered the Union Jack and took our first breath as an independent nation. On September 16th, 1963, we took our second—when Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore came together to form Malaysia. Though Singapore would later chart its own path, this formation remains one of the most significant moments in Southeast Asian history.

Hari Merdeka marks our political independence. But Hari Malaysia is about something deeper—it is about the choice to unite across land, culture, and sea.

At the heart of Merdeka was a miracle of trust.

The Malays opened their arms and offered a place in what was then Tanah Melayu. The Chinese and Indians, many of whom were still closely tied to their ancestral lands, gave up foreign citizenship to plant roots in a new home.

This was not merely a political agreement—it was a profound act of faith, cooperation, and shared destiny.

Hari Malaysia reminds us that with Sabah and Sarawak, our national soul is complete. From the longhouses of the Bornean interior to the high-rises of urban Kuala Lumpur, from fishing villages to bustling ports, each region contributes its own wisdom, resilience, and beauty to the national fabric.

As a multiracial and multireligious society, we carry within us a rare and powerful potential.

In a world often divided by difference, we have lived experience in embracing it. While homogenous societies may struggle to adapt to pluralism, we are born into it. We pray in different languages, eat at each other’s tables, and celebrate side by side.

This is not a weakness to be managed. It is a strength to be harnessed.

Across our diverse traditions, we find the same call to unity and shared strength.

Hinduism reminds us through the Bhagavad Gita that the same essence pervades the entire universe, binding all beings in one reality. Buddhism, in the Metta Sutta, calls on us to extend a mother’s boundless love to every living being, cultivating compassion as the root of harmony.

Taoism, in the wisdom of Zhuangzi, affirms that Heaven, Earth, and humanity form an inseparable whole, teaching us that we are never apart from the greater oneness of existence. Christianity, in the Psalms, proclaims the joy and beauty of people living together in unity. And Islam, in the Qur’an, reminds us that all humanity is but one community under God.

As the late Tan Sri P. Ramlee sang in Getaran Jiwa, “Andai dipisah lagu dan irama, lemah tiada berjiwa, hampa.” If melody and rhythm are separated, the soul is lost.

We too are like lagu and irama—distinct yet inseparable. Each culture, faith, and community adds its own rhythm to the Malaysian song, and only together do we become whole.

Peace,

anas zubedy

Penang

UNITY IN DIVERSITY AND FLAG-RELATED MISSTEPS - MERDEKA 2025

 

Today, August 31st, is Merdeka Day—the day when the Jalur Gemilang waves proudly as our symbol of unity. On this day, we remember that we are one people, bound by one flag. Yet, in the days leading up to Merdeka, instead of drawing us closer, the flag somehow became a point of quarrel. A few flags hung upside down, a careless misprint here and there, and suddenly it turned into anger, blame, and even tit-for-tat across ethnic lines. What was meant to unite became a reason to divide.

We can do better. Mistakes will happen—sometimes out of ignorance, sometimes by accident. The question is not whether mistakes occur, but how we choose to respond. Do we lash out, or do we educate? Do we shame, or do we guide? Each of us has the power to decide, and our decision must draw strength from our unity in diversity.

I am reminded of my best friend, Jubal—a Catholic, a Christian—who left us two decades ago. He and I had a simple but powerful practice. When I was faced with a decision, he would ask me, “What would Prophet Muhammad do in this situation?” When it was his turn, I would ask him, “What would Jesus do in this situation?” We reminded each other of our compass, of the role models who shaped us. That habit helped us anchor our choices in values larger than ourselves.

Perhaps we can do the same now. Let us ask: What would they do in this situation?

What would Jesus do in this situation?
If Jesus saw someone mishandle the flag, he would likely say, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” He would teach us that mercy is more powerful than anger.

What would Buddha do in this situation?
If Buddha were here, he would tell us to remain calm. He would remind us that holding on to outrage only creates more suffering. Compassion is the wiser path.

What would Guru Nanak do in this situation?
If Guru Nanak faced this, he would call us to humility and oneness. He would remind us that the flag belongs to everyone, not to one race or religion, and that each of us is equal under its colors. He would point us back to Ik Onkar—that God is One, and that unity is the foundation of all creation.

What would Thiruvalluvar do in this situation?
If Thiruvalluvar, the Tamil sage, were present, he might recall his Tirukkural: “Offensive words bring grief, though uttered without intent.” He would tell us to respond with kindness, even when mistakes happen.

