Saturday, November 15, 2025

“Lease Payment... Or 'Extortion'?!!” - "Wealthy" Penang Under Attack Again From "Envious" Kedah...?!!

Opinion | “Lease Payment... Or 'Extortion'?!!” - "Wealthy" Penang Under Attack Again From "Envious" Kedah...?!!

15 Nov 2025 • 4:00 PM MYT

JK Joseph
Repentant ex-banker who believes in truth, compassion and some humour

Credit Image: The Vibes (File pic) / BH Online (Foto: BERNAMA)

The Kedah government under PAS seemed to have reignited a fresh controversy in the country after allegedly threatening to initiate legal proceedings to review and determine Penang's true territorial status!

For the record, the matter had “blown up” again recently after the state's maverick Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi had announced that his administration was in the final stages of appointing a legal team to pursue court action on the long-debated “lease” conundrum.

Sanusi had also stated that Kedah ruler, Sultan Sallehuddin Sultan Badlishah, had emphasised the need for transparency in clarifying matters related to the historical lease arrangement.

Meanwhile, Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow in responding to the “threats” had stressed that the long-standing territorial dispute raised by Kedah is best settled through legal channels and that he was ready to see the Kedah leader in court.

Laying the groundwork for a future annexation?

The issue was actually a “hot topic” last year after Sanusi had told the Kedah State Assembly that Penang was rightfully part of Kedah and that the state could “take it back!”

However, a senior Penang executive councillor Wong Hon Wai had earlier this week cautioned that Penang's sovereignty is fully protected under the Federal Constitution and enforced since 1957; he further pointed out that under Article 1 (2) of the Federal Constitution, it is listed as one of the 13 states with equal rights as others – thus, its position is secured as a member of the Federation.

So is Sanusi effectively challenging the Federal Constitution in openly disputing the sovereignty of another state?

For context, even back in 2021, Professor Datuk Ahmad Murad Merican from the International Islamic University Malaysia had reaffirmed that there were no lease documents or royalty payment agreements between Penang and Kedah in 1786.

In fact, at that time, the then-deputy chief minister of Penang Prof P Ramasamy had also lambasted the Kedah Menteri Besar for demanding RM100 million a year as “lease payment” from the federal government to honour a so-called colonial-era agreement.

Moreover, according to the former Perai assemblyman there was “no single clear historical document” that would attest that Kedah had leased Penang to the British.

So it would appear that the Kedah government’s claims do not seem to be based on actual verified documents but rather on opaque unwritten historical accounts.

What if Thailand starts to press claims that Langkawi and Kedah must be returned to it - as they used to belong to the old Siam kingdom?

Interestingly, what many may not be aware of is that according to documented history Kedah had no territorial right over the island at the time when it allegedly agreed to the “lease” because it was Thailand - then known as Siam - that had sovereignty over the northern state.

Furthermore, it has also been reported that in Thai history textbooks its former territory Kedah is officially known as Saiburi, while Penang island is known as Koh Mak.

Credit Image: Mosses PA Ampang (Facebook)

But what is even more intriguing is that, in 1826, King Rama III and British officials had signed the “Burney Treaty” where Kedah, Perlis, Terengganu and Pattani became Siamese provinces while Penang and Province Wellesley became British territories; technically, this treaty alone would have superseded any earlier “leasing” agreement between Kedah and the East India Company in 1786!

If not for the British, could Kedah still be under Thai control…?

In truth, it was only as recent as 1909 that the Siamese kingdom had actually returned Kedah togeher with the other three northern Malay states to the British; doesn't that effectively imply that if not for the much-despised colonialists wouldn't the state still be a territory of Thailand - and Malaysians will need to present their international passports if they wished to enter the state?

In conclusion, taking into account all the established historical facts, what solid grounds could the hardline Islamist Kedah government possibly have to claim that Penang belongs to them - and worse still, demand a preposterous “lease” payment of RM100mil? If anything, doesn't the whole dubious episode reek of bullying – as well as being seditious in nature?

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Fei-Lo has no decent policy for progressing Kedah, hence has to desperately resort to distractions of such a nature

IRANIANS BEGIN SACRIFICING THEIR LIVES, ARMY OFFICERS REVOLT

Saturday, November 15, 2025

IRANIANS BEGIN SACRIFICING THEIR LIVES, ARMY OFFICERS REVOLT

Folks, its going down in Iran. There are protests all over Iran again against the ayatollahs. Here is TOUSI TV on YouTube. The video does not upload because it is a live stream. But you can click on the link here.

