After Kedah MB’s claims, Guan Eng asks Perikatan if ‘erasing Penang’ will be election goal
KUALA LUMPUR, June 1 — DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng today suggested Perikatan Nasional could use six state elections due within months to further Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor’s claim that Penang belonged to his state.
Lim said the MB from PAS has made the assertion repeatedly, despite the remarks causing fear and concern among residents of Penang.
“If PAS’s intentions are to place Penang under Kedah, are Perikatan and PAS contesting in the upcoming state elections expressly to erase the state of Penang from the map of Malaysia?” Lim said in a statement today.
The DAP leader said Sanusi appeared to have admitted the legal flaws in his claim with his latest demand for the Federal Constitution be amended to support his claim.
Despite this, however, Sanusi continued to make the claim over Penang, Lim said.
“He won’t admit his mistake and instead wants to erase the state of Penang from the Constitution: his attitude and statement has gone overboard and strict action should be taken against him,” said Lim.
He said Sanusi should set an example as a leader by respecting the Federal Constitution and the Conference of Rulers.
Lim said Muhammad Sanusi had no issue about Kedah not owning Penang when PN was the government, and only raised the matter after the coalition failed to form the government after the general election.
“He openly disputed the sovereignty of Penang first in February of 2023. In March I proposed a motion in the Penang State Legislative Assembly to condemn Sanusi’s actions and statements which was passed unanimously.
“Now he has deliberately brought it up again just to gain political capital ahead of the next state election,” Lim said.
Sanusi on Monday told a press conference that Penang purportedly still belongs to Kedah.
The remarks were heavily criticised by the prime minister, who reportedly said Sanusi should understand the Federal Constitution and the Federation of Malaya Agreement.
Sanusi later claimed that historical and academic studies supported his claim that Kedah owned Penang, and that there was a need for the current generation to rectify the “distortion of history” and amend the Federal Constitution accordingly.
