GEORGETOWN - Nobody should question the position of Penang as a sovereign state under the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and part of the states in the Federation.
Penang Malay History and Civilisation Association president Datuk Abdul Kader Md Ali said that this was because the Federal Constitution stated that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong was the religious head of Penang, Melaka, Sabah and Sarawak.
He said in Chapter (1) of the Penang State Constitution, there must be a Yang di-Pertua Negeri for a state and appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to act according to discretion.
"However, after consultation with the chief minister, Penang was sealed as a state with a state law.
"To commemorate the history of Penang which was once controlled by Kedah, the name of Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Badlishah has been immortalised on the two most important infrastructures in Penang, namely Sultan Abdul Halim Ferry Terminal and Sultan Mu'adzam Shah Bridge.
"If the provisions in the Federal Constitution and the Penang Government Constitution are sealed in such a way as to approve Penang as a state in the Federation, then it is not appropriate for anybody to further dispute the position of Penang as a sovereign state under the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and some of the states in the Federation," he said in a statement on Tuesday.
He said there were still people who were confused about the ownership of Penang because the historical facts and the national Constitution were not properly communicated, so it was easy to understand.
"To understand the issue of Penang's position as a sovereign state, we must understand the historical facts before and after the existence of the Penang government.
"Historical facts do not deceive us, but are we the ones who change historical facts so that they become a polemic among academics and politicians? Some even claim that Penang is just Kedah's leased land," he said.
Kader added that in order to understand the issue of Penang's position as a sovereign state, everyone should understand the historical facts before and after the existence of the Penang government.
Last week, Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor insisted that Penang belongs to the state and that Kedah only has a state border with Perak and Perlis.
Sanusi also claimed that he did not need to take back the state because Penang had never 'slipped away' from Kedah.