<figure id="attachment_2819275" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2819275" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-2819275 size-full" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/3689b5e2-jagdeep-singh-deo-bernama-220724-1.webp" alt="Jagdeep Singh Deo" width="1600" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-2819275" class="wp-caption-text">Penang deputy chief minister Jagdeep Singh Deo dismissed Kedah’s demand, saying it is not in line with the Federal Constitution.</figcaption></figure>
GEORGE TOWN: Penang PAS will not side with Kedah, despite their hesitancy in calling out their counterparts on Kedah&#8217;s demand for a higher &#8220;lease payment&#8221; for Penang, deputy chief minister Jagdeep Singh Deo said tonight.
“They are definitely with the state. I believe that. (What matters is) we stand strong and steadfast here in Penang,” he said while attending the state-level Deepavali open house.
Jagdeep, who is also Datuk Keramat assemblyman, was asked whether he would demand that the state&#8217;s 11 Perikatan Nasional assemblymen, including seven from PAS, clarify their stance on the issue at next week&#8217;s state assembly sessions.
On Thursday, Penang PAS information chief Fawwaz Jan said the case should be allowed to proceed through the proper legal channels without political interference or speculation that could “cloud the issue”.
Fawwaz’s statement drew criticism from Penang DAP chief Steven Sim, who said voters deserved to know if their representatives would betray Penang by agreeing with Kedah menteri besar Sanusi Nor&#8217;s repeated push for the higher lease payment.
Penang does not bow to threats
Jagdeep, a former lawyer, also dismissed Kedah&#8217;s demand, saying it is not in line with the Federal Constitution.
“Don&#8217;t threaten us. This government doesn&#8217;t take threats (lightly), and we are ready to face you because we are a law-fearing state,&#8221; he said.
“They must face the consequences if they want to make such reckless statements. I ask them to be ready to face the music if they want to take that stand,” he added.
On Nov 10, Sanusi said Kedah is in the final phase of appointing a legal team to initiate court action over the state’s status and relationship with Penang.
He had said in 2021 that the federal government had been paying RM10,000 annually on Penang’s behalf for decades, before raising the sum to RM10 million in 2018 after the matter was raised at the Conference of Rulers.
Sanusi also argued that both territories were leased by the Kedah sultanate to the British in 1791 for 10,000 Spanish dollars.
However, the Penang government maintains that the sultanate effectively ceded the territories after Merdeka. Historians have also pointed out that no formal lease document exists, suggesting the “lease” narrative may have stemmed from a historical misunderstanding.

MatchPoint Times

Penang PAS remains loyal to state, says Jagdeep

The Penang deputy chief minister also says the state is ready to defend itself against the Kedah government’s claims.

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