COMMENT | Malaysians pay for national defence in good faith. Yet, corruption within the system has done more damage to our armed forces than any external enemy ever could.

For decades, political leaders have spoken about reforms while presiding over questionable defence contracts, opaque land deals, and endless procurement scandals.

The result is a simple but troubling question that increasingly plagues Malaysians: Who really defends the nation?

Every ringgit lost to corruption is money not spent on...