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By Mihar Dias ©️ Copyright July 2023
Lim Guan Eng has called on Penangites to vote against the Opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) party in the upcoming state elections, stating that voting PN would be seen as supporting for return of Penang to Kedah.
In other words, if the people of Penang preferred to be part of Kedah, then they ought to vote PN.
Lim is referring to remarks made by Sanusi Md Nor, former MB of Kedah, who has expressed a desire for Penang to be returned to its original owner, the state of Kedah.
We all know it is a preposterous idea and that Sanusi does not have any reasonable ground to reclaim the state of Penang just like the descendents of Sultan of Sulu tried and failed with the case of the sovereign state of Sabah.
Lim, too, emphasized that Penang is for all intense and purpose is a sovereign state and is no longer part of Kedah, a fact reaffirmed by both historians and constitutional experts.
Lim criticized Sanusi's alleged suggestion of amending the Federal Constitution to return Penang to Kedah, deeming it inflammatory, illegal, and seditious.
Also, Lim accused Sanusi of using the Penang issue as a diversion to deflect attention from alleged governance failures in Kedah, including uninterrupted supply of clean water and inability to provide enough employment in his state.
In light of these concerns, Lim urged Penangites to vote for good governance, a better quality of life, and the preservation of Penang's sovereignty.
Anyway, Sanusi has denied any intention of reclaiming Penang for Kedah. He stated that his aim was to negotiate with the federal government for increased payment to Kedah over the alleged lease of the state's land to Penang.
All these started in October 2021, when Sanusi reportedly demanded that Kedah receive RM100 million annually for the alleged "lease" of its land to Penang, instead of the RM10 million that the federal government has been paying since 2018. Bernama 2015 reported that the Kedah sultanate had leased Penang island to the British in 1791 for 6,000 Spanish Dollars and Seberang Perai in 1800 for 4,000 Spanish Dollars.
After independence, the federal government continued to pay RM10,000 annually to Kedah. So, how and when did 10,000 Spanish dollars become RM10 million?
In 2018, the PH Cabinet under the premiership of Tun Mahathir agreed that the federal government would maintain the RM10,000 annual payment to Kedah while also making an additional special contribution of RM10 million annually starting from 2018.
This additional amount was intended to be reviewed once every 10 years or within a suitable timeframe.
If we were to go by what was agreed to in 2018, the next review date would be in 2028. But Sanusi, being a politician looking for a large enough issue that could fire up his supporters, can not resist bringing up the subject 5 years ahead of schedule. It's shrewd of him perhaps to keep the issue alive and to rally supporters in his home state and keep them on his side to get another lease of political lease of life for 5 more years after GE16.
In the meantime, Sanusi is making leaders like Lim Guan Eng and other DAP stalwarts on the island jittery for the coming state polls.
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