Kedah (
Jawi: قدح, also known by its Arabic honorific,
Darul Aman, or "Abode of Peace") is a state of
Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of
Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km², and it consists of the mainland and
Langkawi. The mainland has relatively flat terrain, which is used to grow
rice. Langkawi is an archipelago of islands, most of which are uninhabited. Kedah was called
Syburi () by the Siamese when it was under their influence.
Kedah borders the state of
Perlis and shares an international boundary with the
Songkhla and
Yala provinces of
Thailand to the north. It also borders the state of
Perak to the south and
Penang to the southwest.
The state's capital and royal seat is
Alor Setar. Other major towns include
Sungai Petani, and
Kulim on the mainland, and
Kuah on Langkawi. Kedah is divided into 12 districts namely
Baling,
Bandar Baharu, Kota Setar, Kuala Muda, Kubang Pasu,
Kulim,
Langkawi, Pokok Sena,
Padang Terap,
Pendang,
Sik and
Yan.
History
Kedah has a long history. The
Bujang Valley has remains of a
Hindu-
Buddhist kingdom that dates back to the 4th century AD, making it the oldest civilization of
Peninsular Malaysia. The current royal family can trace their ancestry from this time. According to
Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa or the Kedah Annals, Kedah was founded by a
Hindu king named
Merong Mahawangsa. According to the text further, the
Sultanate of Kedah started in year 1136 when the 9th King Phra Ong Mahawangsa converted to Islam and adopted the name Sultan Mudzafar Shah.
In the 7th and 8th centuries, Kedah was under the domination of
Srivijaya, and was later under
Siam, until the rise of the Malay sultanate of
Melaka in the 15th century. In the 17th century, Kedah was attacked by the
Portuguese after their conquest of Melaka, and by
Aceh. In the hope that
Great Britain would protect what remained of Kedah from Siam, the sultan handed over
Penang and then
Province Wellesley to the British at the end of the 18th century. The Siamese nevertheless conquered Kedah in 1811, and it remained under Siamese control until transferred to the British by the
Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909.
In
World War II, Kedah (along with
Kelantan) was the first part of Malaya to be invaded by
Japan. The Japanese returned Kedah to their Thai allies who had it renamed
Syburi, but it returned to British rule after the end of the war. Kedah was a reluctant addition to the
Federation of Malaya in 1948.
Since 1958, the hereditary Sultan of Kedah has been
Tuanku Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah. The Kedah Sultanate began when the 9th Kedah Maharaja Derbar Raja AD) converted to Islam and changed his name to Sultan Muzaffar Shah. Since then there have been 27 Sultans who ruled Kedah. The
Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) is currently
Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak of (
Pakatan Rakyat-
PAS)
Geography
right|250px|thumb|Menara Alor Setar is the tallest tower in Kedah.
Kedah is the
8th largest state by land area and
8th most populated state in Malaysia, with a total land area and population of 9,426 km
2 and 1,818,188 respectively.
The
Pedu Lake is the largest man-made lake in the state.
Demographics
Kedah has a relatively non-homogeneous populace constituted by the three major ethnic groups; the
Malays,
Chinese and
Indians, similar to most of the other Malaysian states.
There are 1,336,352 Malays (who make up about 75.5% of the state's population), 252,987 Chinese (or 14.2%), 122,911 Indians (or 6.9%), 35,293 non-citizens (or 1.9%) and 27,532 people from other ethnic groups (or 1.5%) in the state.
Government and politics
Constitution
Kedah's Constitution was promulgated by its Ruler in July 1950 and its full title in English is;
- The Laws of the Constitution of Kedah.
The various provisions laid down in the Constitution include the role and powers of the Monarch, the State Parliament and the State's Civil Service.
The Sultan of Kedah
The
Sultan of Kedah is the constitutional ruler of the State. His position is hereditary and he holds office for life. The Ruler is the head of the religion of
Islam in the State and the
executive power of the state government is vested in him. The current Sultan is
Sultan Abdul Halim of Kedah, who has reigned since 1958.
State Executive Council
The State Executive Council, which along with the Sultan is Kedah's executive branch of government. It is composed of the
Menteri Besar, who is its chairman and Kedah's head of government, and ten other members. The Menteri Besar and other members of the council are appointed by the Sultan of Kedah from members of the
Dewan Undangan Negeri (State Assembly). The current Menteri Besar is
Dato' Seri Azizan Abdul Razak, of the Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (
PAS, or
Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party).
List of Chief Ministers
Kedah State Assembly
The state also has a legislative branch, called the
state assembly. It is similar to the
Parliament but is limited to making laws relating to the state. Its members are elected in elections which are usually held simultaneously with federal elections. The term of each state assembly member is limited to five years. The state assembly must be dissolved before or once it expires its term for a fresh election to elect its members.
