There is no need to travel the world to collect documents to show well-known historical facts - this was Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow’s message to his counterpart in Kedah, Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor.

He was responding to news reports quoting Sanusi on a research team formed by the Kedah state government procuring thousands of documents from abroad regarding the relationship between the two states.

“We are not denying that Penang used to be...