Penang's endless battles and struggles

FMT:

Penang pours cold water on Kedah MB’s RM50 mil demand

Sungai Muda flows from the eastern hinterlands of Kedah and empties into Penang’s territory in the west. (PBA pic)

GEORGE TOWN: Penang has shot down the Kedah menteri besar’s demand for RM50 million a year demand as compensation for drawing water from Sungai Muda, a river that flows from the eastern hinterlands of Kedah and empties into Penang’s territory in the west.

Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said he had received letters of demand from the Kedah government but said Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor should instead ask for compensation from Putrajaya, as raw water matters were under the federal government.

Chow also said Penang would continue to draw water from its side of Sungai Muda as international conventions allow it to do so.

Sanusi had made the RM50 million demand after claiming that the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBA) has been raking in profits by drawing water from the river, asking the company to pay 10 sen per cubic metre.

PBA said it owed no one money as it was taking water from Penang’s side of the river near Butterworth.

Chow, who is PBA chairman, however told a press conference: “We will support Kedah in its efforts to claim for compensation arising from the cancellation of logging licences at the water catchment area at the Ulu Muda forest reserve.”

Yesterday, Sanusi said he was upset with the barrage of negative comments from Penang over its planned RM62 billion rare earth elements venture, which included the Ulu Muda forest reserve and two other rural areas, saying the state should mind its own business.

He slammed PBA for carrying out trips into the forest reserve repeatedly, saying it was encroaching into the “sovereignty of Kedah”.

In response, Chow said Sanusi’s statement was irresponsible, as Malaysians are allowed to crossover to any part of the states – be it on land or over water.

“If that is the case, are you saying I can stop the MB on his way to Kuala Lumpur if he enters Penang territory?” he asked.

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kt notes:

There has LONG been a Kedah resentment of Penang, most probably for Penang doing better than the Rice State. This resentment has seen regular occasions-outbursts of demands for Penang and its mainland component Seberang Perai (once known as Province Wellesley) to be returned to Kedah, or its annual (leasing) fee of 10,000 Spanish Dollars to be updated to today's values, instead of just RM10,000.

Going back into history, the island of Penang was initially leased to the British by the Kedah Sultanate in 1791 for an annual payment of 6,000 Spanish Dollars. Then Province Wellesley (today known as Seberang Perai) was added to the lease in 1800 for a further 4,000 Spanish Dollars. Later both territories were ceded to the Poms who declared it as a Crown Colony. However, the 10,000 Spanish dollars continued to be paid to Kedah annually.

After the then Malaya gained independence, Kedah still receives RM10,000 annually as the annual lease payment from the federal government.

In 1969 the federal govt took away Penang's free port status causing a humongous 16% drop in employment. T'was CM Lim Chong Eu's valiant effort, no doubt in fumbling with a version of 'Silicon Valley' that Penangites eventually overcame that unemployment problem. By the way, there's an interesting (and seditious) story behind the free port status with a threat of Penang's secession behind it but I will leave that for another day.

Then in 1974, the federal government again meddled with Penang's status, merging this council and that municipality with the resultant effect of Georgetown's city status being kowtim-rised. T'was only recently (2015) that Georgetown regained its city status, making it uniquely the only Malaysian city to have been conferred its city status twice, wakakaka.

Penang under the Mahathir federal government with a helpless and quite inefficient Koh Tsu Koon was grossly underdeveloped, marginalised and fell into economic doldrums, whilst KL and Selangor sapu-ed all the mega-giant projects and government funded developments.

I have to say that the Pakatan Rakyat (principally the DAP-led) State Government turned the (Mahathir-named) 'garbage state' into a modern, clean and effective state today with the lowest state debt in Malaysia. I gladly salute the DAP state government for this - Penang is now a clean wealthy state with even a koi canal (which underwent a recent 'spring cleaning'), wakakaka.

Prior to Sanusi's current demand of 'water fees', apart from the 'usual' Malay historians with 'ultra' proclivities and thus deep resentment against the State of Penang, and making demands of this and that of Penang vis-a-vis Kedah, two other Kedah politicians also made demands on the Island State.

Mahathir was one who once stressed on an increase in the annual leasing fees for Kedah (which should no longer applies as Penang is NOW part of Malaya-Malaysia) while his son Mukhriz (as MB Kedah, and with the encouragement of his father) also made 'water fees' demands from Penang, thus Sanusi was not the first Kedah MB who tried the kerbau-ish 'water fees'.

[Bizarrely, Mahathir's father was a Penang Malay, wakakaka]

Then there was Ku Nan, then Federal Territories Minister who made a bizarre grab for Penang by proposing to turn Penang into a federal territory, no doubt to be consequentially placed under his ministry with civil servants running the State a la KL, and of course wiping out the DAP dominance in Penang.

Yes, jealousy written all over, and worse, overlaid with racism.