Perlis[note 1] (Kedah Malay (Perlis dialect):Peghelih) is astate ofMalaysia in the northwestern coast ofPeninsular Malaysia. It is the smallest state inMalaysia by area and population. The state borders theThaiprovinces ofSatun andSongkhla to the north and the Malaysian state ofKedah 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.[8] It was calledPalit (Thai:ปะลิส) by the Siamese when it was under their influence. Perlis had a population of 227,025 as of the 2010 census.[1]
The capital of Perlis isKangar, and the royal capital isArau. Another important town isPadang Besar, at the Malaysia–Thailand border and Kuala Perlis, the ferry town toLangkawi. The main port and ferry terminal is at the small village ofKuala Perlis, linking mostly toLangkawi Island. Another important lately developed area is Pauh Putra within the subdistrict of Kurong Anai which houses the main campus ofMalaysia University of Perlis[9] 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.
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 theThai phrase"phrao loi" (Southern Thai: พร้าวลอย) which meanskelapa hanyut (coconut washed ashore) since there were many coconuts found on the shores ofKuala 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 aMalay word"peroleh" (obtain) as the state was a "gift" fromKedah, since it was a part of Kedah before becoming a state on its own.
According toNegeri 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.[10]
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.[11]
The honorific "Indera Kayangan" was given by Tuanku Raja Syed Hussin Jamalullail (who ruled Perlis from 1843 to 1873) after the royal town of Indera Kayangan II (1797 until 1813) he was raised in now located in Kampung Langgar, Kayang within theKuala Perlis area.[12] However, this epithet became less popular under the recommendation ofTuanku 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 todeities, or any 'Darul'..."".[7]
Perlis was originally part ofKedah, although it occasionally came under the rule ofSiam orAceh. 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.[13] Sultan Dhiauddin II of Kedah was honorifically titled as Raja Muda of Perlis and Kedah,[14][15] akin to the titlePrince of Wales in theUnited Kingdom. During his reign as the Sultan of Kedah, he oversaw a treaty withGeorge Leith to cedeProvince Wellesley toPenang. He was titled as Raja Muda of Perlis and Kedah.[16] This fact depicted Perlis was a special realm within the Kedah sultanate.
Sultan Dhiauddin then made Syed Harun Jamalullail, father of the future firstRaja of Perlis as chieftain ofArau as a wedding gift to his marriage with his daughter, Tengku Sofiah. Syed Harun's descendant eventually become deputy governor (1839) and Raja of Perlis.[17]
After the Siameseconquered Kedah in 1821, the British felt their interests inPerak were threatened.[18] This resulted in the 1826 Burney and Low Treaties[19] formalising relations between the twoMalay states and Siam, their nominal overlord. In theBurney 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.[20] Towards the end of the conflict and the death of Siam'sLigor governor in 1839 (Siam's main authority figure over Kedah), Perlis was separated with Kedah.[18]
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 ofBangkok. The Siamese made Raja Long Krok as the Governor of Siam in Perlis while Syed (or Sayyid) Hussain Jamalullail as deputy governor. On 20 May 1843, theSiamese madeSayyid Hussain Jamalulail, the paternal grandson of aHadhramiArabSayyid immigrant and maternal grandson of the Sultan of Kedah, the firstRaja of Perlis[21] which made Perlis a sovereign state. His descendants still rule Perlis, but asrajas, instead of assultans.
In 1897, Kedah led by its prime minister, Wan Mat Saman began efforts to end the sovereignty of Perlis (similar to theKingdom of Kubang Pasu which was absorbed into Kedah). After several tense occasions and disputes, the Siamese kingChulalongkorn sided with Perlis.[22] Perlis also had several disputes with the state ofSetul before the 1900s.
As with Kedah, theAnglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 forced Siam to relinquish its southern Malay vassal states ofKelantan,Trengganu, and Monthon Syburi (comprisingKedah, Perlis, andSatun (but Satun remained with Thailand)) to Great Britain. The British installed aResident in the Perlis royal capital ofArau. Perlis was returned to Siam inWorld War II as a reward for Siam's alliance withJapan, but this brief annexation ended with the Japanese surrender. After World War II, Perlis returned to British rule until it became part of theMalayan Union, then theFederation of Malaya in 1957, and lastly,Malaysia in 1963.
