COMMENT | As states and the federal government bicker over whether states can purchase vaccines and accept donations of vaccines, millions of Malaysians are being held hostage to a too slow process in vaccine disbursement. Ordinary people are on the shore, watching a storm with waves crashing and hoping that they will remain safe.

Over the past few months, Sarawak and Selangor have taken the lead to push for states to procure their own vaccines, with Sarawak’s state government being the first to secure a deal and federal approval for 500,000 doses of Sinovac.

That state governments have to procure vaccines is testimony to the floundering federal vaccination program. These purchases also showcase the importance of the initiatives by state governments to prioritise the health and well-being of those in their own state. They extend a much-needed process of decentralisation of power to state governments and enhance Malaysia’s effort toward combatting Covid-19.

In all of these discussions, the hardest-hit state in