‘Penangites, Kedahans to lose out in long run if state govts maintain spats’

GEORGE TOWN – Penang and Kedah residents will stand to lose out in the long run if the two state governments continue their disputes and pot shots.

“The people will suffer as Penang and Kedah have nothing to gain politically or economically from the prolonging of this rift,” said Sivamurugan Pandian.

Sivamurugan, a political scientist at Universiti Sains Malaysia, said Penang and Kedah are dependent on each other through the concept of shared prosperity in the northern region.

“Many Kedahans are in Penang, and vice-versa with the latter helping to generate new growth in southern Kedah due to spillover projects from the heavy industrialised zones in Penang.”

He told The Vibes that much political jostling can be achieved with this spat, as reality calls on both neighbours to get along for the sake of their people.

Sivamurugan was referring to the spat between Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor and Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow that has been going on for a while.

Among the latest issues was Sanusi posting on social media a conversation he had with Chow about the contentious raw water supply on the sidelines of the annual meeting between chief ministers and menteris besar with the prime minister at Istana Negara.

Sanusi said he had asked Chow about payments for Kedah supplying raw water.

“The Penang chief minister’s answer to me was Penang cannot afford it. It is very difficult to digest his answer because everyone knows that Penang Water Supply Corporation generates a lot of income and profit from supplying water to the industrial, shipping, and domestic sectors using raw water originating from Kedah.”

Sanusi said the demand for raw water payment is – for Kedah and its people – a just and reasonable demand, after the state’s sacrifice to maintain the catchment area of ​​hundreds of thousands of hectares.

Chow then shared the post and responded to it, saying that Penang’s stance had been officially stated many times.

“We will not pay because the issue of payment does not arise. This is because we take water from our state borders. It seems that Kedah still does not want to understand.”

Besides water, Sanusi had broached another contentious topic by claiming that the federal government needs to pay up to RM100 million in annual compensation packages, as the state was technically leased from the Sultan of Kedah during the British colonial era.

The war of words between Sanusi and Penang leaders have continued since he took office last year during the height of the pandemic. – The Vibes, November 30, 2021