ALOR SETAR: Kedah menteri besar Sanusi Nor wants the Federal Constitution to be amended to support his claim that Penang belongs to Kedah.
He said this following Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s criticism of Sanusi yesterday for repeating a claim that Penang belonged to Kedah.
Anwar told the menteri besar to “understand the Federal Constitution”, which lists Penang as one of Malaysia’s 13 states.
Sanusi told FMT today that historical and academic studies supported his claim that Kedah owned Penang, adding that there was a need for the current generation to rectify the “distortion of history” and amend the Federal Constitution accordingly.
“Given that the Federal Constitution can be amended in Parliament to accommodate present needs, why should the discovery of strong evidence be disregarded simply because of what is written in the constitution?
“The only things in this world that cannot be amended are the Quran and Hadith,” Sanusi told FMT.
Asked which parts of the Federal Constitution needed to be amended, Sanusi said it would be “any amendable portions” concerning the federation’s members.
“This can be done with the consent of the Council of Rulers.
“Ramkarpal (Singh) or anyone else can say anything they like. They are free to comment, and so am I … As long as (what I am saying) is not illegal,” he said.
Yesterday, deputy law and institutional reform minister Ramkarpal Singh said Penang’s status as a sovereign state was enshrined under Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution.
Ramkarpal also said Article 71(1) of the Federal Constitution, read together with the Eighth Schedule of the constitution, guaranteed that each state had its own state constitution that provided for its own state government, including the state of Penang.
Sanusi said he did not appreciate “baseless claims” questioning his understanding of the Federal Constitution or that he had undermined the supreme law of the land, challenged Penang’s sovereignty and was causing Penangites emotional distress.
“I will accept a court decision as the final solution, but I refuse to be silenced or have my views suppressed,” he said.
Responding to Anwar’s claim that the Malay rulers had already recognised the sovereignty of Kedah and Penang, Sanusi said Anwar should delve into the background behind the increase in Penang’s “lease payments” from RM10,000 per year to RM10,010,000 in 2018.
On Monday, Sanusi reiterated his belief that Kedah “owns Penang”, asserting that the territory of the sultanate extended to Balik Pulau on Penang island.
According to historical accounts, 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 obtained the land from the Sultan of Kedah in exchange for military protection and an annual payment in perpetuity.
After Merdeka, the federal government began paying an annual honorarium of RM10,000, which was increased to RM10,010,000 in 2018 by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. - FMT
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