Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor is unlikely to listen to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s advice that Muhammad Sanusi should read more on history to speak with knowledge when making statements on claims that Penang belongs to Kedah. Sanusi has built his entire career on not just half-truths but also outright lies, which when exposed, he would then shamelessly deny.
Sanusi had claimed Kedah and Penang did not have a border because Penang still belonged to Kedah. Sanusi is wrong because both Kedah and Penang have agreed to a border that was formally enacted pursuant to Article 2 of the Federal Constitution. The boundaries of Penang and Kedah were demarcated and codified into law under the Akta Kedah dan Pulau Pinang(Pengubahan Sempadan) 1985.
Sanusi had also denied ever saying he doubted the sovereignty of Penang even though he was caught on video and tik-tok saying it. Similarly, Sanusi denied ever calling for the Federal Constitution to be amended to allow Penang to be returned to Kedah, pinning the blame instead on a false report by online news portal FMT. Again, there was no response from Sanusi when FMT published verbatim the WhatsApp conversation between Sanusi and the FMT reporter that conclusively proved that Sanusi had indeed suggested that the Federal Constitution be amended.
Whilst no one denies that historically, Penang once belonged to Kedah, just as many other states in Peninsular Malaysia once belonged to Melaka, the changes that took place during the formation of the Federation of Malaya and then the Federal Constitution should be respected. There is no doubt that Penang is a sovereign state as enshrined in the Federal Constitution and assented to by the Conference of Rulers, including the Kedah Sultan.
Sanusi will not listen to the Prime Minister’s advice not to waste time on petty politics but to be well-read because Sanusi has no idea how to resolve the acute water shortage crisis in Kedah. To date, Sanusi has not explained how his campaign to return Penang back to Kedah helped to resolve the acute water shortage crisis in Kedah and other economic issues faced by Kedahans?