From south to north, its topographical profile consists of flat, arable lands of the Kedah–Perlis Plain dotted with numerousmogotes, and abruptly rises up high as rollingkarstic hills of theNakawan Range, which forms the natural boundary between the state and the province ofSatun on theThai side. In general,paddy fields dominate much of the state's landscape as the Perlisian portion of the Kedah–Perlis Plain had been utilized forrice farming since antiquity. Meanwhile, theNakawan runs southwest–northeast along the Thai border fromKuala Perlis towardsKaki Bukit. The range is home to the 733-metre tall Mount Perlis, the highest point in the state.
Perlis is ruled by theHouse of Jamalullail. Unlike most otherMalay states, in which the ruler is a "sultan", the ruler of Perlis is called the "raja".[25]
The raja appointsmenteri besar (chief minister) and an Executive Council (akin to a Cabinet). 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 the2008 general election. The Raja sought to appoint a Barisan Nasional assemblyman,Md Isa Sabu, as chief minister despite Prime MinisterAbdullah Badawi, who led the national coalition, nominating the incumbentShahidan Kassim to continue in office. The Raja prevailed and swore in Md Isa, who served a full term as chief minister.[26]
The state also has twofederal senators; like all other states, the senators are not directly elected but appointed by a vote of the state legislative assembly.
Perlis, the smallest state by area in Malaysia, is not divided into administrative districts. It is, however, still divided into 22mukims (communes), namely:
As of 2010 the population of Perlis is 87.9%Muslim, 10.0%Buddhist, 0.8%Hindu, 0.6%Christian, 0.2%Taoist orChinese 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 fromBrunei, Malaysia and/orSingapore.[29] Statistics from the 2010 Census indicate that 83.6% of the Chinese population identify as Buddhist, with significant numbers of adherents following Christianity (11.1%) and Taoism (3.4%), along with smallHui-Muslim populations in areas like Penang. The majority of the Indian population follow Hinduism (86.2%), with a significant minority identifying as Christians (6.0%) or Muslims (4.1%). Christianity is the predominant religion of the non-Malaybumiputera community (46.5%) with an additional 40.4% identifying as Muslims.[30]
Majority of Perlis' population speaksPerlis Malay which is a sub-dialect of Kedah Malay but has its own unique features compared to those of neighbouring Kedah. Perlisian Chinese people are mostlyHokkien by ancestry and speak a dialect ofHokkien. Besides that there is alsoHokkien,Mandarin,English,Tamil,Malayalam as well as small numbers ofSouthern Thai speakers, mostly ethnicMalaysian Siamese. However, large numbers of Perlisians regardless of ethnic origin mainly uses Perlis Malay as alingua franca. In particular, Perlis is well known for its distinctiveHokkien language, known asPenang Hokkien.Hokkien serves as the lingua franca among the various ethnic Chinese communities in Perlis. Perlis Chinese are predominantlyHokkien and thus mostly speakHokkien as theirfirst language.
Perlis State Park - Situated on the southern slopes of theNakawan Range, the park consists of Mata Ayer and Wang Mu Forest Reserves with a total area of about 5,000 ha. Some of the attractions in the park includecaves such as Gua Kelam and Gua Wang Burma, which is located within the 500-year-old Setul limestone formation.[31]
Gua Kelam - A limestone cave that is one of the most visited destinations in Perlis.[32] Located about 33 km north of Kangar, the capital of Perlis, nearKaki Bukit.
Kuala Perlis - One of the popular activities here is fishing. There are also many restaurants that offer freshseafood that is relatively cheaper than in the capital city.[33] The town is also a transit point for tourists to beferried toLangkawi.
Perlis does not have an airport;Sultan Abdul Halim Airport servingAlor Setar in nearbyKedah is the nearest airport within Malaysia and can be reached by one hour's drive fromKangar. A bus service from Arau to the airport is also available.
There is an outdoorrock climbing area in the limestone hills of Bukit Keteri with over 50 sport climbing routes that are bolted by the world's climbing team; the crags are split into two, both next to each other and the rockfaces rise to 350 m. The range of difficulty is from beginner to expert and many varieties of climbs are available.
^Stern, Duncan (14–20 May 2004)."Dr. John Crawfurd and the Mission to Thailand, 1822"(Column).A Slice of Thai History. Pattaya Mail. Retrieved11 August 2011.This in turn helped Capt. Henry Burney conclude a treaty of commerce with Thailand in June 1826.
^Ulrike Freitag, W. G. Clarence-Smith (1997).Power Hadhrami Traders, Scholars, and Statesmen in the Indian Ocean, 1750s–1960s. BRILL. pp. 85–7.ISBN90-04-10771-1.
^World and Its Peoples: Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Brunei. Marshall Cavendish Corporation. 2008. pp. 1160,1166–1192,1218–1222.ISBN978-0-7614-7642-9.
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