Kedah Sultan misled into giving Penang to Francis Light, says scholar

THERE is a need to review the colonial historical version of Penang in view of insights gained from latest research evolving around the legacy of its supposed founder Francis Light, said scholar Prof Datuk Dr Ahmad Murad Merican. 

The former Universiti Sains Malaysia academic said he was of the view that Light misled the Kedah Sultanate to take possession of the island contrary to historical versions that the island was leased from the neighbouring Sultanate. 

"If you ask me, I would say Light illegally occupied the island on August 11, 1786."

"Also, Light is no founder. It is a colonial narrative, the island was already occupied with villagers before he set ashore in 1786," said Murad in a recent interview. 

There was an account that the Kedah Sultanate tried to retake the island in 1790 to illustrate why the Sultanate felt betrayed and was angry with Light although Murad also conceded that Light was earlier treated with high regard within the royal court. 

Light, the diplomat was much of many historical narratives, as he traversed the Bengal part of India to Phuket, Kuala Kedah in Kedah and cementing his legacy in Penang, which grew to become a major port in the Indian Ocean.  

His growing importance was his leadership which led to better trade ties and economic opportunities within the region. 

Murad also said that Tanjong Penaga refers to the cape of Penang, George Town and not the entire island.

The original name which stands today is Pulau Pinang and it was briefly changed when Light renamed it as the Prince of Wales Island, whereas Tanjong Penaga was renamed as George Town, the name which lasts till today. 

Residents regard George Town as Tanjong where the Unesco World Heritage Site is situated as well as Komtar, the seat of the state government.

 Murad has done extensive research on Penang and published his latest book - The Avatar of 1786: Decolonizing the Penang Story. 

He also espouses that based on his examination of the "Light Letters," a collection of 1,200 correspondences in 11 volumes, which detail communications between Light and Malay rulers and dignitaries, the colonial mariner was immersed with Malay culture. 

"He was a Brit Caucasian but culturally he was Malay," said Murad.

 An author of Light's legacy, said that it was true that Light was ingrained with the Malay culture because he embraced its positive values to liaise with the Malay Rulers then, but he also retained his western persona and colonial outlook at that time.  

In 2016 during one of the several debates since on whether Penang belongs to Kedah in view of assertions by some quarters, a post graduate student Chia Boon Kheng from University of Nottingham Malaysia campus wrote a letter which was published by the portal malaysiakini.com 

Chia wrote that there is no denial that Penang was once part of the sultanate of Kedah. Kedah ceded Penang Island to the British East India Company in a treaty signed 1786, in exchange for military assistance from the latter. 

When Kedah was attacked by Siam, Light dishonoured the treaty by failing to provide military assistance promised earlier.  

Kedah tried to retake Penang by force in 1790 but was defeated.

 The British East India Company, as the victor, dictated the terms of the 1791 treaty. 

In the 1791 treaty, the Sultan of Kedah ceded Penang Island to the company for an honorarium.  

The British East India Company took Seberang Prai in 1802 for an increased honorarium.  

An honorarium is a payment which the giver has no legal obligation to do so.  

There is no question that treaties signed between Kedah and the company were unequal treaties. 

The political reality is, Penang and Seberang Prai went under separate governance since Kedah ceded it to the British East India Company.  

Penang’s status was changed to Straits Settlements, then came under direct British rule as a Crown Colony in 1867. 

The handing over of Kedah to the British in the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 did not change the reality of separate governance. 

Kedah became an Unfederated Malay State and Penang continued to be a Crown Colony. 

The Federation of Malaya was granted independence on Aug 31, 1957, a joy that should be shared by all Malayans irrespective of state.  

Kedah and Penang have retained their respective identities in the midst of state succession events, up to the formation of Malaysia. 

Today, in the constitution of Malaysia, Article 1 enshrined that Penang and Kedah are two separate states, and territories of the states can only be altered by Parliament with the consent of the respective states. 

As federal subjects, Penang and Kedah are two sovereign equals as part of Malaysia, said Chia. - September 19, 2024.