SHAH ALAM - A historian says the Penang lease was immediately terminated after the signing of the Federation of Malaya Agreement 1948 by the Malay Rulers and British representative Sir Edward Gent.
Drawing upon historical evidence and a letter of agreement dating back to 1786, history expert Professor Datuk Dr Ramlah Adam asserts that Francis Light, the founder of Penang, had originally leased the territory to Kedah on an annual payment basis.
"Nevertheless, once Penang came under British control, it obtained a legal status, and the lease persisted until the Federation of Malaya Agreement was ratified in 1948.
"As a result of the agreement, Penang was officially incorporated into the Federation of Malaya as an autonomous state, separate from the British colony.
"As we reached independence, once again, an agreement between the British and Penang was sealed making it a sovereign state.
"Once Penang became a sovereign state and was included in the Federation of Malaya, the lease agreement between Penang and Kedah would no longer hold significance and would be considered null and void," she told Sinar.
On Monday, the Sultan of Kedah Sultan Sallehuddin Sultan Badlishah ordered the claim that Penang is only leased to be clearly justified based on facts and without prejudice.
Sultan Sallehuddin advised that the discussion be carried out with well-founded and accurate facts.
Commenting further, Ramlah said when a new agreement is made, its predecessor agreement is automatically cancelled.
She added that during the formation of Malaysia, Penang was considered one of the sovereign states even though it had no Sultan.
"As soon as the country achieved independence, the British released Penang through a handover letter to the locals and made the governor their leader.
"The events that occurred prior to the Federation of Malaya Agreement 1948, Federation of Malaya Agreement 1957 and Malaysia Agreement 1963 are part of history and cannot be repeated. They will always remain as historical events," she said.