Penang State Governor’s Birthday in Malaysia Date in the current year: July 13, 2024

Penang is a Malaysian state consisting of Penang Island and Seberang Perai, a city located on the Malay Peninsula. It is one of the four states of Malaysia (alongside Malacca, Sabah and Sarawak) that are not monarchies. Penang is one of the country’s most developed and urbanized states because its modern history is closely linked to the British colonization of the region.

The modern history of Penang began in 1786, when the Sultan of Kedah sold the island of Penang to the British East India Company. The British needed the island because of its strategic location; it became a Royal Navy base and a trading post between India and China.

The British renamed Penang the Prince of Wales Island in honor of the heir to the throne (future King George IV), and the first British settlement on the island was named George Town in honor of the incumbent King George III. George Town was declared a free port (which meant that merchants didn’t have to pay any duties or taxes) in order to lure merchants away from Dutch ports. By the early 19th century, Penang had also become one of the biggest centers of spice production and trade in the region.

In 1880, the British also took control of a strip of land on the Malay Peninsula, separated from Kedah by the Perai River. The area that is now known as Seberang Perai was named Province Wellesley by the British. In 1826, Penang, Singapore and Malacca were merged into a new colony named the Straits Settlements. In the second half of the century, Penang’s economy developed rapidly due to tin mining, further development of sea trade and establishment of banks.

After World War II, the Straits Settlements colony was dissolved, and Penang became part of a new colony named the Malayan Union. In 1948, the Union was replaced by the Federation of Malaya. Following the independence of Malaysia in 1957, Penang became a state within the newly independent country. Since Penang, unlike most Malaysian states, is not a monarchy, it is ruled by a governor (Yang di-Pertua Negeri).

As of 2021, the governor of Penang is Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak. He was born on January 8, 1949. Having graduated from the University of Malaya in 1972, he obtained a Certificate in Diplomacy from the University of Oxford and went on to serve for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During his career as a diplomat, Ahmad Fuzi went from assistant secretary to ambassador-at-large. In 2009, he left the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to serve as chairmen and director in various companies. Ahmad Fuzi returned to government service in 2021, when he replaced Abdul Rahman Abbas as governor of Penang.

Although Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak was born in January, his official birthday is celebrated on the second Saturday of July. It is a public holiday in the state of Penang.