Kedah

In 1026, Rajendra put his troops on merchants' ships and sacked Kedah, a Malay city that dominated the global trade in precious woods and spices.

The election in the states of Selangor, Penang, Negeri Sembilan, Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah will not directly impact Anwar's two-thirds majority in parliament, but any significant losses could threaten the stability of his coalition government.

Three poorer Malay heartland states — Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu — were controlled by PAS.

Muhammad Sanusi Mohamad Nor, a popular PAS leader who was chief minister of Kedah, was also charged recently with sedition for allegedly insulting the country’s sultans in a political speech.

Kedah is one of the six states that will elect a new government on Aug. 12.