SEMESTER A221

GMGA 2033

ETHICS FOR PUBLIC SECTOR (A)

INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT

PREPARED FOR:

DR. ABDERRAHMANE BENLAHCENE

PREPARED BY:

NAME MATRIC NO.

PUTERI AFRINA BINTI ZAKRI 287131

1.0) Issue Of Ethics Promotion in Public Sectors in Malaysia

The term ethics is derived from the Greek word ethos, which means "character" or
"character and personality." Ethics, according to Gluck (1986:176), are moral studies. While
Shea (1988:17) describes ethics as behavioral rules that regulate individuals or professions, as
well as a behavioral standard. While among technocrats or experts, the term ethics refers to
moral standards' concerns concerning technocrats or leaders who can help strengthen the
professional integrity of the organization's workforce. Work ethics can be defined as a
behavioral guide followed by persons who have a close relationship with life, particularly
those who minimize religion in their lives. Similarly, race and religion have reinforced moral
rules based on moral height in the country (Rosazman, 2014).

The act of minimizing wrongdoing by shifting the behavior of high-level and middle-
level administrators to lower-level personnel is known as ethical promotion. The promotion
of ethics in public service refers to their moral behaviors in managing government
administration and management roles. It also describes how the public sector's resources and
powers are used intelligently, ethically, and in the best interests of the public. Administrative
ethics is the application of moral norms to the actions of officials in an organization.
Administrative ethics is a kind of political ethics that employs moral concepts in politics in
general.

Moral principles, in general, are described as rightful rights and obligations upheld when
one's activities have a major influence on the welfare of others and society, rather than the
needs that collective practices and policies should satisfy when they have the same effect.
This ethical promotion has the potential to restore honesty and integrity to institutions and
public authorities, which is critical for preserving democracy and promoting better
governance. Another benefit of this ethical advancement is that it will give good civil service
in a country since all public employees must be professional and ethical. If this attribute is
not exercised by public workers, many things can go wrong, including nepotism, corruption,
and other criminal acts.

Since the public sector is such an important institution in a country, ethical promotion is
essential. It appears to be a computer capable of communicating behaviors, ideas, and
administrative regulatory needs. The government also offers public resources to the public
sector for it to carry out its duties as effectively as feasible. The community has the right to
request that the government deliver high-quality services. Effective treatment can only be
accomplished by ethical behavior on the part of public leaders. With these attributes, public
officials' trustworthiness is unquestionable.

In Malaysia, the focus on employment concerns is usually on the quality of employment,

job possibilities, and salaries. However, there are also critical challenges in the public sector,
such as job discrimination, that must be handled properly.

Among the discrimination that occurs in Malaysia is Gender discrimination. This

discrimination is very popular in the public sector because it is unfair to women. After all,
some sectors prefer to hire men instead of women. According to data provided by the
Ministry of Higher Education in 2016, there are 335,253 (62 percent) more female graduates
than male graduates, compared to the total number of students in the institution, which is
540,638. However, women's involvement in the same year was quite low, at roughly 54
percent, compared to men's total of more than 80 percent. This proportion is quite low when
compared to other nations in the area in 2011, such as Thailand (69.9%) and Singapore
(62.9%). In 2008, male senior officers and managers received an average monthly income of
RM4,296 whereas women in the same position earned nearly half that amount, RM2,522. In
2017, the average male monthly pay in Malaysia was RM2,954, while the average female
monthly wage was roughly RM2,772. Although the discrepancy is shrinking, the average
wage gap between women remains large.
2.0) Implemented Strategies to Promote Ethics in Public Sectors in Malaysia

2.1) Strategies for Strengthening Ethics and Integrity in Malaysia

The National Integrity Plan (PIN), which was launched on April 23, 2004, is one of
the government's primary initiatives to strengthen integrity and instill good values at all levels
of individuals and institutions. PIN was established to solve the fourth challenge of Vision
2020: "to produce a society with strong moral and ethical traits, with its individuals retaining
intact religious and spiritual convictions and backed by the noble character”." The PIN
provides an integrated and comprehensive action plan to enhance national integrity as shown
in Figure 1.

