Perlis


Perlis is a state of Malaysia on the northwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It is Malaysia's smallest state by area and population. The state borders the Thai provinces of Satun and Songkhla to the north and the Malaysian state of Kedah to the south. Perlis is the only Malaysian state that is not divided into districts, due to its small size, but it is still divided into several communes. It was called Palit by the Siamese when it was under their influence. Perlis had a population of 227,025 as of the 2010 census.
Perlis experiences a tropical monsoon climate. Much of the state's highlands are part of the Nakawan Range, a subrange of the Tenasserim Hills system that spans through southern Myanmar, Southern Thailand and the Peninsular Malaysia, with Mount Perlis as the highest point at 733 m. The Nakawan also forms a natural frontier between Perlis and Thailand.
The capital of Perlis is Kangar, and the royal capital is Arau. Another important town is Padang Besar, at the Malaysia–Thailand border and Kuala Perlis, the ferry town to Langkawi. The main port and ferry terminal is at the small village of Kuala Perlis, linking mostly to Langkawi Island. Another important lately developed area is Pauh Putra within the subdistrict of Kurong Anai which houses the main campus of Malaysia University of Perlis and Politeknik Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin. Perlis has a snake sanctuary and research centre at Sungai Batu Pahat. Perlis State Park and Gua Kelam are among the popular tourist attractions.

Etymology

The origin of the toponym 'Perlis' is vague. However, there are several theories:
  • According to a Malaysian historian, Mohd Yusuf bin Adil, the name comes from the Thai phrase "phrao loi" which means kelapa hanyut since there were many coconuts found on the shores of Kuala Perlis. The phrase has been shortened by locals until it sounded like "pereleh" or Perlis.
  • It has also been suggested Perlis may be a shortened form of a Malay word "peroleh" as the state was a "gift" from Kedah, since it was a part of Kedah before becoming a state on its own.
  • According to Negeri Perlis Indera Kayangan: Sejarah Pembentukan Sebuah Negeri Berdaulat by Ahmad Ismail, the name comes from a tree of the same name, which may have gone extinct.
  • Some researches suggests the name is derived from a northern Malay dialect word "perelus" which roughly translates as "foot falling into a crack", since Perlis is said to have a wide land filled with mud, and the people's feet may sink into the mud.
  • Additional suggestions include being named after someone, or derived from the French word "perlite" which means "rock" due to a huge rock near Sungai Perlis.
The honorific "Indera Kayangan" was given by Tuanku Raja Syed Hussin Jamalullail after the royal town of Indera Kayangan II he was raised in now located in Kampung Langgar, Kayang within the Kuala Perlis area. However, this epithet became less popular under the recommendation of Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Putra Jamalullail in 2015, in which according to him is inline with the official singular name given in the state constitution his father signed without any long epithets in general "which is related to deities, or any 'Darul'..."".

History

Perlis was originally part of Kedah, although it occasionally came under the rule of Siam or Aceh. Perlis was historically an important realm within the Kingdom of Kedah. Sultan Muhyiddin of Kedah made his capital in Kota Sena, while Sultan Dhiauddin II made Kota Indera Kayangan his capital. Sultan Dhiauddin II of Kedah was honorifically titled as Raja Muda of Perlis and Kedah, akin to the title Prince of Wales in the United Kingdom. During his reign as the Sultan of Kedah, he oversaw a treaty with George Leith to cede Province Wellesley to Penang. He was titled as Raja Muda of Perlis and Kedah. This fact depicted Perlis was a special realm within the Kedah sultanate.
Sultan Dhiauddin then made Syed Harun Jamalullail, father of the future first Raja of Perlis as chieftain of Arau as a wedding gift to his marriage with his daughter, Tengku Sofiah. Syed Harun's descendant eventually become deputy governor and Raja of Perlis.
After the Siamese conquered Kedah in 1821, the British felt their interests in Perak were threatened. This resulted in the 1826 Burney and Low Treaties formalising relations between the two Malay states and Siam, their nominal overlord. In the Burney Treaty, the exiled Sultan of Kedah, Ahmad Tajuddin was not restored to his throne. Sultan Ahmad and his armed supporters then fought in a series of war known as Perang Musuh Bisik for his restoration from 1830 to 1842. Towards the end of the conflict and the death of Siam's Ligor governor in 1839, Perlis was separated with Kedah.
In 1842, the Sultan agreed to accept Siamese terms and was restored to the throne of Kedah. However, Siam separated Perlis into a separate principality which was a direct vassal of Bangkok. The Siamese made Raja Long Krok as the Governor of Siam in Perlis while Syed Hussain Jamalullail as deputy governor. On 20 May 1843, the Siamese made Sayyid Hussain Jamalulail, the paternal grandson of a Hadhrami Arab Sayyid immigrant and maternal grandson of the Sultan of Kedah, the first Raja of Perlis which made Perlis a sovereign state. His descendants still rule Perlis, but as rajas, instead of as sultans.
In 1897, Kedah led by its prime minister, Wan Mat Saman began efforts to end the sovereignty of Perlis. After several tense occasions and disputes, the Siamese king Chulalongkorn sided with Perlis. Perlis also had several disputes with the state of Setul before the 1900s.
As with Kedah, the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 forced Siam to relinquish its southern Malay vassal states of Kelantan, Trengganu, and Monthon Syburi to Great Britain. The British installed a Resident in the Perlis royal capital of Arau. Perlis was returned to Siam in World War II as a reward for Siam's alliance with Japan, but this brief annexation ended with the Japanese surrender. After World War II, Perlis returned to British rule until it became part of the Malayan Union, then the Federation of Malaya in 1957, and lastly, Malaysia in 1963.
Since 2000, the raja has been Sirajuddin. He was the Yang di-Pertuan Agong from 13 December 2001 to 12 December 2006. Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra was the Regent of Perlis during the five-year period when Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin was Yang di-Pertuan Agong. The Chief Executive or Menteri Besar is currently Mohd Shukri Ramli of the Perikatan Nasional.

