THERE is no harm in handing Penang back to Kedah as such action will not jeopardise the sovereignty of the country given that the former is a state under the Federation of Malaysia.
As local and international historians have proven that Kedah is the rightful owner of Penang, such goodwill gesture of returning Penang to Kedah is deemed appropriate to “correct past mistakes”, according to Pokok Sena MP Datuk Ahmad Yahaya.
“I have explained in the Dewan Rakyat previously that if you want to defend the sovereignty of Penang, then Kedah is the real sovereignty of Penang,” penned the PAS lawmaker in a recent Facebook post. “History is still history. It cannot be changed arbitrarily.”
Ahmad’s view came in light of a statement by Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor that there is no border between Penang and Kedah because the state is indeed Kedah’s right. Sanusi said so during a media conference in conjunction with the land and maritime boundary agreement signing ceremony between Kedah and Perlis.
Elaborating on the matter, Ahmad referred to an academic paper entitled “The 1786 Acquisition of Penang” by Prof Datuk Dr Ahmad Murad Merican of the International Islamic University’s International Islamic Thoughts and Civilisation Institute which revisits the writing of historical figure R. Bonney in “Kedah 1771-1821: The Search for Security and Independence” about the acquisition of Penang from Kedah.
“R. Bonney concluded that there was no black and white agreement signed regarding the giving away of the island by the Kedah Sultan at that time, Sultan Abdullah Mukarram Shah,” argued Ahmad.
“In fact, the actions of Francis Light who took over Penang in the name of King George III were considered breaking international law and even lying to the Kedah ruler. Light’s occupation of Penang is based on the Kedah Sultan’s concern that Kedah was sandwiched between Burmese and Siamese powers.”
Moreover, Ahmad contended that military aid was not made available to Kedah when it was attacked even when such measure was the main essence of the letter from the Kedah Sultan to Light in May 1791.
The National PAS Dewan Ulamak leader further cited Prof Murad Merican who concluded that Light’s action to re-name Penang as the “Princess of Wales Island” was the “greatest deceptions in history”.
“In fact, answering basic questions about Penang’s real position is important to preserve the sovereignty and dignity of the sovereign state of Kedah,” asserted Ahmad.
“If doubts already surfaced from the beginning of the British occupation of Penang, then how can there be doubts about Kedah’s ownership of Penang?” – May 31, 2023
