THE country’s leaders must speak with knowledge when making statements on any issue, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said.

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 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 had become part of the Federation of Malaya,” he said in the “Temu Anwar” programme at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in George Town today.

Anwar emphasised that leaders also need to be well-read because a little knowledge is dangerous and half truths are absolute lies. 

The prime minister said reading history books is 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.

“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 Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor was reported to have said that Kedah and Penang do not have a border because Penang still belongs to Kedah, claiming further that Kedah only shares a border with Perak and Perlis. – Bernama, June 11, 2023.