“Kita Perlu Cermin Diri” — Commentary by Dato’ Shahruddin Ali

6 decades on, why are corruption and moral decay worse despite total Malay–Muslim control of key institutions? This is a hard-hitting reflection calling for accountability, integrity, and national self-correction.

Commentary Malaysia Governance & Integrity
“We built mosques and universities — but we forgot to build integrity.”
— Dato’ Shahruddin Ali

Opening Appeal

KITA ORANG MELAYU ISLAM HARUS TANYA DIRI SENDIRI: Kenapa Malaysia sekarang semakin teruk setelah semuanya dikuasai oleh Melayu Islam dalam semua sudut?

Demi agama, bangsa, dan negara — 6 dekad penindasan, penyalahgunaan kuasa, dan diskriminasi mesti dihentikan untuk membina Malaysia baharu.

Context: The author reflects on a time when Malaysia’s civil service and institutions were multi-racial and strongly professional, and contrasts this with the present — questioning why corruption deepened alongside increasing exclusivity and religiosity in public institutions.

Key Quote

“We had integrity when we were multiracial. We lost it when we became exclusive.”

Selected Assertions from the Commentary

The commentary recounts personal observations (from Tunku Abdul Rahman’s era onward) and presents extensive lists that allege large-scale wastage and corruption, plus structural discrimination. The full lists as received are preserved below.

Alleged Major Corruption/Wastage Cases (as received)
  1. PKFZ RM12 billion
  2. Submarine Commission RM500 million
  3. Sime Darby RM964 million
  4. Paya Indah Westland RM88 million
  5. Pos Malaysia (Transmile) RM230 million lost
  6. Eurocopter deal RM1 billion wasted
  7. Terengganu Stadium collapse RM292 million
  8. MRR2 repair cost RM70 million
  9. Maybank overpaid BII RM4 billion
  10. Tourism – NYY kickback RM10 million
  11. 3 paintings bought by MAS RM1.5 million
  12. Overpayment by Sport Ministry RM8.4 million
  13. London white-elephant sports complex RM70 million
  14. MATRADE repairs RM120 million
  15. Cost of new plane used by PM RM200 million
  16. InventQ irrecoverable debt RM228 million
  17. Compensation (crooked bridge) RM257 million
  18. Loss in selling Augusta RM510 million
  19. APs given out in a year RM1.8 billion
  20. Submarines RM4.1 billion
  21. PSC Naval dockyard RM6.75 billion
  22. Bank Bumiputra twin scandals ~US$1 billion
  23. Maminco tin market losses ~US$500 million
  24. BNM forex losses ~RM30 billion (1990s)
  25. Perwaja Steel ~US$800 million
  26. Valuecap operation RM10 billion
  27. Bank Islam losses RM700 million
  28. Proton sold MV Agusta for €1 (loss ~RM348m)
  29. Wang Ehsan Terengganu RM7.4 billion (2004–2007)
  30. Petronas Philharmonic ~RM500 million (10 yrs)
  31. Advisors fees (examples quoted)
  32. PPSMI ICT spend RM2.21b (breakdown unclear)
  33. Defense commissions ~RM910 million
  34. Gerbang Perdana compensation ~RM300 million
  35. CIQ “white elephant” ~RM1.3 billion
  36. Parliament renovation RM100 million (leaks)
  37. National Astronaut Programme RM40 million
  38. National Service ~RM500 million yearly
  39. Eye of Malaysia RM30m + RM5.7m free tickets
  40. Indelible ink RM2.4 million
  41. Highway concession compensations RM38.5 billion
  42. Timber kickbacks (Sarawak) RM32 million
  43. Two MAS bailouts RM7.9 billion (+ paintings)
  44. PUTRA LRT bailout RM4.486b
  45. STAR-LRT bailout RM3.256b
  46. National Sewerage bailout RM192.54m
  47. Seremban–Port Dickson Highway bailout RM142m
  48. Kuching Prison bailout RM135m
  49. Kajian Makanan & Gunaan Orang Islam RM8.3m
  50. Le Tour de Langkawi bailout RM3.5m
  51. Privatisation windfalls & asset transfers (NEP era)
  52. Petronas subsidies to IPPs ~RM30b (since 1997)
  53. Procurement anomalies (examples quoted)
  54. APCO / 1Malaysia campaign (query)
  55. IPP subsidy ~RM17b
  56. US$24m ring (query re compensation)
  57. CowGate RM250m
  58. Monsoon Cup ~RM800m/year
  59. Illicit outflows (2000–2009) ~RM1.077 trillion
  60. Tajudin–Danaharta settlement (cover-up claim)
  61. Toll concessions disadvantaging public (billions)
  62. 1MDB (RM42b figure referenced)
  63. MAIKA / Telekom shares (figures referenced)
  64. Abu Sayyaf ransom US$12m (referenced)
Claims of Structural/Racial Discrimination (as received)
  • Control/ownership composition in banks, Petronas, contractors, hiring, permits/APs, government intake and staffing by ethnicity.
  • School closures/expansions and budget shares by stream.
  • Scholarships, university leadership/lecturer composition, intake quotas, placement anecdotes.
  • Business ownership changes, licenses, routes/permits access, asset transfers.
  • Emigration/immigration numbers by community; citizenship approvals vs rejections.
  • House purchase discounts by ethnicity.

These items are reproduced as received for transparency; many figures are historical, uncontextualised, or may have changed. See verification note below.

Author’s Closing Sentiment

“I am 60 years old. NEP was supposed to end in 1999. Today, it is still cited while Islamicisation deepens across schools, universities, police and government departments. I have lost trust in our Muslim leaders.”

Editor’s Reflection

This commentary is not an attack on faith or any community. It is a call to return to first principles: honesty, fairness, competence, and service. Nations are rebuilt by values, not slogans. If we want a Malaysia that is strong and respected, integrity must be our non-negotiable.

“Ritual without ethics breeds hypocrisy. Policy without merit breeds decay. Malaysia rises again only when truth outranks tribe.”

Takeaway Integrity + Merit + Accountability over race and ritual. That’s the path back to national strength.

Note: This content was received via WhatsApp and is published here as-is for public discussion. Specific figures, cases, and claims require independent verification against authoritative sources and up-to-date records.

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