I refer to the malaysiakini column What public-space morality really means . I cannot but agree with KJ John that morality is a private matter. However, if you step into the public space and take on public responsibilities then morality is not anymore a question of private matters.

You have made your choice and by becoming a public individual, your morality is no more one of private concern. That is why leaders are judged for their character weaknesses. Be it former US president Bill Clinton and his indiscretions or former Indonesian president Suharto for corruption - the moment you make this choice you stand to be judged.

That is why we are very concerned by the quality of men who speak in the name of integrity and people who head such institutions like the Anti-Corruption Agency. The fact that you accept such an appointment means that you are ready to be judged by the moral standards accepted for such a position.

Additionally, I do not feel that morality can be divisible; that you can be one person at home in the privacy of your family and another at work. If you beat up your wife and then claim to be fighting for national justice, it is just not acceptable.

In a nation where the lens of race and religion so often colours our perception, there is a tendency to feel that some are more superior to others. In the final analysis, we are all human beings with the same human nature. We are only as good as what we practice. Mere beliefs and expressions of idealism fall flat when the challenges of greed and lust face us. Only the man or women who understands restraint and respect for the other can make the difference. Mere 'belief' in values are inadequate.

The problems of today are not caused by the poor or the illiterate. They are caused by highly- educated people who have not learnt to look at themselves but who take advantage of positions to enrich themselves or use their power for self-importance.

To practise religion is more than praying five times a day or going diligently to the temple or church every Friday and Sunday. It means opening up to silence and growing from within as guided by our respective faiths. Then we will find that our actions are more in congruence with our words.