Integrity Strengthening Strategy

Integrity
In general, integrity is a superior trait that occurs in persons and organizations as a whole and
cohesively. Integrity and ethics are inextricably linked. It is founded on ethics and the
application of ethics in everyday life.
Individual Integrity
Individual integrity is the harmony that exists between what a person says and what he does,
between his actions and moral, ethical, and legal principles, and between self-interest and
public interest. When a person acts or behaves consistently in numerous ways, he is
considered to have integrity.
The integrity of Public Servants
When a person occupies any position entrusted in the government service, he must behave in
faith to his authority and obligations, be transparent, truthful, free of personal conflict,
authoritative, accountable, and observe the laws and regulations in effect. When there is a
conflict of interest, the public interest should take precedence.
Organizational Integrity
The design and execution of ethical codes, client charters, or work systems and procedures,
as well as adherence to best practices, all represent organizational integrity. The
organization's code of ethics is confirmed, reiterated, and lived by its members until it
becomes a habit and finally becomes the organization's culture. This suggests that if a public
servant has great integrity, the organization's integrity will be enhanced.
2.2) National Women's Policy

The National Women's Policy has been implemented by the government of Malaysia.
By addressing current and upcoming issues, opportunities, difficulties, and the environment,
this National Women's Policy expands upon the National Women's Policy of 1989. This
policy promotes gender equality as well as balanced and sustainable national development
and is based on the Federal Constitution, Rukun Negara values, and the National Social
Policy. The Federal Constitution, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Convention on the Rights of the Child
(CRC), the Beijing Declaration and Action Plan (Beijing Platform for Action), the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Putrajaya Declaration, and the Action Program
on the Development of Women in Malaysia all uphold the principle of non-discrimination
based on gender (NAM Putrajaya Declaration). By including women's concerns in national
planning and development to achieve gender equality, the National Women's Policy seeks to
promote the advancement and empowerment of women. Government employment is not
unethical. Regarding appointments, there is equal treatment for both genders. This plan has
the ability to improve gender equality at all societal levels and in all sectors of the economy.
Additionally, it may guarantee that women's perspectives are taken into consideration at all
levels of decision-making. This strategy might lead to chances for participation and sharing
the advantages of development, as well as an equal partnership between men and women in
the acquisition and control of resources.
3.0) TWO (2) Ideas Related To Ethics Promotion In Public Sector That Are
Applicable/Doable To Be Practiced In Malaysia In Order To Improve The Ethical
Values In Public Sector Organizations And Institutions.

3.1) Leaders Need to Equalize The Gender

Introduce rules that level the playing field for men and women in the workplace.
Everyone has different skills. Men and women are not capable of everything. The only
difference is in the way they act and implement it in daily life. The variety available will
accelerate the development of the company. Various origins, perspectives, experiences,
ethnicities, etc. contribute to the formation of new colors in the workplace. You may have
difficulty adjusting to the professional atmosphere at first. However, when you manage to
show your efforts with the best results, the scenario will change. As a result of your
achievements, you will be able to change a lot of existing gender discrimination.

3.2) Create Anti-Discrimination Laws in The Workplace

The recommendation of certain parties to adopt special legislation to deal with the
problem of employment discrimination needs to be viewed favorably and supported by all
parties in our country. The proposed discrimination law is currently seen as a must to be
adopted in our country to limit any subsequent issues associated with employment
discrimination. The proposed discrimination act is also considered very important because it
may offer justice to workers while providing a clearer form of protection for workers in our
country, both in the government and private sectors, from any kind of discrimination.

Conclusion

In conclusion, in order to improve progress in the public sector, the government or the
relevant parties must ensure that if there are ethical problems among civil servants, they must
overcome them by doing various ways to solve these problems. Ethical issues in civil
servants must be taken seriously so as not to cause any problems in the employment sector.
 4.0 References

Abdullah, M. I. (2022, September 9). Malaysia komited laksana proses kesaksamaan gender.
Retrieved from Berita Harian:
https://www.bharian.com.my/rencana/komentar/2022/01/909451/malaysia-komited-
laksana-proses-kesaksamaan-gender

Arifin, M. A. (2019). Kepentingan budaya integriti dan etika kerja dalam organisasi di. Malaysian
Journal of Society and Space, 138-149.

Azim, A. (2019). Diskriminasi Pekerjaan Di Malaysia. Retrieved from Solidaritas:

https://solidaritas.my/diskriminasi-pekerjaan-di-malaysia/

Mohamed, P. D. (2022, January 17). Integriti penjawat awam tingkatkan keyakinan terhadap
kerajaan. Retrieved from Berita Harian:
https://www.bharian.com.my/kolumnis/2022/01/912464/integriti-penjawat-awam-
tingkatkan-keyakinan-terhadap-kerajaan

Said, D. H. (2019, March 11). Menyedarkan kaum lelaki, memperkasakan kaum wanita. Retrieved
from Astro Awani: https://www.astroawani.com/berita-malaysia/menyedarkan-kaum-lelaki-
memperkasakan-kaum-wanita-200747