你家门前的路坏了，谁负责？水供出问题，找谁？答案取决于一件事：这件事属于「联邦」还是「州」。

马来西亚是**联邦制（persekutuan）**国家——权力不是全部集中在中央，而是在联邦政府和 13 个州之间分配。

权力怎么分

宪法用**第九附表（Jadual Kesembilan）**把职权分成三份清单：

  • 联邦清单：全国性事务，如国防、外交、公民权、财政与货币、教育大政策。
  • 州清单：地方性事务，如土地、伊斯兰教事务、地方政府、部分水供。
  • 共同清单：双方都可管的领域，如公共卫生、住房、社会福利的某些部分。

哪份清单管这件事，就由哪一级政府负责。

一个具体的例子

土地是最典型的州权。这意味着即使是联邦政府，想在某州征用或规划土地，也要与州政府打交道。这也是为什么不同州在土地、地方发展上的做法会不一样——因为决定权在州手上。

反过来，护照、公民身份是联邦权，全国一致，州政府无权自己发。

沙巴与砂拉越的特别之处

根据宪法与《1963 年马来西亚协议（MA63）》，沙巴和砂拉越享有一些半岛各州没有的额外权限，例如在移民（入境准证）方面的自主权。这也是近年公共讨论常出现「州权」议题的背景。

为什么这和你有关

分清联邦与州，你才不会「找错门」。地方服务（垃圾、沟渠、地方规划）多与州及地方政府有关；全国性政策（税、补贴、外交）则是联邦层级。找对层级，诉求才有人接。

公民该知道的事

  • 职权分配写在宪法第九附表，可公开查阅。
  • 同一件事，联邦与州可能立场不同——这是联邦制的正常现象，不等于谁一定对。
  • 遇到问题时，先判断它属于哪份清单，再决定找联邦议员、州议员，还是地方议会。

核心带走点

联邦制的意思是：这个国家的权力，是分层的。学会分辨哪件事归哪一层，你的每一次发声和求助，才不会打在空气上。

The road outside your house is broken — who is responsible? Water supply fails — who do you call? The answer turns on one thing: whether the matter is "federal" or "state."

Malaysia is a federation (persekutuan) — power is not all concentrated at the centre but shared between the federal government and 13 states.

How power is divided

The Constitution's Ninth Schedule (Jadual Kesembilan) splits authority into three lists:

  • Federal List: nationwide matters — defence, foreign affairs, citizenship, finance and currency, broad education policy.
  • State List: local matters — land, Islamic affairs, local government, some water supply.
  • Concurrent List: areas both may handle — public health, housing, parts of social welfare.

Whichever list a matter sits on determines which level of government is responsible.

A concrete example

Land is the classic state power. That means even the federal government, to acquire or plan land in a state, must deal with the state government. It is also why states differ in land and local development — the decision sits with the state.

Conversely, passports and citizenship are federal, uniform nationwide; states cannot issue their own.

What's special about Sabah and Sarawak

Under the Constitution and the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), Sabah and Sarawak hold extra powers the peninsular states don't, such as autonomy over immigration (entry permits). This is the backdrop to the "state rights" debates seen in recent public discussion.

Why this matters to you

Sorting federal from state stops you knocking on the wrong door. Local services (rubbish, drains, local planning) mostly involve state and local government; national policy (tax, subsidies, foreign affairs) is federal. Reach the right level and your request finds someone to receive it.

What a citizen should know

  • The division of authority is in the Ninth Schedule and is public.
  • On the same issue, federal and state may take different positions — normal in a federation, and not proof either is right.
  • When you have a problem, first work out which list it sits on, then decide whether to approach your MP, your state assemblyperson (ADUN), or the local council.

The takeaway

Federalism means the country's power is layered. Learn to tell which matter belongs to which layer, and none of your appeals will land on empty air.