TOUSI TV: https://www.youtube.com/live/p5lQ5dzB3lc?si=u9TGNMrD9y9_FsZG

Something quite unbelievable is happening in Iran. Army officers are defecting from the ayatollahs. The video shows at least FOUR Iranian Army officers appearing in public - all at separate locations and at different times. Their rank goes from Lieutenant to Colonel. They are displaying the old Iranian flag (the sun and the lion) and they are calling for the liberation of Iran from the ayatollahs (screenshot above). The two officers are holding the old Iranian flag in a subway station in Teheran. What you cannot see is that a speech by the Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi is also being played over the subway systems loudspeakers. Meaning there were more people involved in this protest.

An Army Colonel released a video recording of himself denouncing the ayatollah regime and calling for the defense and liberation of the Iranian people. Another Army officer has also made a similar video.

Then a 17 year old child, a beautiful Iranian girl (below) named Beeta, has uploaded herself singing a pretty song about liberating Iran from the ayatollahs. A 17 year old child.

Here is the bad news - all FIVE of these people have possibly sacrificed their lives. According to Tousi TV the 17 year old girl has since gone missing, taken away. Her mother has also been arrested. The Army Colonel says that he is ready to be arrested and jailed or even killed. And in the Tousi TV video you can see Iranian security people arresting and dragging away those two officers at that subway station.

I think they are all dead by now.

But the fact that Army officers, including ranking colonels, are openly declaring their defiance of the ayatollah regime is really something new. Army officers are usually organised. There must be more of them who are behind this "uprising". Lets see what happens in Iran.

SATURDAY LITE CARTOONS

Sabahans angered after PAS lawmaker’s ‘Gardenia’ comment

Sabahans angered after PAS lawmaker’s ‘Gardenia’ comment

A KEDAH PAS assemblyman has ignited widespread anger after suggesting that voters in Sabah could be swayed with “just Gardenia bread”, a remark Malaysians across both regions have condemned as insulting and demeaning.

The comment, made by Kuala Ketil assemblyman Mansor Zakaria during a Kedah State Assembly sitting, implied that winning over Sabahans was as simple as handing out bread — a statement many say reduced East Malaysians to low standards while belittling their political awareness.

Mansor has since apologised, but the backlash continues to intensify as the Sabah state election campaign heats up.

Amanah vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar blasted the remark as “not just rude, but a clear signal PAS thinks Sabahans are easily fooled.”

He added that the uproar which followed prompted Perikatan Nasional (PN) Sabah leaders to “panic and scold PAS”, not out of principle but out of fear that voters would abandon them during the polls.

“If PAS and PN treat Sabah like schoolchildren who can be coaxed with bread, the best answer Sabahans can give is: ‘Keep your roti. We give our votes elsewhere’,” he said.

On PN’s side, Karambunai candidate Datuk Dr Aliakbar Gulasan urged calm but firmly rejected the stereotype.

In a video statement, he said Sabahans “cannot be bought with Gardenia bread, money or property”, stressing that the people of Sabah are dignified and not for sale.

“Orang Sabah bukan orang yang murah,” he declared.

The controversy has added an unexpected flashpoint to the already competitive campaign, with many Sabahans calling for greater respect from leaders in Peninsular Malaysia as the state heads into its 17th election. — Nov 15, 2025

China urges citizens not to visit Japan over Taiwan row

BBC:

China urges citizens not to visit Japan over Taiwan row

8 hours ago
Koh Ewe

Kyodo via Reuters
Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi (left) met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea on 31 October

China has urged its citizens not to travel to Japan and summoned the country's ambassador in Beijing over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's comments on Taiwan.

China and Japan have been locked in an escalating war of words this week, set off by Takaichi's suggestion that Japan could respond with its own self-defence force if China attacked Taiwan.

Both countries' foreign ministries have lodged serious protests with each other. A Chinese diplomat also made a comment which some interpreted as a threat to behead Takaichi.

The spat touches on the historical animosity between China and Japan, as well as longstanding "strategic ambiguity" on the sovereignty of self-governed Taiwan.

Here's what else you need to know about it:

What happened? A timeline

The current tensions were sparked at a parliamentary meeting in Japan last Friday, when an opposition lawmaker asked Takaichi what circumstances surrounding Taiwan would count as a survival-threatening situation for Japan.

"If there are battleships and the use of force, no matter how you think about it, it could constitute a survival-threatening situation," Takaichi responded.

A "survival-threatening situation" is a legal term under Japan's 2015 security law, referring to when an armed attack on its allies poses an existential threat to Japan. In such a situation, Japan's self-defence forces can be activated to respond to the threat.

