The State

Definition of State

• An assemblage of people occupying a definite territory under an organized government and subject to no outside control.

• Groups of people living on and exercising control over a definite territory.

Elements of State

• Population: People are an essential element to make the state. The population must be large enough to make and sustain a state. There should be a series of families to make a state, not just members of one single family.

  • In the first quarter of 2021, the population of Malaysia was estimated at $32.75$ million, a $0.4$ percent increase compared to the first quarter of 2020 ($32.62$ million).

  • The population consisted of $16.83$ million males and $15.92$ million females.

  • $29.91$ million were citizens and $2.84$ million were not citizens.

  • The citizen population consisted of Bumiputera (69.7% or $20.9$ million), Chinese (6.8% or $2.0$ million), Indian (6.7% or $2.0$ million), and Others (1.0% or $0.3$ million).

• Government: An agency created to enforce rules of conduct and ensure obedience.

  • It is the agency through which the policies of the state are formulated and carried out.

  • The government is divided into three branches:

    • Executive: Headed by the YDPA (Head of State) and Prime Minister (Head of Government), including the Cabinet, Deputy PM, and Ministers.

    • Legislative: Parliament, including Dewan Negara and Dewan Rakyat (MPs).

    • Judiciary: Courts and Judges.

• Territory: There can be no state without a fixed territory.

  • There is no state without its proper territory and no territory that is not part of some state.

  • The territory of the State extends to the oceans, airspace, and underground.

  • Land, water, and airspace within a defined territorial area comprise the territory of the State.

  • Territory includes the geographical limits of the state, its rivers, lakes, natural resources, and airspace above.

• Sovereignty: Refers to supreme power over citizens and subjects, unrestrained by law.

  • The right to give unconditional orders to all individuals in the territory of the state.

  • Original, absolute, unlimited power over the individual subject and over all associations of subjects.

  • Legally supreme over any individual or group.

Purposes of State

• As an agent of modernization: The state plans economic, education, health, and social systems.

  • It introduces new ways and technologies for administrative systems.

  • The state develops and modernizes to enable people to live comfortably.

  • Allows nomadic people to settle in one permanent place.

  • Malaysia has improved in terms of facilities and technologies, such as having its own airport and national car.

• To legislate law: Only the government has the power to legislate, amend, repeal, or replace laws.

  • In a democratic state, the Legislature carries out this function.

  • The Legislature in Malaysia is Parliament, which makes laws through Dewan Negara (Upper House) and Dewan Rakyat (Lower House).

  • The function of law is to control the behavior of society to ensure harmony and respect for each other's rights.

  • Fundamental Liberties in the Federal Constitution state that all citizens must be free from slavery and have the right to get education and freedom to move.

• Provide framework for social conduct: How society should behave to maintain harmony.

  • It is challenging to keep society harmonious when it is very diverse with various backgrounds, races, colors, descendants, and religious beliefs.

  • The state provides a framework or guideline for social conduct.

  • For example, respecting Hindu rituals during Thaipusam and non-Muslims respecting the azan (call for prayer) from the mosque.

• Provide sense of togetherness: People identify themselves as citizens of a state.

  • The attachment gives them a sense of pride, loyalty, and love for the state.

  • People stay together in a state because they want to feel a sense of belonging, which makes them feel safe and secured from any threat.

  • Sports unite the people.

• Fulfill people needs: People’s needs are crucial to be fulfilled by the state, including education, shelter, job opportunities, and food rations.

  • People can be categorized as very poor, poor, middle income, rich, and very rich, each with diversified needs.

  • Attention is given more to low-income people to equip them with basic needs to survive.

  • A well-administrated state will try its best to fulfil the people's needs.