Penang’s status as sovereign state cannot be legally disputed: Ramkarpal

KUALA LUMPUR – Penang is a sovereign state in the Federation of Malaysia and its legal position cannot be disputed, said Deputy Minister in Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Ramkarpal Singh.

He stated that since British rule, Penang has been acknowledged as a straits state under the grouping known as the Straits Settlements.

“Subsequently, several agreements signed between Kedah and the British had also clearly acknowledged Penang and Province Wellesley (mainland Penang) as a sovereign state.

“The agreements include the Agreement between His Britannic Majesty’s Government and the State of Kedah, 1923; the Federation of Malaya Agreement 1948 dan the Federation of Malaya Agreement 1957,” he said in a statement, adding that Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor’s claim that Penang belonged to Kedah was baseless.

Sanusi was reported to have claimed yesterday that Kedah and Penang had no borders as Penang belonged to Kedah and that Kedah had borders with only Perak and Perlis.

Ramkarpal said the Federation of Malaya Agreement 1957 also clearly stated that Penang was a part of the Federated States of Malaya as a separate state from Kedah.

Detailing the matter, he said the formation of the Federated States of Malaya was based on the federal constitution of 1957 and it was undeniable that Penang was acknowledged as a state under the Federated States of Malaya in Article 1(2) of the federal constitution.

Furthermore, Article 71(1) of the federal constitution, which is read together with Schedule Eight of the constitution, also guarantees every state, including Penang, has its own constitution that provides ways to manage the state government.

“In addition, there are other provisions in the federal constitution that states that Penang is a sovereign state since the formation of the Federated States of Malaya and the Federation of Malaysia.

“No objection was ever raised by any party, including the Kedah government, that Penang was owned by Kedah,” he said.

As such, the federal constitution, which is the highest law of the country, must be respected by all Malaysians. – Bernama, May 30, 2023