Penang's sovereignty: Gerakan wants Sanusi to stop

Penang's sovereignty: Gerakan wants Sanusi to stop


Penang Gerakan chairperson Oh Tong Keong has chastised Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Noor for repeatedly questioning Penang’s sovereignty as a state.

He said that while Gerakan and PAS are allies, his party unequivocally disagrees with Sanusi’s assertions.

Sanusi’s actions may make him appear bold and help him garner the support of Kedahans, but it also undermines the harmony between Kedahans and Penangites, Oh (above) added.

“We all know that the elections are approaching for six states, but politicians should not make misleading claims to sow chaos and disharmony and garner support.

“Sanusi must stop using such narrative immediately, which damages the harmony between Penang and Kedah to drum up support in Kedah for himself,” he said in a statement today.

Oh added that under Gerakan’s rule from 1969 to 2008, Penang experienced rapid development with many from Kedah and Perak developing close relationships with Penangites after coming to work in factories in the state.

“Gerakan will never agree with Sanusi's damaging remarks aimed at creating contradictions and tensions.

“Sanusi must understand and accept the Federal Constitution and laws, and not selectively live in the past,” he said.

On Monday, Sanusi claimed that Kedah and Penang had no borders as Penang belonged to Kedah and that Kedah had boundaries with only Perak and Perlis.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim reportedly lambasted Sanusi by saying he should have a better understanding of the Federal Constitution, while his deputy Ahmad Zahid Hamidi accused Sanusi of “incitement”.

DAP chairperson Lim Guan Eng had urged Penangites to lodge police reports for Sanusi’s “reckless” and “irresponsible” claims.

Deputy Minister in Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Ramkarpal Singh, meanwhile, said Penang's legal position as a sovereign state is indisputable through numerous historical agreements.

This culminated in Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution of 1957 which acknowledges Penang as a state under the Federated States of Malaya.

Article 71(1) of the Federal Constitution, read together with Schedule Eight of the Constitution, also guarantees every state has their own state constitution that provides ways to manage the state government, including Penang.


Sanusi defends claim

Nevertheless, Sanusi appears to have doubled down on his claims.

Kedah MB Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor


According to Berita Harian today, Sanusi claimed to have proof that Penang belongs to Kedah and is prepared to have his claims challenged in court.

In a separate report, Free Malaysia Today quoted him demanding the Federal Constitution to be amended to rectify the “distortion of history”.