Debate over Anwar’s campaign remarks highlights confusion around federal and state roles in schools, hospitals and police facilities across Malaysia’s governance system
DURING an election campaign, political speeches are naturally designed to persuade voters. Candidates and party leaders highlight weaknesses, promise improvements and contrast their performance with that of their opponents.
Nevertheless, election rhetoric should not be allowed to confuse citizens about the actual responsibilities of Malaysia’s federal and state governments.
A recent public discussion followed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, commonly referred to as PMX, speaking at a Pakatan Harapan campaign event in Muar.
His remarks were widely interpreted as criticising the Johor government over problems involving school conditions, police stations and overcrowded hospitals.
These are genuine concerns. Dilapidated schools, inadequate police facilities and congested hospitals affect public safety and quality of life. However, before blaming any government, citizens should first understand how responsibilities are divided under Malaysia’s federal system.
Malaysia is a Federation. This means governmental powers are distributed between the Federal Government and the governments of the states. The Federal Constitution, particularly its Ninth Schedule, identifies matters falling under the Federal List, State List and Concurrent List.
Education is principally a federal responsibility. The Federal List covers primary, secondary, university, vocational and technical education, as well as the registration and control of schools and teachers. Consequently, the Education Ministry is normally responsible for national schools, their development allocations, major repairs, staffing, classrooms, and educational facilities.
Therefore, when a national school is badly damaged, overcrowded, or awaiting major reconstruction, the primary questions should ordinarily be directed to the Ministry of Education and the relevant federal agencies. The Johor government cannot independently take over the ministry’s budget, award federal school projects, or control federal officers.
There are, however, important qualifications. Not every institution called a “school” falls under precisely the same administrative structure.
State religious schools, for example, may involve state religious authorities. State governments also control land matters and can facilitate land approval, planning permission, access roads, drainage and coordination with local authorities.
A state government may provide supplementary assistance, raise urgent cases with federal ministries, or contribute through special programmes.
Nevertheless, assistance should not be confused with principal responsibility. The fact that a state can help does not automatically make it accountable for every unresolved defect in a federal school.
The position of the police is even clearer. Internal security, policing, criminal investigation, and public order are federal matters.
The police is a federal institution operating under the federal administrative structure. Police personnel, operational policy, development budgets and the construction or upgrading of police stations are therefore principally federal responsibilities.
The Johor government can assist by facilitating land and infrastructure access, local coordination, or communication between communities and the police.
State leaders can also petition the Federal Government for better stations and additional personnel. Yet it would be misleading to suggest that the Johor administration controls the police development budget or has authority equivalent to that of the Home Ministry.
Public hospitals present a similar situation. Medicine and health, including hospitals, clinics, and dispensaries, are listed as federal matters.
Government hospitals are generally administered by the Ministry of Health. Decisions involving hospital construction, specialist positions, medical staffing, beds, equipment and major operating expenditure are mainly made at the federal level.
Hospital overcrowding may result from population growth, shortages of beds or personnel, delayed expansion projects, weaknesses in primary healthcare and the concentration of patients in major hospitals.
Addressing these problems normally requires federal funding, Ministry of Health planning, and national workforce decisions.
Nevertheless, healthcare also illustrates why federal-state relations cannot be reduced to a simplistic argument. Public health and disease prevention appear within areas in which both levels of government may have roles.
States control land and local authorities, while matters such as town planning, sanitation, roads and surrounding infrastructure can affect the delivery of healthcare.
For example, a new hospital may require state land, plan approval, and supporting roads. A state government can accelerate cooperation, identify suitable sites, provide complementary services and repeatedly press the Federal Government regarding local needs. Thus, the Federal Government bears the primary responsibility for federal hospitals, but effective delivery may still require state cooperation.
The correct lesson is not that state governments have no responsibility whatsoever. Nor should citizens conclude that every local problem must be blamed entirely on Putrajaya. Responsibility should be evaluated based on authority, budget, facility ownership and the specific cause of the delay.
If a federal school repair project has been approved but remains unfinished due to a federal procurement problem, accountability lies primarily with the relevant federal authorities. If progress is delayed because the state has not resolved a land matter, then the state must answer for that portion of the problem.
If a police station is rundown because no federal development allocation has been provided, blaming the state alone would be inaccurate. If a hospital expansion is delayed by obstacles in both federal financing and local planning, both sides should explain their respective actions.
This is why politicians must speak carefully, especially when holding multiple political roles. At a party event, Anwar speaks as Pakatan Harapan chairman and campaigner. At the same time, he remains Prime Minister and head of the Federal Government. When discussing schools, hospitals, or police facilities, the public is entitled to ask what federal ministries under his administration have done, what allocations have been approved and what obstacles remain.
The same principle applies to Johor’s leaders. They should not simply respond that every matter belongs to the Federal Government. Citizens deserve to know whether the state identified the problems, submitted formal requests, offered suitable land, coordinated with ministries and used its political influence to obtain solutions.
A mature democracy does not require citizens to defend one political side unconditionally. It requires them to ask informed questions. Who legally controls the institution? Who owns the land? Which government approved the budget? Which agency appointed the contractor? When was the request submitted? Why was it delayed? What evidence supports each allegation?
Political alignment between federal and state governments may sometimes improve communication, but alignment should never be presented as a constitutional requirement for development.
Federal services are funded by Malaysian taxpayers and must be delivered regardless of which party governs a particular state. Citizens should not be made to believe that they must vote for the same coalition as the Federal Government to receive schools, hospitals, police protection, or other basic services.
Johoreans should evaluate every campaign statement critically and fairly. Problems must not be denied merely because they are raised by an opposing party. At the same time, dissatisfaction must not be redirected towards the wrong level of government for electoral convenience.
The goal should not be to determine which political party can produce the strongest accusation. It should be to establish who possesses the authority, resources and duty to solve the problem. When citizens understand the division of governmental responsibilities, political debate becomes more truthful and public institutions become more accountable.
Schools, hospitals and police stations are too important to be reduced to campaign slogans. Malaysians deserve accurate explanations, transparent timelines and cooperation between governments—not selective blame.
Afi Roshezry Abu Bakar
Adi Wira Mohd Zin
Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR KAMPAR)
