'Kedah owns Penang' issue: Leaders must speak with knowledge, says Anwar

GEORGE TOWN: The country’s leaders must speak with knowledge when making statements on any issue, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (pic).

Anwar, who was referring to claims that Penang belongs to Kedah, said history has been written about the changes that took place during the formation of the Federation of Malaya and it should be respected.

"There must be a reading culture if we look at the discussion about Kedah taking over Penang. We have history books.

"Is it true that Penang belongs to Kedah? Yes, that was long ago. Were there changes? Yes. Who signed it? Sultan of Kedah. When? In 1948, and the latest in 1957. For what reason? To state that every state including Kedah, Penang and Kelantan and others have become part of the Federation of Malaya," he said in the "Temu Anwar" programme at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) here on Sunday (June 11).

Anwar emphasised that leaders also needed to be well-read because little knowledge is dangerous and half truth is an absolute lie.

The Prime Minister said reading history books was the best way to learn and have an understanding of the history of the Siamese Kingdom, the Bruneian Sultanate in Sarawak, and the Sulu Sultanate in Sabah.

"So read up, if you want to be a leader, it’s even more challenging...don’t play petty politics, use knowledge to help the people," he said.

On May 29, Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor was reported to have said that Kedah and Penang did not have a border because Penang still belonged to Kedah, claiming further that Kedah only shares a border with Perak and Perlis. - Bernama