Takaichi's remarks drew immediate ire from Beijing, with China's foreign ministry describing them as "egregious".

Last Saturday, Xue Jian, China's consul general in the Japanese city of Osaka, reshared a news article about Takaichi's parliamentary remarks on X. But he also added his own comment that "the dirty head that sticks itself in must be cut off".

While the intent of Xue's remarks "may not be clear", they were "highly inappropriate", Japan's chief cabinet secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters on Monday.

Tokyo lodged protests with China over Xue's remarks, while Beijing lodged its own with Japan over Takaichi's.

Xue's post has since been taken down - but the dust from the barbed exchanges hasn't settled yet.

On Tuesday, Takaichi declined to retract her remarks, which she defended as "consistent with the government's traditional position". She did note, however, that she would be careful about commenting on specific scenarios from now on.

Then on Thursday, China's foreign ministry posted in Japanese and English on its X account, warning Japan to "stop playing with fire" and added that it would be an "act of aggression" if Japan "dares to meddles in the cross-Strait situation".

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong also summoned the Japanese ambassador to China that same day to express their unhappiness.

Sun called Takaichi's remarks "extremely wrong and dangerous" and demanded that Japan withdraw the comments, according to state media Xinhua. He also warned that "otherwise all consequences must be borne by Japan".

Japan's ambassador explained that their position on Taiwan "has not changed" and refuted Beijing's remarks, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters on Friday.

"It is the consistent position of the Japanese government that we hope for a peaceful resolution of issues surrounding Taiwan through dialogue," he said during the daily news briefing.

Kihara also added that Japan "strongly urged China to take appropriate action" over Xue's social media comment.

Then on Friday night, the Chinese embassy in Japan published a statement urging citizens "to avoid traveling to Japan in the near future" over what it called "blatantly provocative remarks regarding Taiwan".

A long history of animosity

There is longstanding animosity between the two countries, which can be traced back to a series of armed conflicts in the 1800s and Japan's brutal military campaign in China during World War Two.

This was referenced in a statement released by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday when it said that "should Japan fail to draw lessons from history and dare to take reckless risks, even resorting to military intervention in the Taiwan Strait situation, it will inevitably suffer heavy losses and pay a bitter price in the face of the iron wall of the Chinese People's Liberation Army".

Historical grievances have remained sore spots in bilateral relations ever since. But the recent ascension of Takaichi, a protégé of the late former prime minister Shinzo Abe, suggests more tensions may lie ahead.

The conservative leader is pursuing closer ties with the US and has pledged to increase Japan's defence spending - raising some alarm in Beijing.

Getty Images
The US and Japan have been deliberately ambiguous on how they would respond, should China invade Taiwan

Takaichi is also famously hawkish on China and a longtime supporter of Taiwan.

She had previously said that a blockade of the island could threaten Japan, and that Japan could mobilise its troops to stop a Chinese invasion.

China is especially touchy about Taiwan, the self-governed island that Beijing claims as part of its territory. China has not ruled out the use of force to take Taiwan - a posture that has unsettled Taipei and its allies in the region.

Earlier this month, Beijing accused Takaichi of violating the one-China principle, after she posted photos of herself meeting a senior Taiwanese official on the sidelines of the Apec summit in South Korea.

Why Takaichi's recent comments caused such a stir

The Japanese prime minister's recent comments mark a departure from the equivocal position that the country has traditionally adopted on the status of Taiwan.

This is in line with the policy of "strategic ambiguity" that the US has long maintained: remaining vague about what it would do to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion.

For decades, this ambiguity has kept China guessing - a form of deterrence - while leaving room for economic ties to flourish.

The Japanese government's official stance is that it hopes the Taiwan issue can be resolved peacefully through dialogue - and Japanese officials have typically avoided mentioning Taiwan in public discussions about security.

On the occasions where they have, they have been met with sharp rebuke from Beijing.

In 2021, when then deputy prime minister Taro Aso said that Japan would need to defend Taiwan alongside the US in the event of an invasion, Beijing condemned his remarks and told Japan to "correct its mistakes".

In this more recent flare-up, China's foreign ministry said that Takaichi's remarks were "a gross interference in China's internal affairs".

"Taiwan is China's Taiwan," ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a press briefing on Monday, adding that China would not "tolerate any foreign interference" on the matter.

"What signal is the Japanese leader trying to send to 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces?" he added. "Is Japan up to challenge China's core interests and stop its reunification?"

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Once (the late) Lee Kuan Yew (former PM of Singapore) said in a TV interview (words to the effect): A Japan with military might can behave in a very aggressive manner