3.

0 ETHICS

3.1 Definition of Ethics

Before coming up with a brand-new vision to improve the ethical issues that are happening in
Malaysia, it is important to understand what is meant by ethics and how it is implemented in
this country. Ethics, which is also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that
involves systematizing, defending and recommending concepts of right and wrong conduct
(Fieser, 2008). The word “ethic” is derived from an Ancient Greek word “ēthikós” which
means “relating to one’s character”. The study of ethics that are recognized today can be
divided into three major types as shown below (Fieser, 2008):

1. Meta-ethics, based on the theoretical meaning and reference of moral propositions

2. Normative ethics, based on the practical mediums of determining a moral course of
action
3. Applied ethics, based on what a person is obligated or permitted to do in specific
situations

3.2 Ethical Issues in Malaysia

Despite being labelled as a harmonious country, it is undeniable that our country still suffers
from several ethical issues. Ethical issues in the engineering sector has also became a prominent
issue in this country as proven by the accident in a construction site at Jalan Dewan Sultan
Sulaiman which resulted in two casualties (Kementerian Sumber Malaysia, 2018). However,
this case is only one of many other cases that has occurred within the past two years. The cracks
in Middle Ring Road II (MRR2), the roof of a sports complex collapsing in Terengganu, and
most recently, the dumping of highly toxic chemicals into Sungai Kim Kim in Pasir Gudang
are among the accidents that has caught a lot of media attention, raising questions on the
credibility of engineers (Maisarah Mohamed Saata, 2012).

Another ethical issue that has become a huge problem in our society is corruption. Corruption
can be described as dishonesty or fraudulent conduct by those in power, usually through the
act of bribery. In Malaysia, corruption can be seen in cases involving the quality of service
delivery system, favouritism and bribery in issuance of tender (Wan Mohammad Taufik Wan
Abdullah, 2018). It is reported that the corruption problems in Malaysia is considered to be
more serious than it was ten years before. (Ahmad, 2017)
There are no definite answers for the causes of these ethical issues, however, it is apparent that
these issues exist due to the act of some irresponsible parties. Most of these accidents occur
due to a person’s carelessness when carrying out a job. Not only that, engineers have been
trained to carry out a job as best as they could whilst cutting down cost. However, this may
lead some people to prioritize cost saving instead of making sure the people involved in the
project is safe. Whereas the corruption problem in the public service sector often roots from a
person’s personal work ethic. Though corruption is a huge problem mainly in the public service
sector, it is undeniable that this problem has a great effect towards the engineering sector. This
can be seen in the existence of many illegal factories that are still able to operate unscathed
with the help of corruption among the higher-ups.

3.3 Ethical Initiatives to Solve Ethical Issues

A few initiatives are taken in the efforts of curbing and decreasing these ethical issues. One of
the initiatives taken is the implementation of Ethical Codes. Ethical Codes or Code of Practice
are often adapted by a certain organization to assist its members in differentiating between right
and wrong when making a certain decision. An ethical code can be divided into three levels:
codes of business ethics, codes of conduct for employees and codes of professional practice.

Code of Professional Conduct for Engineers that is approved by the Board of Engineers,
Malaysia (BEM) is designed to ensure that the Engineering Professionalism in Malaysia is
competent. The content of the code is as follows (Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM), 2018):

1. A Registered Engineer shall at all times hold paramount the safety, health and welfare
of the public.
2. A Registered Engineer shall undertake assignments only if he/she is qualified by
education and experience in the specific technical fields in which he/she is involved.
3. A Registered Engineer shall issue public statements only in an objective and truthful
manner.
4. A Registered Engineer shall act for each employer or client as faithful agent or trustee.
5. A Registered Engineer shall conduct himself/herself honourably, responsibly, ethically
and lawfully so as to enhance the honor, reputation and usefulness of the profession.
As for corruption problems, the Malaysian Government has taken many initiatives in curbing
this problem by implementing the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009.
However, due to the magnitude of this problem, the efforts of reducing this problem cannot
solely depend on the Malaysian Law. Some of the Malaysian ethics initiatives that have been
established in hopes of curbing this problem are as follows (Asmidar Lokman, 2017):

1. Work Ethics, 1981

2. The Values Program, 2000
3. National Integrity Plan, 2004
4. Government Transformation Program, 2010
5. Public Service Ethos, 2012

3.4 Future Vision for Malaysian Ethics

To propose a new vision on how to improve the current status quo in Malaysian ethics, it is
important to detect whether the current initiatives are sufficient. Despite all the initiatives taken,
these issues are still raising concerns among the society. The best way to improve this situation
in the future is by focusing on the youth as quoted by Jose Rizal, a Filipino nationalist, “The
youth is the hope of our future”.

A study conducted in efforts of determining the level of ethical awareness among engineering
students shows that engineering students have a higher level of ethical awareness than
accounting students. Between genders, it is found that female engineering students tend to
possess higher ethical awareness when compared to male engineering students (Maisarah
Mohamed Saata, 2012). This shows that the educational system for engineering students is
efficient in educating the students the importance of ethics. It can be concluded that the best
way to create ethically-aware engineers is by incepting these values through their education.

Ethics should be included in education at an early age. This can be done by teaching good
values to children in kindergarten through interactive means, such as field trips to a local Old
Persons’ Home. Ethical awareness can also be strengthened by reviewing and renewing
primary and secondary school syllabus in subjects such as Pendidikan Sivik dan
Kewarganegaraan. This subject is often considered ‘boring’ and ‘useless’ to most students;
therefore, the educational system should try and improve their syllabus in order to gain the
attention and interest from the youth. Ethical studies in higher level of education should also
be implemented to ensure that they are well-prepared before stepping their foot into their career
life.

REFERENCES
Ahmad, A. (2017). Rasuah di kalangan penjawat awam makin serius berbanding 10 tahun
dulu - SPRM. Astro Awani Network Sdn Bhd.

Asmidar Lokman, D. A. (2017). An Overview on Malaysia's Ethics Initiatives.

Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM). (2018). Retrieved from Code of Professional Conduct
for Engineers: http://bem.org.my/code-of-professional-conduct

Fieser, J. (2008). Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Kementerian Sumber Malaysia. (2018). Kemalangan Maut Melibatkan Dua Orang Pekerja
Terjatuh di Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.

Maisarah Mohamed Saata, S. A. (2012). Ethical challenges in workplace: Are these future
engineers prepared?

Wan Mohammad Taufik Wan Abdullah, N. N. (2018). Combating corruption for sustainable
public services in Malaysia: Smart Governance Matrix and Corruption Risk
Assessment.