It is easy to look at someone else and criticize him/her about the lack of certain values such as integrity without looking at ourselves. Much as we may proclaim our 'innocence' or how some are playing up issues, the hard truth is that the value of all values is integrity because it represents the quality that seals our values and determines whether we live consistently with them. We are judged to be good person to the degree to which we live our lives consistently with the highest values that we espouse.
To me, integrity is the foundation of character and character development. To that end, it means disciplining ourselves to do more and more of those things in a sincere and honest manner under all circumstances. However, before we can be honest with others, we must first be honest with ourselves. We have to be true to ourselves and persistently maintain our value system. The same applies to our country.
Spending millions to engage a foreign Public Relations company to improve the image of an important character is meaningless and an absolute waste of national funds (don't forget the implications and impact of the outflow of our money in such a circumstance) if our own standards, and our definition plus practice of integrity and honesty is not improved.
We can tell how high our level of integrity is by simply looking at the things that matter in our day-to-day life routine and on a national level - the quality of governance. All we need to do is to study the reactions and responses of the authorities to the many issues plaguing the nation. Compare the disparity. For example, compare the many controversial cases that have been the talk of the town and the inconsistencies in the way these have been treated. Some are swept under the carpet while others are punished for the slightest misdemeanour or ALLEGED offense.
In a government of commercial establishment, the external manifestation of high integrity is high-quality work. If the motivation is right, the output will be high. This means that be it in the civil or private sector, one who is totally honest with oneself will be that worker who does, or strives to do, excellent work on every occasion. One who is honest person recognizes, consciously or unconsciously, that everything he does is a statement about who he really is as a person and how he represents his country's government of company that has employed him.
Let's think of motivation. For example, in the Teoh Beng Hock case, there are so many discrepancies. Why didn't the authorities concerned conduct all those tests that they SHOULD have done in such a case? What was their motivation in IGNORING the importance of the tests and how the evidence collected can help to unravel the cause of death? What about the MACC? Can they account for their actions or lack of it? At the work place, when we start a little earlier, work a little harder, stay a little later, and concentrate on every detail, we are practicing integrity in our work. And whether you know it or not, your true level of integrity is apparent and obvious to everyone around you. We may lie in words but not in actions!!!
Perhaps the most important rule we will ever learn is that our life only becomes better when we become better persons. Our nation will only progress if there is PROPER GOVERNANCE in every area of service.
We must remember that our true selves determine how we live our lives. At the very core of our being would be our values about our personality and life in general. The values that we possess determine the kind of person we really are. It is what we/our government stand for, and what we/GOVERNMENT DO NOT CONDONE tells us and the world the kind of person we have become.
Let's do some soul-searching at this point.
* What are your five most important values in life?
* What would you pay for, sacrifice for, suffer for, and even die for?
* What would you stand up for or refuse to lie down for?
* What are the values that you hold most dear?
Think of the men and women, living or dead that you admire most in Malaysia. What values, qualities, or virtues do they have that you respect and look up to? Can you articulate and respect those qualities? Your answers to these questions would be the the basis of your character and your real self.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Guard your integrity as a sacred thing.”
In fact, integrity is the mist important quality of leadership which is both expressed and practised in terms of constancy and consistency and seen in the extent to which we keep our word.
Without integrity, it would be impossible for our society or government or any institution to function. The most important asset to an employee and the employer is REPUTATION which is developed by the extent of which we can keep our word and fulfill our commitments. Our integrity will affect the way we interact and relate to people. But we have to be sincere and not fake integrity when it is absent in our lives. It will be evident.
The more we/our government are able to walk the talk and behave consistently with the highest values, the more everyone will be filled with satisfaction. Our self-image will improve, and our level of self-acceptance will go up when we feel stronger, bolder, and more capable of facing any challenge.
Integrity must be seen in our relationships with our family and your friends, the people close to you. We have to be HONEST and not live lies. It means we REFUSE to say or do something that is NOT right and we will NOT compromise under any circumstance - otherwise, our life is out of alignment, when you are doing and saying one thing on the outside but really feeling and believing something different on the inside, that you feel most unhappy. When you decide to become an individual of character and integrity, your first action will be to neutralize or remove all difficult relationships from your life.
Integrity must be seen in our commitments to others, especially in business and our work. Always keep your word to be a person of honor. If you say that you will do something, do it. If you make a promise, keep it. If you make a commitment, fulfill it. Be known as the kind of person that can be trusted absolutely, no matter what the circumstances. It’s easy to make promises but the crunch is in keeping them. The same applies to our government. They cannot just make promises and then not keep these and flippantly blame it on scapegoats.
Are you willing to adhere to the values you hold dearly? What about our government? DO you think they are ready to do the same?
Remember this - if you KEEP TO YOUR WORD, every single act of integrity will make your character a little stronger. For the authorities, if they keep to their election promises and not disgrace our nation's international image with inconsistencies, they WILL NOT need the services of any PR company. In fact, PR companies will be clamouring to offer FREE SERVICES to our country to get a free ride on our success story. But what is the case in Malaysia? Think. Why is it that the last three Prime Ministers need such services but not Prime Ministers such as Tunku Abdul Rahman????? Does it imply that the older a nation, the MORE the image of its highest ranking officer needs cosmetic surgery to improve its public image????
When each of us be it individuals or government/private sector make the effort to improve the quality and strength of our character/output/integrity etc, every other part of your life is likely to see progress as well. Do we see that in Malaysia?
Undoubtedly, we need MORE INTEGRITY in our country!!!
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