LANGKAWI – Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had waded into the Penang-Kedah water dispute by suggesting that Penang offer a token compensation, seeing that it is in a better financial position than its neighbour.
The former prime minister, speaking to reporters over tea, did not mince his words, saying Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor could have handled the dispute better.
“Sanusi is not adept at administering, (he is) more of a politician than anything else.”
He said Kedah, being the poorer neighbour, is struggling to meet its own residents’ water demand.
Both states are claiming equal rights to Sg Muda, with Penang saying it has riparian rights with a legal agreement inked in 1973 that allows it to extract water from the river without charge.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow has said Sg Muda, which flows through Penang, is documented in the Kedah and Penang (Border Change) Act 1985 (Act 325) and enshrined under Article 2 of the federal constitution.
The water dispute has been going on for months, with both states not backing down.
Kedah’s plan to build 14 water tanks along Sg Muda to ensure there is enough water for its residents and padi farmers has been described as ill-conceived and unlawful, endangering Penangites’ livelihoods and the Penang economy.
Sanusi has issued demands for Penang to pay for water from Sg Muda.
Kedah previously demanded RM50 million a year from Penang as payment for extracting raw water from the river since 2010.
This is despite Penang drawing supply from a part of the river that sits within its borders.
Last December, Penang urged Putrajaya to intervene in a plan announced by Sanusi for large-scale rare earth elements exploration in sensitive water catchment areas in Kedah. – The Vibes, March 31, 2021
