GEORGE TOWN – Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow has once again firmly rejected claims made by his Kedah counterpart, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, that Penang belongs to Kedah.
Sanusi had previously stated in the Kedah state assembly that his government would review the RM10 million “lease” that Penang pays to Kedah, following a backbencher’s request to raise it to RM100 million.
In response, Chow (Padang Kota-PH) condemned Sanusi’s repeated remarks, calling them seditious and an affront to Penang’s sovereignty.
“On behalf of the state government and the people of Penang, I would like to once again stress that this state is a sovereign one. Therefore, we hope that the menteri besar from our neighbouring state would respect us and would not repeat this seditious statement,” Chow said during his winding-up speech for the state’s 2025 supply bill in the state assembly today.
“If he wants to take it to court, I have said several times for him to do so, rather than wasting his time making such repetitive statements,” he added.
Chow also called on all 40 state assemblymen, including the 11 from opposition Perikatan Nasional, to support Penang on this matter. “Do we want to side with Penang or with our party leaders?” he asked.
This is not the first time Sanusi has made such claims. Since becoming menteri besar in 2020, he has repeatedly demanded that Penang, including parts of Seberang Perai, belong to Kedah.
Historically, the Kedah Sultanate leased Penang Island and Province Wellesley (now Seberang Perai) to the British in 1791 for 10,000 Spanish dollars. Over time, the East India Company secured the land from the Sultan of Kedah in exchange for military protection and an annual payment in perpetuity.
After Malaya gained independence in 1957, the federal government began paying an annual honorarium of RM10,000, which was raised to RM10 million in 2018 by the Pakatan Harapan government under former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Sanusi has previously referred to this honorarium as a “lease payment” and called for it to be increased to RM100 million a year. Legal experts have dismissed this demand as lacking any legal foundation, as the payment is an ex-gratia, not a lease. – November 28, 2024