What would Lao Tzu do in this situation?
If Lao Tzu were among us, he would say: be like water. Gentle, patient, flowing around obstacles instead of crashing against them. True strength, he would remind us, lies in softness.

What would Prophet Muhammad do in this situation?
If Prophet Muhammad were here, he would choose mercy. He taught that gentleness is greater than harshness. He would correct the mistake, yes, but without shaming, and he would remind us that our duty is to bring hearts together, not to tear them apart.

So, on this Merdeka Day, let us not compete over who loves the flag more. Instead, let us live the values the Jalur Gemilang stands for—compassion, respect, humility, and unity. When mistakes happen, let us correct with patience. When others falter, let us remind with kindness. Only then will our flag truly remain what it was meant to be: a banner that unites all Malaysians.

We must remember what our goal was in the first place. Let us be reminded by these crucial words of the Tunku, our Father of Independence:

“We appreciate food instead of bullets, clothing instead of uniforms, houses instead of barracks.”

And,

“Our future depends on how well many different kinds of people can live and work together.”

HAVE A MEANINGFUL MERDEKA 2025

Peace,
Anas Zubedy
Kuala Lumpur

 

WHY ISLAM IS STRONG BUT MUSLIMS ARE WEAK – A QURANIC REMEDY

 

I attended a seminar on Islam and Scholarship some time ago. At one point, the speaker mentioned Shia Muslims. The man sitting behind me immediately whispered harshly: “Shia lak’nat’tul Allah” — “the Shias, may Allah curse them.”

Here was someone who looked decent, educated, and respectable. Yet, his spontaneous reaction to a fellow Muslim from another school of thought was one of hate, not peace. If this is how he reacts to his own brother in faith, how will he see Christians, Hindus, or Buddhists? What will his idea of justice look like if he ever has to decide over others?

This, in a nutshell, is why Islam is strong but Muslims are weak.

Islam is strong because its message is universal, inclusive, and just. Muslims are weak because we have allowed ourselves to become narrow, exclusive, and divided. Islam gives us the right framework. We, however, have set our default settings elsewhere.

Default Settings and Frameworks

Spontaneous reactions say a lot. They are windows into our hearts. They reveal how our minds are wired. They show the habits we have repeated for years until they have hardened into what I call our “default settings.”

But default settings do not appear overnight. They come from a framework. Our worldview, the spectacles we use to see life, the beliefs we hold as truth. With time and repetition, these beliefs form habits. Habits then become our instincts.

The Qur’an warns us of this danger. “No! Rather, their hearts have been rusted by what they used to earn” [83:14]. Repeated wrong actions cover the heart until it can no longer see clearly. Elsewhere Allah says, “When they deviated, Allah caused their hearts to deviate. And Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people” [61:5]. Habitual deviation reshapes the heart’s default setting away from guidance.

Islam is strong because its framework is clear: unity, justice, inclusivity. Muslims are weak because our frameworks have shifted. Instead of drawing from the Qur’an, many of us draw from cultural bias, inherited prejudice, or sectarian rivalry. And so when the moment comes, when we react without thinking, our responses reveal weakness, not strength.

If Muslims are serious about becoming strong again, we must start here: reframe our worldview, and reset our default settings.

Approach and Limitations

Guide us to the straight way [Qur’an 1:6].

The way forward is not complicated.

First, we must shift our worldview of God, religion, and the hereafter. From exclusive to inclusive.

Second, we must admit that the weakness is not only about Muslims versus others. Sometimes it is Muslim versus Muslim. Sectarian hostility is often sharper than interfaith conflict.

Third, because this is addressed to Muslims, my arguments must rest on the Qur’an. A Muslim is answerable to the Qur’an [6:19; 16:64; 7:158; 5:44]. It is in the Qur’an that we will find the remedy.

Fourth, change is like in business and organizations. Big speeches don’t change people. Small, consistent acts do. If you buy into the idea, and you practice it in your family and circle of influence, change has already begun.

Finally, this is only a short article. It cannot cover everything about resistance, processes, or leadership. But it can serve as a starting point — a trigger.

The Core Message

Had Allah willed, He would have made you one community. But [He willed otherwise] to test you in what He has given you. So compete with one another in good works. To Allah you will all return, and He will inform you about that over which you differed. [Qur’an 5:48].

Islam is strong because it does not monopolize God. It opens its arms to all who seek Him sincerely.

Verily, this community of yours is one single community, since I am the Sustainer of you all. Worship, then, Me alone! But men have torn their unity wide asunder… [Qur’an 21:92–94].

