ABSTRACT
In 1991, the establishment of a ‘fully moral and ethical society’ was proclaimed by Prime Minister Dato' Seri Mahathir Mohamad as part of his vision for Malaysia in the year 2020. The following two pieces address that goal. The first, which described the shared values that would undergird a moral and ethical society, was written in 1991, commissioned by the Malaysian Business Council (MBC) and the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS). It appeared in local Malay, Chinese, and English newspapers at the time. The second essay was written six years later to evaluate Malaysia's progress in that direction. Unfortunately, the passage of six years had seen more disappointment than realisation of that goal; the spread of corruption, in particular, suggests how far the public and private sectors alike are from an ethical ideal. I conclude by suggesting several legal, social, and economic reforms to help check corruption. This essay was presented at the Kongres Kebangsaan Wawasan 2020 in April 1997.
