Corruption always feels like something far from most of us. It is the kind of thing you see in the news involving politicians or huge sums of money that you cannot fathom. Scandals like korporat mafia, 1MDB, Sabah Water Department and names like Azam Baki aren’t new too us. But the more I think about it, the more I realise that it is not distant at all. It actually shapes my life as a mahasiswa in ways that are easy to overlook.
As a mahasiswa, I am constantly thinking about money. Life already feels expensive and a balancing act. Paying for tuition fees, managing daily expenses, trying to save money where I can. Sometimes it feels like no matter how careful I am, it is still not enough. I depend on opportunities that are already limited. When I think about corruption, I cannot help but wonder how different things would be if public funds were fully used the way they were supposed to theoretically. It is frustrating to sit in a learning environment that does not reflect the amount of money being allocated on paper.
Maybe there should be more scholarships.
Maybe education would feel less like a financial burden and more like a right.
What infuriates me even more is thinking about the future. One day, I will graduate and start working. I will pay taxes like every other Malaysian adult. I understand why taxes matter, but it is hard to not question it. Do I really want to give more where there is a possibility that part might be lost along the way? These concerns are not unfounded. That thought makes me feel uneasy because it is not just about money, it is about trust.
Corruption also affects my perspective on fairness. As a mahasiswa, I am told to work hard, earn my place, and to believe in merit. But when corruption exists, it feels like there is always a hidden system operating in the background. It makes me question whether mere effort alone suffices. A few hundreds slipped discreetly over to someone and the billion ringgit abuse of power may differ in scale, but they survive through the same culture of acceptance. It is discouraging to think that nepotism or dishonest practices could outweigh genuine hard work.
The scariest part is how normal it can start to feel. Corruption is not always obvious. It shows up in small ways, like facilities that are not well maintained, misuse of education funds, limited scholarships or financial aid, poor public services or resources that never seem sufficient. Some students are even forced to give up their studies or take on heavy debt. At the same time, the overall quality of education can still suffer. Over time, it becomes something people accepted instead of challenge, because for Malaysians we wear a “bukan masalah kita” mindset. I do not want reach a point where I just shrug and say this is how things are. Corruption grows when people stop seeing it as shocking and start seeing it as practical.
I think as mahasiswa, we need to take this seriously. Not just in big discussions about politics, but in how we function daily. We may not have full control over the system, but we are not powerless. Change starts with being honest in our own work and not ignoring things that are clearly wrong. If we accept small acts of dishonesty now, it becomes easier to accept bigger ones later. Taking corruption seriously doesn’t mean we need to be activists overnight. It starts with awareness and refusal to tolerate dishonest policies. Integrity has to begin at our level.
For me, corruption is no longer just a national issue. It is personal. It affects our education, financial burden, and the future we are working towards. We are tired of the same old “janji manis”. If people like me do not talk about it now, then nothing will change. And honestly, I do not want us, Malaysians to inherit a system that already feels unfair and unjust to us. I want to believe that effort and integrity still matter.