Geography

Perlis is the smallest state in Malaysia, covering a total land area of 819 km2. Like other west coast states, it has a coastline facing the Strait of Malacca, measuring around 20.4 km from Kuala Sanglang at the border with Kedah's Kubang Pasu District up north towards the Malaysia-Thailand border near Pos Batu Putih, in the vicinity of Kuala Perlis.
From south to north, its topographical profile consists of flat, arable lands of the Kedah–Perlis Plain dotted with numerous mogotes, and abruptly rises up high as rolling karstic hills of the Nakawan Range, which forms the natural boundary between the state and the province of Satun on the Thai side. In general, paddy fields dominate much of the state's landscape as the Perlisian portion of the Kedah–Perlis Plain had been utilized for rice farming since antiquity. Meanwhile, the Nakawan runs southwest–northeast along the Thai border from Kuala Perlis towards Kaki Bukit. The range is home to the 733-metre tall Mount Perlis, the highest point in the state.

Climate

Along with northern Kedah, the entirety of Perlis experiences tropical monsoon climate.

Government

Perlis is ruled by the House of Jamalullail. Unlike most other Malay states, in which the ruler is a "sultan", the ruler of Perlis is called the "raja".
Legislative power in the state is exercised by the Perlis State Legislative Assembly, a unicameral chamber in which all 15 seats are elected from single-member constituencies. After the 2022 state election, the Perikatan Nasional coalition, led by the Malaysian Islamic Party, holds 14 of the assembly's 15 seats.
The raja appoints menteri besar and an Executive Council. Generally, the chief minister is a member of the legislative assembly who can command a majority on the assembly's floor. The raja's appointment powers were at the center of a brief constitutional crisis in the state after the 2008 general election. The Raja sought to appoint a Barisan Nasional assemblyman, Md Isa Sabu, as chief minister despite Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, who led the national coalition, nominating the incumbent Shahidan Kassim to continue in office. The Raja prevailed and swore in Md Isa, who served a full term as chief minister.
The state elects three members of the federal House of Representatives for the constituencies of Arau, Kangar and Padang Besar. The Perikatan Nasional has held all three seats since the 2022 general elections.
The state also has two federal senators; like all other states, the senators are not directly elected but appointed by a vote of the state legislative assembly.

Subdivisions

Perlis, the smallest state by area in Malaysia, is not divided into administrative districts. It is, however, still divided into 22 mukims, namely:
  • Abi
  • Arau
  • Beseri
  • Chuping
  • Jejawi
  • Kaki Bukit
  • Kayang
  • Kechor
  • Kuala Perlis
  • Kurong Anai
  • Kurong Batang
  • Ngulang
  • Oran
  • Padang Pauh
  • Paya
  • Padang Siding
  • Sanglang
  • Sena
  • Seriab
  • Sungai Adam
  • Titi Tinggi
  • Utan Aji; and
  • Wang Bintong

    Demographics

Religion

As of 2010 the population of Perlis is 87.9% Muslim, 10.0% Buddhist, 0.8% Hindu, 0.6% Christian, 0.2% Taoist or Chinese religion followers, 0.2% non-religious, 0.2% unknown / none, and 0.1% followers of other religions.
The Malaysian defines "Malay", as those who are Muslim, speak Malay regularly, practise Malay customs, and lived in or have ancestors from Brunei, Malaysia and/or Singapore. Statistics from the 2010 Census indicate that 83.6% of the Chinese population identify as Buddhist, with significant numbers of adherents following Christianity and Taoism, along with small Hui-Muslim populations in areas like Penang. The majority of the Indian population follow Hinduism, with a significant minority identifying as Christians or Muslims. Christianity is the predominant religion of the non-Malay bumiputera community with an additional 40.4% identifying as Muslims.