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
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