ALOR STAR: The research team formed by the state government to study the historical status of Kedah and Penang is expected to conclude its findings by December, said Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor today.
He said the findings would be based on historical archives and agreements dating back as far as 1821 gathered in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Thailand and Indonesia.
"I understand that the study covers more than 20,000 historical documents, which are mostly reports by the Straits Settlements to the British government at that time.
"Recently, I obtained an original document dated 1869. There are many of them, some dated 1821, 1868, 1869. All of them are hundreds of years old.
"I have studied some of the documents kept at the British Library and Britain's National Archives.
"Some of these documents are being used as reference in the study done by the Kedah government."
He said this after being briefed by the research team at the executive council meeting here.
Sanusi said the team, comprising legal and historical experts, had covered half of the documents related to the status of Kedah and Penang.
"This is not being done in haste. Everything is based on documents stored at Britain's National Archives and the British Library.
"These are mostly reports by the Straits Settlements administration to the House of Commons and Straits Settlement Office in London.
"However, I can't reveal more as the study is ongoing.
"More importantly, we want to establish a final position (on Kedah and Penang's status), and from there, we will decide on our next course of action."
The Straits Settlements, comprising Penang, Malacca and Singapore, was an administrative unit of the East India Company between 1826 and 1867 prior to the establishment of the British Colonial Office between 1867 and 1946.
Sanusi said the study was aimed at building a case over Penang's status as a leased state during the British colonial administration.
"We are doing this based on the (Federal) Constitution and the (Kedah) Constitution.
"There are so many facts out there, but people are talking about it in piecemeal, so my administration is collecting them. That is the gist of the study.
"Some would accuse us of just going after free money. That's not it. We want to establish the position (of Kedah and Penang) based on facts."
Asked if the move would spark new tension between the neighbouring states, he said this issue did not arise as many historians and academicians had written books on Kedah and Penang.
In June last year, Sanusi brushed off criticism that he was exploiting history to score political mileage.
Sanusi instead claimed he was merely pushing for historical facts, distorted by British colonialism more than 200 years ago, to be corrected.
He has said this was line with Sultan of Kedah Al-Aminul Karim Sultan Sallehuddin Sultan Badlishah's decree in conjunction with the ruler's 81st birthday anniversary celebration last year.