Penang executive councillor Wong Hon Wai today hit out at Kedah menteri besar Sanusi Nor over his continued pursuit of a multi-million “lease payment” for Penang island and Seberang Perai.
Wong said Sanusi should save his energy and focus on developing Kedah instead of reigniting centuries-old claims concerning Penang’s status.
The state executive council member also said that Penang’s sovereignty was long settled under the Federal Constitution and should no longer be questioned.
“The position of Penang as a sovereign state has been clearly enshrined in the Federal Constitution since 1957,” the Paya Terubong assemblyman said in a statement.
He said Article 1(2) of the constitution listed Penang as one of the states forming the federation of Malaysia, placing it on equal footing with all other states.
“This is not only a legal recognition but also reflects Penang’s importance in Malaysia’s history and federal structure.”
Sanusi told the Kedah assembly on Oct 10 that the state government was finalising the appointment of a legal team to take court action over the state’s relationship with Penang.
He said a research team of history and legal experts had completed its study on the matter and presented its final report to the state executive council in April.
Further developments would follow “within the next month or two”, the menteri besar added.
In 2021, Kedah demanded RM100 million a year from the federal government as a “lease payment” for Penang island and Seberang Perai, citing a supposed agreement between the Kedah sultanate and the British in 1791.
Historians have said that no formal lease document exists while the Penang government maintains that the sultanate effectively ceded the territories after independence.
Wong said revisiting issues from more than two centuries ago was unproductive and would only distract from Kedah’s real priorities.
“The Kedah menteri besar should channel his energy into attracting investment and planning development in his own state, rather than stirring up an unproductive polemic,” he added.
