Who runs local government in Malaysia?
Malaysia elects its federal and state parliaments, but not its local councils. Local elections were suspended in 1965 and formally ended by the Local Government Act 1976, so every city, municipal and district council is appointed by the state government. In villages, the ketua kampung (village head) and the village development and security committee are also appointed by the state, making local power an extension of whichever party runs the state.
Malaysia · Federal constitutional monarchy · South-eastern Asia
The levels of government below the nation
| Level | How it is chosen | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| States (13) and federal territories (3: Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Labuan) | State assemblies elected; chief minister (menteri besar) from the majority. Federal territories run by a federal ministry with no elected assembly | States control land, local government and Islamic affairs. |
| Local authorities (about 155: city, municipal and district councils) | Mayor or president and councillors appointed by the state government (federal ministry for the territories); no local elections | Planning, waste, local roads, licensing, markets, property tax (assessment rates). |
| Administrative districts (daerah) and mukims | District officers and penghulu (mukim heads) are state civil servants | Land administration and rural development; separate from local councils. |
| Villages (kampung) | Ketua kampung and village committee (JKKK/JPKK) appointed by the state government | Village development, security, welfare and passing information between residents and government. |
Three questions about local power in Malaysia
Are local leaders elected?
State assemblies and the federal parliament are elected. Local councillors, mayors, district officers, penghulu and ketua kampung are all appointed.
Which laws set up local government?
Local government is a state matter under the Federal Constitution and is governed by the Local Government Act 1976 (Peninsula) and ordinances in Sabah and Sarawak. Native courts and Islamic institutions are also formal. Residents' associations are voluntary.
Who are local leaders accountable to?
Councils answer to the state government, which appoints and replaces councillors, usually for one- or two-year terms. Voters can only influence local councils indirectly through state elections. Courts can review council decisions.
Traditional and customary authority
The nine hereditary Malay rulers are heads of Islam in their states, and state religious councils and departments appoint mosque officials and run Syariah courts for Muslims. In Sabah and Sarawak, native chiefs and headmen (such as the Sarawak tuai rumah, or longhouse head) are appointed by the state and sit in Native Courts that apply customary law (adat) on family, land and minor disputes. Orang Asli communities in Peninsular Malaysia have headmen (tok batin) recognised by the federal Orang Asli development department. These roles are formal, but their holders are appointed or recognised by government rather than simply inheriting power.
Community and neighbourhood power
Village development and security committees (JKKK, called JPKK in some states) are paid allowances by government and are widely seen as the government's 'eyes and ears' in villages. When a state is run by a party in opposition at federal level, the federal government has at times set up parallel village committees, so village bodies can split along party lines. In towns, residents' associations, Rukun Tetangga neighbourhood watch schemes and joint management bodies for flats operate under federal and state law.
Points to know
- Section 15 of the Local Government Act 1976 ended local elections; Sabah and Sarawak ordinances do not provide for them either.
- Councillors are often nominated by the parties that run the state government.
- Calls to restore local elections, including for Kuala Lumpur, have been made repeatedly without success.
- Sabah and Sarawak keep more autonomy than other states under the 1963 agreements that formed Malaysia.
Local terms
- Ketua kampung
- Village head, appointed by the state government.
- JKKK
- Village development and security committee, appointed and paid allowances by government.
- Penghulu
- Head of a mukim (group of villages), a state government officer.
Sources
- Constitution of Malaysia 1957 (rev. 2025) (English text), Constitute Project, checked 14 October 2026
- Country profile: Malaysia, OECD–UCLG World Observatory on Subnational Government Finance and Investment (SNG-WOFI), checked 14 October 2026
- The Local Government System in Malaysia: Country Profile 2017–18, Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF), checked 14 October 2026
- Ministry of Local Government Development (KPKT), Government of Malaysia, checked 14 October 2026
See also: Malaysia's official statistics and leaders · the 10 levels of power.