The Kedah-Penang Issue: When History Influences Modern Politics

Professor Dato' Dr Ahmad Murad Merican, Professor of Social and Intellectual History, International Islamic University Malaysia | Noor Netusha Nusaybah, President, Imagined Malaysia

09-Jun-23 18:00

The Kedah-Penang Issue: When History Influences Modern Politics

Pause
Embed

Kedah’s Menteri Besar Dato Seri Muhammad Sanusi Nor recently made headlines over a claim that Penang belongs to Kedah. His comments have spurred both criticisms and support, most notably from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim calling the remarks "irresponsible". So first, we unpacked the truth behind these claims from a historical perspective. And then later, we talked about the use of history in contemporary politics.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Produced by: Alia Zefri, Kelly Anissa, Sharaad Kuttan

Presented by: Sharaad Kuttan, Lee Chwi Lynn

This and more than 60,000 other podcasts in your hand. Download the all new BFM mobile app.

Categories: politics, government, History/Heritage

Tags: Perjanjian Inggeris-Kedah 1786, kedah, penang, Muhammad Sanusi, francis light, history,

Today’s Shows

11:00 AM

Best of Enterprise

(REPEAT) We take a flavourful dive into the world of Korean fried chicken with Terry Goh, CEO of KyoChon Malaysia.

12:00 PM

Popcorn Culture

(REPEAT) From the epic montage scene in Sinners, to Powerhouse from Coolie, and the unforgettable theme of Severance, 2025 has been a great year for scores and soundtracks. In this special, music-centred episode of Popcorn Culture, we look back at our favourite B-Sides of the year.

1:00 PM

Cruise Control

(REPEAT) If you're in the market for a used, old school sports sedan, should you consider the Mitsubishi Lancer GT, or the Proton Inspira? Daniel Fernandez from dsf.my shares his thoughts!

2:00 PM

Matt-Splained

(REPEAT) Rich Bradbury and Matt Armitage bellyflop into the murky world of brand authenticity. As consumers become increasingly vocal and energized, they are directing their spending towards companies they believe share and reflect their worldview.

3:00 PM

Earth Matters

(REPEAT) In this ‘Best of 2025’ replay, we hear from anthropologist Dr. Christine Padoch about her book Return to Nanga Jela, which revisits an Iban longhouse community in Sarawak lost beneath the Batang Ai Dam.

4:00 PM

Bar None

(REPEAT) Jeremy Ho, Founder of BHub Bouldering joins us to talk about the appeal of rock climbing and what's the community like here in Malaysia.

5:00 PM

BBC World Service

In this episode of The Conversation, Ella Al-Shamahi speaks to two women in India and Uganda who’ve created grass roots fitness communities exclusively for women.

PROGRAMMES