Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Nazrin Shah said today that the character and reasoning of leaders influence the well-being of the people and prosperity of a country.

A country where the leaders are pious and embrace the greatness of God will see the birth of great scholars, credible leaders and honest business people, said Sultan Nazrin Shah, who is performing the functions of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

“If leaders are always aware of their greater responsibility towards the Almighty, the people will be well and the country will prosper.

“The country’s treasures will be managed in a transparent manner, the country’s resources will be distributed fairly and the country’s wealth will not be wasted. The interests of the majority of the people will take precedence,” he said at the national-level ‘Maulidur Rasul’ celebration at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) in Putrajaya.

The Raja Permaisuri of Perak, Tuanku Zara Salim, also attended the event. Also present were Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Sultan Nazrin Shah said leaders who are more responsible to the people and country, who are free of corruption, who do not abuse power and who do not betray the trust are greatly hailed now.

Leaders who are untrustworthy and have no integrity will cause the disruption of public order, undermining of political stability and suffering of the people, he said.

The poor will become poorer when leaders give preference to enriching themselves through dubious means by taking from the people and denying what is rightly theirs, he said.

“Material wealth garnered through dubious means will produce instant rich individuals but who lack a rich mindset, intellect, knowledge and spiritually. This is false wealth that is very temporary in nature, merely to create a culture of luxurious living, seeking glory and resorting to much wastage.

“This leads to a leakage of resources, retarded development and a high level of unemployment, migration, smuggling, crime and corruption, followed by all kinds of social ailments.

“In the end, public order will be undermined, political stability threatened and the people will suffer more because they are trapped in a vicious circle of hardship,” he said.

Sultan Nazrin Shah said the people’s problems today are due to the absence of integrity in those who were entrusted with power, and crises erupted because of their pursuit to acquire wealth through dubious means.

“In fact, power struggles also take place because power is seen as a channel or conduit to acquire wealth for oneself, one’s family and cronies,” he said.

The sultan said the culture of hypocrisy weakens the pillar of integrity because of the habit of making sure everything is good on the outside, after allowing wolves in sheep’s clothing to thrive.

Sultan Nazrin Shah said the Maulidur Rasul celebration should be celebrated with meaningful programmes that deliver a message to the people.

He said the official celebration of the event in Malaysia, attended by the Rulers, heads of governments, leaders and the people, is a privilege enjoyed by Muslims in the country.

‘Menyantuni Umat Membawa Rahmat’ (Helping the People Brings Blessings) was chosen as the theme of this year’s Maulidur Rasul celebration to portray Islam as a religion of peace, tenderness and affection that does not allow violence, terror and hatred.

About 4,000 people, representing various government agencies, statutory bodies, uniformed organisations, non-governmental organisations, institutions of higher learning, schools and the private sector participated in the Maulidur Rasul gathering.

- Bernama