Over the years, especially since the 1MDB scandal, Malaysians have become more familiar with the term ‘corruption.’ Not only have we broadened our understanding of it (no longer do we think it’s just about bribery), it has also become part of mainstream political discourse. 

Malaysians know that our country has an entrenched problem of corruption and that it is holding us back, eating us from the inside and eroding our trust in the system.

But just how deep is the rot? How does it manifest in ways beyond the obvious headlines of high-profile arrests? Why is it so challenging to reform the system? 

In this episode, we’re joined by Edmund Terence Gomez, author of an insightful book titled Misgovernance: Grand Corruption in Malaysia. It offers an in-depth examination of the perverse entanglement of politics and business in Malaysia through something called the “Political-GLC Complex.” Unlike broad critiques that dismiss GLCs outright, Gomez looks at the intricate ways in which they are run in Malaysia and how specific policies and practices have turned an idea with egalitarian objectives into a vehicle for power and patronage.