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
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 State Treasury
- Kedah Museum Board
- Kedah Housing and Property Board
- Kedah Water Management Board
- Kedah Public Library Corporation
- Kedah Islamic Religious Council
- Kedah Zakat Board
- Kedah Agriculture Development Corporation
- Kedah State Development Corporation
- Kedah Land dan Mineral Office
State Anthem
| Malay |
|
English translation |
Allah selamat Sultan Mahkota
Berpanjangan usia di atas Takhta
Memelihara agama Nabi kita
Negeri Kedah serata-rata |
God save the Crowned Sultan
Long life upon the Throne
Upholding the religion of our Prophet
Throughout the State of Kedah |
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 Bandaraya Alor
Star (MBAS)
- Majlis Daerah Padang Terap (MDPT)
- Majlis Daerah Pendang (MDP)
- Majlis Daerah Yan (MDY)
- Majlis Perbandaran Sungai Petani (MPSPK)
- Majlis Daerah Sik (MDS)
- Majlis Daerah Baling (MDB)
- Majlis Perbandaran Kulim (MPKK)
- Majlis Daerah Bandar Baharu (MDBB)
- Majlis Daerah Pokok Sena (MDPS)
Economy
Right
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
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 SikThis 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
- Hospital Kulim
- Hospital Jitra
Furthermore, all district in Kedah has own their public hospital
and clinic.
Private Hospital
- Metro Specialist Hospital
- Hospital Pantai Utara
- Kedah Medical Centre
- Putra Medical Centre
Tourism
Kedah Mainland
Paddy Field
Bukit Kayu Hitam
- Puncak Janing Waterfall
- Balai Besar
- Balai Nobat
- Bukit Kayu Hitam
- Balai Seni Negeri
- Batu Hampar Waterfall
- Junjong Waterfall
- Kota Kuala Kedah
- Lata Mengkuang Waterfall
- Lembah Bujang Archaeological Park
- Lasor Eco Park
- Masjid Zahir
- Menara Alor Setar
- Muzium Negeri
- Muzium Padi(Jelapang Padi Malaysia)
- Pantai Merdeka
- Pedu Lake
- Pekan Rabu
- Perangin Sik Waterfall
- Rumah Kelahiran Mahathir
- Seri Perigi Waterfall
- Sungai Merbok Recreation Park
- Sungai Sedim Tree Top Walk
- Ulu Muda Eco Park
- Hutan Paya Laut
- Ulu Legong Hot Springs
- Titi Hayun Waterfall
- Gunung Jerai
Langkawi
The Statue of Langkawi
- Atma Alam Batik Art Village
- Air Hangat Village
- Craft And Cultural Complex
- Dataran Lang
- Galeria Perdana
- Gunung Raya Golf Resort
- Ibrahim Hussein Museum
- Pekan Kuah
- Langkawi Cable Car
- Langkawi Canopy Adventure
- Langkawi Crocodile Farm
- Langkawi Golf Club
- Langkawi Falls
- Mahsuri’s Mausoleum
- Morac Go Karts
- Padang Matsirat Village
- Rice Museum – Laman Padi
- Sailing And Marinas
- Telaga Harbour Park
- The Golf Club Datai Bay
- Traditional Malay Kampong
- Underwater World Langkawi
- Wildlife Park
- Pulau Payar Marine Park
Bibliography
- James C. Scott, Weapons of the Weak: Everyday
Forms of Peasant Resistance (1985)
See also
contains the Sungai Petani
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