THERE was a time when the only real threat to the nation was                                                                                          
from the outside. Civilisations sought to protect their                                                                                               
citizens from invasions or infiltration by others.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                      
China viewed the Middle Kingdom as the centre of the universe,                                                                                        
so did Rome or Greece. The city state could have peace and                                                                                            
enjoy the fruits of civilisation only by ensuring that                                                                                                
"barbarians" were kept at bay.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
But the downfall of many civilisations is not caused by                                                                                               
barbarians from the outside-but barbarians inside the gates.                                                                                          
Greece, Rome and China lost the values that contributed to                                                                                            
their ascendancy and looked more to consumption than investing                                                                                        
for the future.                                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                      
When physical, military and moral strength is sapped in                                                                                               
pursuit of hedonistic enjoyment, society is prey to                                                                                                   
mercenaries and opportunists.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                      
It is ironic that material progress often carries the seeds of                                                                                        
decline. The United States and Western Europe are experiencing                                                                                        
the debility of affluence in spiralling violence,                                                                                                     
deteriorating work ethics and an impotence to act decisively.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                      
Asia is now on the ascendancy and many economists are                                                                                                 
labelling the next century as the Asian age.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                      
There is every argument in favour of this assertion, judging                                                                                          
by the enviable growth rate obtained by the emerging                                                                                                  
industrial nations of China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan,                                                                                            
Malaysia and Thailand.                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                                      
We have everything going in our favour. There are no                                                                                                  
barbarians at the gate. There is peace and a conducive                                                                                                
environment to enable the competent, the talented and the                                                                                             
daring to exploit the opportunities of the marketplace and to                                                                                         
secure a place in the sun.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
Our danger comes from within ourselves. The ebb and flow of                                                                                           
civilisations and cultures should teach us that external                                                                                              
barbarians are easily identifiable, can be contained and even                                                                                         
be a source for inspiring national spirit and resilience.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
Internal barbarians are insidious and, like the virus, can                                                                                            
play havoc with the very fabric of society. If history has                                                                                            
taught us the lesson of not loosening our grip on good                                                                                                
citizenship, high ethical behaviour and the core values of                                                                                            
society, Asian nations should heed the clarion call for                                                                                               
continuing assessment and protection of our fundamental                                                                                               
beliefs, values and culture in order to safe guard the future.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
There are distressing signs of a declipe in the very things                                                                                           
that set us apart. In many Asian countries, including                                                                                                 
Malaysia, the family is under siege, divorce rates and                                                                                                
juvenile crime are increasing; the three-generation household                                                                                         
is the exception.                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                                      
The generation gap is a serious concern and the Asian                                                                                                 
youngster is no different from his Western counterpart in the                                                                                         
way he perceives the world and his role in it.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
Equally distressing as they themselves are also caught in the                                                                                         
rat race, sacrificing virtually everything on the altar of                                                                                            
economic success.                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                                      
In management, the respected is the manager who diligently and                                                                                        
successfully marshals resources to produce a better quality of                                                                                        
life for all his stakeholders. Admired is the manager who can                                                                                         
make a difference in people's lives; the pariah is the manager                                                                                        
who exploits corporate resources for his own benefit.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                      
Unfortunately, all over Asia we learn that the pariahs are not                                                                                        
only increasing in number but the magnitude and boldness of                                                                                           
their actions can also strike a responsive chord in movieland.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                      
The corporate barbarian, because he commands such mighty                                                                                              
resources, can wreck so much more harm on society than the                                                                                            
individual criminal.  Yet under present legislation, he is                                                                                            
more leniently treated than the sex offender or the drug                                                                                              
pusher or even the juvenile vandal.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                      
It is timely to reassess the relative seriousness and social                                                                                          
implications of these different crimes and to mete out                                                                                                
punishment according                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                      
We have developed incredible strength, nurtured and nourished                                                                                         
by the depth of our cultural and moral heritage. As we prosper                                                                                        
materially, we also need to have the self-confidence to foster                                                                                        
a cultural and philosophical resurgence.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
The two are not in conflict, although materialism tends to                                                                                            
breed laxity and a life of ease.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                      
What we need is the moral courage to keep assessing our values                                                                                        
and do something about them so that economic prosperity is                                                                                            
achieved on the bedrock of a strong and vigorous society.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
We are fortunate. We have a clear vision that Malaysia's                                                                                              
economic leap into the Year 2020 is obtained through "a united                                                                                   
nation, with a confident Malaysian society, infused with                                                                                              
strong morals and ethical values ... Iiving in a society that                                                                                         
is democratic, liberal and tolerant, caring, economically just                                                                                        
and equitable, progressive and prosperous ... and in full                                                                                             
possession of an economy that is competitive, dynamic, robust                                                                                         
and resilient."                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                      
This is indeed a grand and ambitious vision and the antidote                                                                                          
to Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
What we have to do is to install the mechanism to ensure that                                                                                         
the underlying philosophy of Vision 2020 is imbibed by every                                                                                          
Malaysian and that mavericks who choose to depart from it                                                                                             
would be ostracised and rejected by society.