Muslims are weak because we try to monopolize God. We reduce salvation to group membership. We curse one another – even among Muslims. We draw lines. We harden our hearts.

The Qur’an is clear:

• Righteousness, not labels, is the criteria [2:177].
• Faith and deeds, not affiliation, determine reward [22:67; 7:26].
• Unity under God, not monopoly over Him, is the essence of religion.

The Qur’anic Case for Strength

Mawlana Abul Kalam Azad once wrote:

“The unity of religion forms the primary basis of the Qur’anic call. Everything else rests on it. Yet no truth has been more sidelined than this.”

Islam is strong because the Qur’an insists that messengers were sent to every people [40:78]. Muslims are weak because we act as if Islam began with the Arabs. Islam’s history is world history, not Arab history.

Islam is strong because the Qur’an commands us to accept all messengers equally [4:150–153]. Muslims are weak because we pick and choose, cursing even other Muslims.

Islam is strong because Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was sent as the seal, not the founder [33:40]. Muslims are weak when we forget this, reducing Islam into an ethnic inheritance.

Islam is strong because Allah Himself named us “Muslims” long before Muhammad  [22:78]. Muslims are weak when we place more importance on sectarian labels — Sunni, Shia, Salafi, Sufi, etc — over the name Allah gave us.

Islam is strong because it protects all houses of worship where His name is remembered [22:40]. Muslims are weak when we act as if only our own houses of worship are valid.

Islam is strong because it declares salvation for any who believe in God, the Last Day, and do good [2:62; 5:69]. And only Allah is the Master of the Day of Judgement [1:4]. Muslims are weak when we judge others instead of leaving judgement to Allah.

The Effects of Weak Frameworks

The signs of our weakness are everywhere.

• Sadaqat is denied to non-Muslims even though the Qur’an allows it [9:60].
• Sympathy is measured by community instead of humanity.
• Cursing fellow Muslims from a different school of thought has become second nature.

This is what happens when Muslims abandon the strength of Islam — which is simply to follow the Prophet, who believes in Allah and His words:

“Say, [O Muhammad], ‘O mankind, indeed I am the Messenger of Allah to you all, to Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. There is no god except Him; He gives life and causes death.’ So believe in Allah and His Messenger, the unlettered Prophet who believes in Allah and His words, and follow him that you may be guided and successful.” [Qur’an 7:158].

The Remedy: Four Steps plus One

If we want to reset our default settings and become strong again, we must follow the path the Qur’an lays before us. I call it the Four Steps plus One.

1. Knowledge
   Ignorance weakens. Knowledge strengthens. Read. Learn. Understand your own tradition and others. Islam began with Iqra’ — Read in the name of your Lord who created [96:1].
2. Attitude
   Weak Muslims are tossed around by events. Strong Muslims anchor themselves in justice and confidence.

“So do not lose heart, nor fall into despair — for you will be superior if you are true believers.” [3:139].

3. Individual Behavior
   Knowledge and good intentions are not enough. Weak Muslims stop at theory. Strong Muslims act. They form habits. They make inclusivity instinctive.

“And say, ‘Do [as you will], for Allah will see your deeds, and [so will] His Messenger and the believers. And you will be returned to the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, and He will inform you of what you used to do.’” [9:105].

4. Group Behavior
   Groups change when individuals change. Weak groups are only collections of weak individuals.

“Let there arise from among you a community inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and it is they who will be successful.” [3:104].

Plus One: Awareness
Everything begins with awareness. It sparks knowledge, reshapes attitudes, and transforms behavior. Without awareness, we stay stagnant. With awareness, we awaken.

“God does not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.” [13:11].

Conclusion

“Unto every community We have appointed [different] ways of worship… Do not let this draw you into disputes. Call them all to your Sustainer: for you are indeed on the right way.” [22:67].

Islam is strong. It is inclusive, just, and universal. Muslims are weak because we try to monopolize God, divide ourselves, and ignore the Qur’an’s vision.

The Qur’anic remedy is clear:

• Stop monopolizing God.
• Stop fighting over labels.
• Reset our frameworks towards inclusivity.
• Rewire our default settings through knowledge, attitude, behavior, and awareness.

Change begins with us. Strength begins with us. Not in slogans but in small, instinctive reactions of daily life. When justice and inclusivity become our default, Muslims will again reflect the strength of Islam.

“O you who believe! Be steadfast in upholding equity, bearing witness to truth — even against yourselves or your kin. Do not let hatred lead you astray.” [4:135].

