25/05/2026

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MONDAY | MAY 25, 2026

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@thesundaily

LETTERS letters@thesundaily.com

Building a strong, responsible culture I READ with great interest Dr Praveena Rajendra’s recent article, “ Behaviour gap: Why good systems fail ”, published in theSun . using emergency lanes, double parking, cutting queues, blocking junctions, ignoring pedestrian

crossings and treating traffic laws as though they apply only when enforcement officers are nearby. This is where the behaviour gap becomes dangerous. Reckless behaviour on the road is not a small inconvenience. It can cost lives. The same concern applies to the environment. River pollution continues to be a serious national issue. In Parliament, it was reported that among 672 rivers monitored in 2024, 33 were categorised as polluted, with wastewater, industrial activity and irresponsible disposal practices among the contributing factors. The ministry also pointed to a lack of awareness and responsibility among some operators who dispose of waste illegally, with little regard for public health and the environment. This again brings us back to behaviour. We can have environmental laws. We can have monitoring stations. We can have agencies, regulations and penalties. But if individuals and businesses continue to act selfishly, public resources will continue to suffer. Rivers do not pollute themselves. Roads do not become unsafe by themselves. Public spaces do not become dirty by themselves. These outcomes are created by repeated human choices. Praveena’s article rightly points out that culture is what people repeatedly do after the campaign ends. This is a powerful reminder. Civic responsibility cannot be seasonal. It cannot appear only during awareness months, official launches or public relations campaigns. It must become part of daily conduct. We need to rebuild respect for the law from the ground up. This begins at home, in schools, in workplaces and in communities. Children must be taught that cleanliness is not the cleaner’s responsibility alone. Road users must understand that convenience does not justify selfish driving. Businesses must recognise that

Her central argument deserves serious reflection. Malaysia does not lack campaigns, policies, reminders or systems. What we often lack is the consistent behaviour needed to make those systems work. This behaviour gap is visible all around us. It appears when people throw rubbish indiscriminately despite bins being provided. It appears when drivers double park, block traffic or ignore road rules for personal convenience. It appears when motorists speed, beat traffic lights or drive recklessly, endangering not only themselves but everyone else on the road. It appears when irresponsible parties dump waste into rivers and then expect the authorities to repair the damage. These are not isolated acts of carelessness. They point to a deeper issue: the weakening of civic discipline and respect for the law. Good systems cannot survive if people treat rules as optional. A law is only effective when citizens respect both the letter and the spirit of it. Enforcement is important but enforcement alone cannot be everywhere at all times. A mature society cannot function only when people are being watched, fined or warned. It functions when people develop an inner sense of responsibility and adopting the right attitude. This is especially urgent on our roads. Malaysia recorded about 598,635 road accidents in 2023 while another report citing the Transport Ministry stated that 6,443 lives were lost, averaging about 18 deaths a day. The Transport Ministry also estimated the economic loss of each road death at RM3.1 million. These figures should concern us deeply because behind every statistic is a family affected, a life disrupted and a preventable tragedy. Yet, every day, we still see drivers

“Malaysia’s progress cannot be measured only by infrastructure, technology, buildings or policies. It must also be measured by how we behave in shared spaces, how we respect the law, how we protect public resources and how we treat one another when no one is watching.

Good systems cannot survive if people treat rules as optional. A law is only effective when citizens respect the letter and the spirit of it. – ADAM AMIR HAMZAH/THESUN

profit cannot come at the expense of public health and environmental safety. Citizens must stop outsourcing responsibility to “someone else”. There is also a need for stronger and more consistent enforcement. When laws are ignored without consequence, public confidence weakens. When enforcement is selective or inconsistent, people begin to believe that rules can be negotiated. This is dangerous for any society. Respect for the law must be reinforced through fairness, consistency and visible accountability. At the same time, systems must be designed to make responsible behaviour easier. Public bins must be accessible and properly managed. Recycling systems must be clear and trusted. Road design must support safer behaviour. Reporting channels must be simple. Enforcement must be visible. Public education must go beyond slogans and focus on habit formation. Ultimately, the behaviour gap is not

only about waste, traffic or pollution. It is about the kind of society we want to become. Do we want a society where people do the right thing only when watched? Or do we want a society where responsibility becomes part of our national character? Malaysia’s progress cannot be measured only by infrastructure, technology, buildings or policies. It must also be measured by how we behave in shared spaces, how we respect the law, how we protect public resources and how we treat one another when no one is watching. Good systems fail when people refuse to support them with good behaviour. If we want Malaysia to become cleaner, safer, healthier and more disciplined, we must close the behaviour gap. The change must begin with each of us.

Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye Social Advocate Kuala Lumpur

Education retains its importance in the Malaysian landscape for parents, students and stakeholders. The changes are fast paced with new developments in new fields of study such as cybersecurity, data protection, augmented and virtual reality, machine learning in education, digital education and artificial Intelligence. Leading the way are universities, who are invited to showcase their latest programmes, curriculum and content in our Education Focus for 2026.

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