Kedah State Government Agency
Istana Anak Bukit
- Kedah State Government Secretary Administration
- Kedah Department of Islamic Affairs
- Kedah Department of Syariah Law
- Kedah Department of Public Works
- Kedah Department of Agriculture
- Kedah Department of Community Welfare
- Kedah Department of Forestry
- Kedah Department of Irrigatian and Drainage
- Kedah Department of Mufti
- Kedah Department of Veterinar
- Kedah Housing and Property Board
- Kedah Water Management Board
- Kedah Public Library Corporation
- Kedah Islamic Religious Council
- Kedah Agriculture Development Corporation
- Kedah State Development Corporation
- Kedah Land dan Mineral Office
State Anthem
Administration
List of districts
Kedah is divided into 12 administrative districts, namely:
List of local authorities
- Majlis Daerah Kubang Pasu (MDKS)
- Majlis Perbandaran Langkawi Bandaraya Pelancongan (MPLBP)
- Majlis Daerah Padang Terap (MDPT)
- Majlis Daerah Pendang (MDP)
- Majlis Perbandaran Sungai Petani (MPSPK)
- Majlis Daerah Baling (MDB)
- Majlis Perbandaran Kulim (MPKK)
- Majlis Daerah Bandar Baharu (MDBB)
- Majlis Daerah Pokok Sena (MDPS)
Economy
Kedah is considered the "rice bowl" of Malaysia, accounting for one third of Malaysia's total production of
rice. Other agricultural products, including
rubber,
oil palm and
tobacco are also important. Tourism, particularly on the island of Langkawi is of growing importance.
More recently, Kedah has forged its economy towards the automotive and aerospace industries with
Modenas and
Asian Composites setting up bases here. One of the main advantages is the low labour costs and the infrastructure in place with the
North-South Expressway and the
Penang International Airport close by. In 1996, the Kulim
Hi-Tech Park (KHTP) was officially opened as the first high technology industrial park in Malaysia. The Park comprises a total land area of approximately 14.5 square kilometres (5.6 mi²). Many local and foreign companies, such as
Intel,
Fuji Electric,
Showa Denko and
SilTerra have moved to the site since then.
According to the
Ninth Malaysia Plan, this economic area is referred to as the
Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER). The
Northern Corridor Economic Region is one of three development regions formed in Peninsular Malaysia, other development regions being the
Iskandar Malaysia (or South Johor Economic Region) and the East Coast Development Region. The NCER encompasses
Penang (Penang Island and Seberang Prai), Kedah (
Alor Setar,
Sungai Petani, Tikam Batu and
Kulim) and northern
Perak.
Education
AIMST University
Kedah has given birth to numerous successful Malaysians who have achieved immense success in Malaysia and abroad.
The state has a campus of
Universiti Utara Malaysia,
UUM which is located in Bandar Baru
Sintok.It was formally incorporated on 16 February 1984. The University was established with the specific mission of providing a leadership role for management education in the country.Thus, the university is also known as a management university. The academic establishments in
UUM include College of Business (COB), College of Law, Government and International Studies (COLGIS) and College of Arts and Sciences (CAS).
UUM is the first university in the country to be a fully wired using fiber-optic cables.
Kedah also has several public universities and colleges such as
Universiti Teknologi MARA (
UiTM) in
Merbok.
Universiti Kuala Lumpur Malaysian Spanish Institute (
UniKL MSI) located in
Kulim , The Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology (
AIMST University) in
Bedong and Kolej Universiti Insaniah (KUIN) is located in Mergong.
Polytechnic of Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah (POLIMAS) in
Jitra and Polytechnic of Sultanah Bahiyah (PSB)in Kulim.
Institut Perguruan Sultan Abdul Halim (IPSAH) in Sungai Petani and Institut Perguruan Darul Aman (IPDA) in Bandar Darulaman are a institute set up by the government to provide teaching courses for trainee teachers.
One of the country's fastest growing private university, the
Open University Malaysia (OUM) Regional Learning Center for the state of Kedah and
Perlis is also located in Sungai Petani and Albukhary International University located in Alor Setar. There are also have private college like PTPL College and Cosmopoint College.
In Kedah also located 3 technical institute from MARA that is Institut Kemahiran MARA Sungai Petani locate in Sungai Petani, Institut Kemahiran MARA Alor Setar located in Alor Setar and Institut Kemahiran MARA Sik located in Sik
This state also have several
boarding school such as
Sekolah Berasrama Penuh and
MARA Junior Science College or
MRSM which provided good infrastructure facilities life to students.
MRSM Merbok in Kedah, MALAYSIA
Healthcare
Hospitals in Kedah state are listed below:
General Hospital
- Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah
- Hospital Sultan Abdul Halim
Furthermore, all district in Kedah has own their public hospital and clinic.
Private Hospital
- Metro Specialist Hospital
Tourism
Kedah Mainland
Paddy Field
Bukit Kayu Hitam
- Lembah Bujang Archaeological Park
- Muzium Padi(Jelapang Padi Malaysia)
- Sungai Merbok Recreation Park
- Sungai Sedim Tree Top Walk
Langkawi
The Statue of Langkawi
- Atma Alam Batik Art Village
- Craft And Cultural Complex
- Langkawi Canopy Adventure
- Traditional Malay Kampong
- Underwater World Langkawi
Bibliography
- James C. Scott, Weapons of the Weak: Everyday Forms of Peasant Resistance (1985)
See also
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