And let us remember:

“Indeed, those who have divided their religion and become sects — you, [O Muhammad], are not associated with them in anything. Their affair is only left to Allah; then He will inform them about what they used to do.” [6:159].

Islam is strong. Muslims can be strong again. The Qur’an is the remedy.

Anas Zubedy

Kuala Lumpur

UNITY IN DIVERSITY AGAINST CORRUPTION

Unity in Diversity is more than just a slogan we repeat.

It is not only about visiting one another during festivals, enjoying each other’s food, or watching cultural performances. These are wonderful expressions of who we are as Malaysians, but if we stop there, our unity will remain shallow. True Unity in Diversity must go deeper. It must rest on a shared moral compass—on the values we choose to uphold together: justice, honesty, fairness, and integrity.

In Malaysia, we already see glimpses of this spirit. We respect one another’s beliefs. We greet each other in times of joy and comfort one another in times of difficulty. But if we want to make our unity strong and lasting, we must ground it in ethics. Our traditions, across faiths and cultures, are clear: CORRUPTION IS POISON. It destroys trust, divides communities, and robs future generations. To be truly united in diversity, we must stand together against corruption.

THE TIRUKKURAL, the Tamil classic, is firm and uncompromising. It condemns bribery and unjust rule without hesitation. A judge who accepts bribes is compared to a scale that weighs unevenly. A king who rules without justice will lose both his kingdom and his fame. Even a single act of corruption, says the Tirukkural, carries the seeds of ruin for both the individual and the state (546–549).

THE GURU GRANTH SAHIB speaks with the same clarity. Those who are corrupt and greedy, it tells us, will lose their honour. “The unjust acquire wealth by fraud, but they will depart naked and dishonoured” (SGGS 790). Corruption is not only a crime against society; it is also a spiritual poison. It is rooted in ego and greed. The Sikh way reminds us of the antidote: to work honestly, to share what we have, and to remember God. Dignity comes not from exploiting others but from living truthfully in service to humanity.

CONFUCIUS, IN THE ANALECTS, describes corruption as the pursuit of profit over righteousness. “The gentleman understands what is moral. The small man understands what is profitable” (Analects 4:16). He warns that a corrupt government may produce fear, but never respect. Only leaders who govern by virtue will inspire goodness in their people (Analects 2:3). The wisdom of Confucius is a timely reminder: corruption in leadership does not just harm individuals—it weakens the foundation of society itself.

THE DHAMMA of the Buddha explains corruption as greed in action. In the Cakkavatti Sihanada Sutta, the Buddha warned that when rulers fail to govern justly, crime and chaos soon follow. The Dhammapada tells us that “the unjust man prospers for a time by fraud, but in the end he falls into ruin” (Dhp 69). Corruption may bring short-term gain, but it multiplies suffering and binds us to endless cycles of craving and dissatisfaction (Dhp 334). For Buddhists, corruption is not merely a weakness—it is a karmic chain that spreads misery to all.

THE BIBLE, too, is clear. “Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blind those who see and twists the words of the innocent” (Exodus 23:8). It warns us that “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). Jesus condemned the corruption of religious leaders who looked pious on the outside but neglected justice, mercy, and faithfulness (Matthew 23:23). For Christians, corruption is not only dishonesty—it is a betrayal of God’s trust and a denial of His justice.

Finally, THE QUR’AN places corruption (fasad) among the gravest of sins. “Do not consume one another’s wealth unjustly or send it [in bribery] to the rulers … while you know it is unlawful” (2:188). “Indeed, Allah does not like corrupters” (28:77). The Qur’an speaks directly to those who excuse themselves by saying they are reformers: “Unquestionably, it is they who are the corrupters, but they perceive it not” (2:11–12). In Islam, corruption is not just a crime against people; it is a rebellion against God and a corrosion of faith itself.

When we listen carefully, all these voices—the Tirukkural, the Guru Granth Sahib, the Analects, the Dhamma, the Bible, and the Qur’an—speak together in shared values. They come from different lands and different peoples, but they stand shoulder to shoulder in rejecting corruption. They remind us that greed and dishonesty destroy trust, poison society, and dishonor the human spirit.

Here in Malaysia, Unity in Diversity must mean more than sharing food, festivals, and traditions. It must mean standing together against corruption, guided by the values that all our faiths teach us. If each of us—in our homes, in our workplaces, and in our public life—chooses integrity over bribery, fairness over exploitation, and justice over greed, Malaysia will stand tall. We will be a people enriched by our diversity, and bound together by a moral compass that rejects corruption in all its forms.

“Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or oppressed.” They said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, we help him when he is oppressed, but how do we help him when he is an oppressor?’ He replied: “By stopping him from oppressing others.”

– Prophet Muhammad

Let us, as Malaysians, embrace our diversity as a gift and unite in doing good—living truthfully, acting justly, and building together a nation free from corruption.

Peace,

Anas Zubedy

Penang

UNITY IN DIVERSITY AGAINST HYPOCRISY AND LYING

We come from different cultures, histories, and faiths. Yet, on one important truth, humanity speaks with one voice: hypocrisy and lying destroy us. They corrode trust, hollow out the soul, and weaken the bonds that hold families, communities, and nations together. Across time and traditions, we are reminded that without truthfulness, no relationship, no society, and no spiritual journey can endure.

The BIBLE reminds us that God detests lying lips (Proverbs 12:22). Falsehood is described as the devil’s “native language” (John 8:44). Hypocrisy is when we profess faith but betray it in our deeds. Jesus rebuked those who honored God with their lips while their hearts were far from Him (Matthew 15:7–8). He likened hypocrites to whitewashed tombs—beautiful outside but rotten within (Matthew 23:27–28). Here, lying and hypocrisy are inseparable from sin, while truth leads us closer to God.

Confucius, through the ANALECTS, taught that sincerity is the heart of social harmony. Words must match deeds. When our speech outpaces our actions, shame follows. Fine words and pretension, he said, rarely accompany virtue. Trust is the foundation of friendship and of states. Without trust, society cannot endure. Hypocrisy is therefore not just a personal failing—it endangers the very stability of our communities.

The DHAMMA of the Buddha is clear: falsehood is not a small fault, but the root of suffering. Lies corrupt the mind, feed delusion, and plant the seeds of karmic debt. Hypocrisy is living with a double face—claiming virtue while hiding vice. The Dhammapada warns that liars fall into suffering and hell, and that words without action are empty. Yet even a single true word can bring peace. Truth is medicine for inner conflict; it is the path to liberation.

The GURU GRANTH SAHIB teaches that falsehood is poison. It clouds the mind, distances us from the Divine, and robs us of peace. Hypocrisy is outward ritual without inner devotion. Worship without love of Naam is wasted. Only truth abides, and only those who live truthfully draw near to Waheguru. The scripture reminds us: “Truth is high, but higher still is truthful living.” To live truthfully is the measure of a person’s soul.

The TIRUKKURAL, the Tamil classic, says truth is the root of all virtue. It sustains harmony, builds character, and leads to greatness. Lies, even when they bring temporary gain, only end in disgrace. Hypocrites may wear the form of men, but lack true manhood. “What is truth? Speech that harms none.” In this tradition, truth is both a personal discipline and a duty to society.

And finally, the QUR’AN links lying and hypocrisy in the strongest of terms. Hypocrites are liars (63:1), their existence a deception (2:8–9; 4:142). Lies sustain hypocrisy (9:56; 16:105). Repeated lying hardens into hypocrisy, until truth and falsehood blur together (2:11–12; 2:42). The Qur’an warns that hypocrisy corrodes faith itself. To live in truth is therefore not just a moral choice—it is the essence of belief.

When we listen carefully, all these voices—the Bible, the Analects, the Dhamma, the Guru Granth Sahib, the Tirukkural, and the Qur’an—speak in unison. They may come from different lands and different peoples, but they stand shoulder to shoulder against hypocrisy and lying. They affirm together that truth is sacred, hypocrisy destroys, and lying is poison.

In Malaysia, we are blessed with this diversity of traditions. Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Confucianism, and Tamil wisdom live side by side. Each of them calls us to truth and warns us against hypocrisy. If we stay true to our faiths and traditions, we can resist the culture of lying and double standards that weakens our society. When we choose honesty in our words, sincerity in our deeds, and integrity in our leadership, we not only honor our religion but also strengthen our unity as Malaysians.

Unity in diversity is not only about celebrating festivals or enjoying one another’s food. It is about living by a shared moral compass. If each of us—in our homes, our workplaces, and in public life—chooses truth over falsehood, sincerity over pretense, and integrity over hypocrisy, Malaysia will stand tall. We will be a people who embody the wisdom of our traditions, enriched by diversity, and bound together by truth.

As the Qur’an reminds us:

“O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.” (49:13)

Let us, as Malaysians, embrace our diversity as a gift, and unite in doing good—living truthfully, acting sincerely, and building together a society free from hypocrisy and lies.

Peace,

anas