ALOR SETAR, Aug 10 — Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor reportedly said the state is considering delaying its claim for higher Penang “lease” payments, and instead wait for a Perikatan Nasional (PN) takeover of the federal government.

According to The Star, Sanusi said Putrajaya had yet to respond positively to Kedah’s demand despite the state pursuing a review of the payments for the past six years.

“If the federal government remains stubborn and refuses to pay or consider Kedah’s application, we will change the federal government,” he was quoted as saying.

“We are considering whether all these documents should be submitted now for discussion or later, after we become the federal government.”

Sanusi said Kedah had pursued a review for the past six years and had raised the matter with then prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin during the PN administration, but the supporting documents were not ready for a formal submission at the time.

He said the state had since completed a study by historians and legal experts examining historical documents, agreements, payment records and the legal and constitutional basis of its claim, with the final report presented to state leaders on April 15 last year.

Kedah has said it is seeking RM300 million annually from the federal government, which has paid the state an annual RM10 million special contribution since 2018 in addition to the longstanding RM10,000 payment provided for under Article 167(7) of the Federal Constitution.

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said last month that the matter fell under federal jurisdiction and that his state government had not received any legal correspondence from Kedah over the claim.