GEORGE TOWN – A veteran community leader has called for a halt in the sharp exchanges between Kedah and Penang leaders over the history of the states – stressing that the latter’s status is enshrined in the federal constitution.
Yussof, who is president of the Penang Malay Association and an Umno veteran, urged Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammed Sanusi Md Nor to ratchet down his comments against Penang while hoping that Penang leaders will make a similar gesture.
“We should all just stop it, particularly Sanusi.
“For the past 64 years, the history of both states was never up for debate. So why start now? We are all Malaysians.”
Yussof, 93, told The Vibes that Sanusi should stop focusing on the past and show credible leadership to develop Kedah for the present and future.
He said that it is unnecessary for the menteri besar to refer to history, allege that Penang was loaned from Kedah, and demand the federal government to pay more than the present RM10 million per annum sum to Kedah.
He said that Kedah, like all states in the country, needs to focus on what counts for the people.
Yussof said that some historians are now claiming that Penang’s English pioneer Francis Light had betrayed the Kedah sultan over the possession of the island from Kedah.
“But that does not mean that Penang must return to Kedah.
“Within the federal constitution, we are a state by ourselves. Let us respect this part of history,” he said.
Sanusi brushed aside a motion passed by the Penang assembly calling on him to apologise for hurting the feelings of his neighbours when he insisted that Penang was loaned from Kedah, therefore a higher compensation sum is needed.
Polemics on history with questionable benefits
Other Penang political figures are not as easily forgiving as Yussof. Former Balik Pulau MP Yusmadi Yusoff branded Sanusi as a “small-minded” leader, who suffers from an inferiority complex.
“Be more like Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who is inclusive and global in his outlook,” he said.
“History has proven that if we only think of our own, we will continue to be stunted as our competitors grow bigger than us.
“Sanusi is just bringing back polemic accounts of history. Does it benefit Kedah or Penang in this context?” asked Yusmadi.
Former Penang executive councillor Datuk Abdul Malik Abul Kassim said that Sanusi has misbehaved as a leader and should be reprimanded for it.
“He is not fit to become menteri besar if he continues with this charade. He may gain political mileage but not at the expense of stoking conflict between his neighbours. We are, after all, one country.”
Pulau Tikus assemblyman Chris Lee Chun Kit pointed out that it is a fact that southern Kedah, including Kulim and Sg Petani, have benefited from the economic spillover from Penang.
Instead of being a good neighbour and grateful, he alleged, Sanusi decided to be envious. Lee urged him to focus on developing Kedah in tandem with Penang, instead of becoming transfixed with the inter-state rift.
Incidentally, the prime minister recently announced that plans to build an airport in Kulim were not up for consideration.
Speaking during the tabling of the revised Budget 2023 in Parliament on February 24, he said that focus will be placed on increasing the capacity and quality of the Penang International Airport and the Subang International Airport.
These two projects are expected to benefit the economy at a much lower cost than the plans to open an airport in Kulim, which is estimated to cost RM7 billion.
Sanusi has since retorted that Anwar may not be given the exact picture of the Kulim airport. – The Vibes, March 12, 2023
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