Poorer Malaysians pay highest price for corruption, say experts
Experts argue that corruption in Malaysia disproportionately harms the poor, who rely heavily on underfunded public services like hospitals and schools. The economic losses from corruption are framed as missed opportunities for national development and social welfare.
Why it matters
It highlights the systemic impact of government corruption on social inequality and the quality of essential public services.
Experts say corruption and leakages hit poorer Malaysians hardest because they rely more heavily on public services such as government hospitals, schools, transport and financial assistance.
PETALING JAYA: Corruption does not send a bill to a poor family, but its price can show up in the hospital queue that never gets shorter, the school that remains run-down, or the scholarship a child never receives, say experts.
That, they say, is why poorer Malaysians can end up feeling the loss of public money far more acutely than the billion-ringgit figures suggest.
Tan Peck Leong.
Economist Tan Peck Leong said sums such as RM100 million, RM500 million or RM1 billion were simply too large for most ordinary Malaysians to imagine, causing the real consequences behind them to be lost.
“Perhaps the bigger question is: ‘What kind of Malaysia did we lose the opportunity to build?’” Tan said.
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