Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah outlined five traits needed for a decent social order which would produce social norms and behavior that were fundamentally efficient, productive and just in his recent lecture entitled "Towards a Decent Social Order for All Malaysians" at the Islamic Arts Museum. They were:

• A social order that led to cohesion within and among communities and called for horizontal equity whereby all Malaysians in equal circumstances were treated in exactly the same way;

• Malaysians of all races and religions engaging one another with absolute civility and respect;

• Malaysians feeling a deep-seated sense of ownership over the problems of the country and being motivated to take decisive action and make whatever sacrifices necessary for the good of the country;

• Only Malaysians who were capable, hard working, bold and scrupulously honest being allowed to serve in positions of responsibility; and,

• The public having a high degree of trust in the pillars of state, the executive, judiciary and legislature, as well as the civil service and police.

Raja Nazrin further added that "figures in authority must be chosen for their integrity first and qualification second." Here's part of the Bernama story :

Raja Nazrin said corruption was mankind's most deadly social disease, as it could undermine good governance, weaken institutional foundations, distort public policy, compromise the rule of law and constrain the economy. He said corruption curbed competitiveness to the detriment of economic and social development, led to tremendous misallocation of resources, and made the cost of doing business become unacceptably high. "Corruption exists because of man's enduring desire for personal gain. Once corruption becomes widespread, it will no longer seem immoral and unlawful - just business as usual," he said.

He said there must be concrete anti-corruption measures and management practices based on efficiency, transparency and accountability. Unnecessary or complex regulations and licensing requirements should be discarded or simplified to discourage `under-the-table' deals, he said.

The points Raja Nazrin has put forward are social norms that need to be reflected in daily routine and action of every single Malaysian citizen. Only if we can have everyone to practice what Raja Nazrin is preaching, we would be able to create a big positive change in this multi-racial nationhood.

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