 At the end of the chapter, student

should be able to
› Explain ethics.
› Discuss the importance of ethics in Malaysian
public service.
› Identify Malaysian ethics initiatives.
 Ethics was derived from an ancient
Greek word, ethos, which means habit or
custom.
 Ethics is known as a moral philosophy.
 It asks the questions of ‘what is the best
way to live’ and ‘what actions are right
& wrong in particular circumstances’.
 It directs & guides human actions
according to ultimate principles
discovered by human reason.
 Ethics is a branch of philosophy dealing
with the questions of what is right, wrong,
good and bad (Frankena, 1963)
 Ethics is a science that relies on human
reason to discover standards of conduct
or morality that apply to all human
beings ( Sheeran, 1993)
 Objectivist (Deontological theory)
› Looks for objective, ultimate or absolute
standards or criteria to assess the right & wrong
of human actions.
› ‘What ought to be’
 Interpretivist (Teleological theory)
› No absolute standards for assessing right and
wrong.
› Individual judgments in particular is the only
criterion for what is right & wrong
› ‘How people actually act’
 Personal morality
› Basic right & wrong (conscience)
› Parental influence, religion, culture,
education
 Professional ethics
› Set of professional norms and rules
obligated officials to act professionally
 Organizational ethics
› How an organization responds to internal &
external stimulus
› Express the values of an organization to its
employee and other entities
 Social ethics
› Moral principles that represent the collective
experience of people and culture
 PA deals with decisions that;
› Affect people’s lives
› Made in the name of public
› Use public resources
 Consequently, ….
 Laws
› Natural & civil
 Rules & regulations
› Code of ethics & code of conduct
 Conscience
› Conformity to one’s own sense of right
conduct
 Religion
› Faith in which an individual strongly belief in
 An index created by Transparency
International
 CPI defines corruption as ‘the misuse of
public power for private benefits’(CPI,
2010)
 A measure on how corrupt public sectors
of a country a seen to be.
 The index annually ranked countries
base on the perceived levels of
corruption.
 Year Rank
2011 60 (182)
2012 54 (174)
2013 53 (177)
2014 50 (175)
2015 54 (168)

Source: http://www.transparency.org/research/cpi/overview
 0=Highly Corrupt
 100=Very Clean
 Starting in the 1980’s with
› Bersih, Cekap, Amanah
› Integration of Islamic values
› Excellent work culture
› Code of ethics
› Clients’ Charter
› ISO 9000
 1990’s
› 12 Pillars (Tonggak 12)
› Malaysia Incorporated
 I. The value of time; II. The success of
perseverance; III. The
 pleasure of working; IV. The dignity of
simplicity; V. The worth of character; VI. The
 power of kindness; VII. The influence of
examples; VIII. The obligation of Duty; IX.
 The wisdom of economy; X. The virtue of
patience; XI. The improvement of talent; &
 XII.
 The 21st century
› Values – 6 core values (fairness, wisdom,
trustworthy, truth, transparency & gratitude)
› National Integrity Plan
› Integrity Management
 Committee on Integrity Governance
 Certified Integrity Officer Program
 Integrity Unit in Federal & State government
agencies
 The Government Transformation Program
(GTP) is an effort by the Government to
address seven key areas concerning the
people of the country.
 The program was unveiled on 28 January
2010 by the then Malaysian Prime
Minister Najib Tun Razak
 Reducing Crime
 Fighting Corruption
 Improving Student Outcomes
 Raising Living Standards of Low-Income Households
 Improving Rural Basic Infrastructure
 Improving Urban Public Transport
 Addressing Cost of Living
 Government Transformation Program
(GTP)
› National Key Results Areas (NKRA)
› combating bribery in public service
 Public Service Ethos
› Values to be held in public task and duty
execution