Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

is the Executive Director of Penang Institute. His recent books include The Eurasian Core and its Edges: Dialogues with Wang Gungwu on the History of the World (ISEAS 2016).

310 posts

An Hour with the Author: Tan Twan Eng. A Global Penang Tale on Meaning and Marriage

11 min read

Tan Twan Eng, one of Penang’s most famous authors today, was in town in July. He granted Penang Monthly an interview at the E&O Hotel, where some key scenes...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Insular Yet Global. Is That Not the Essence of Penang?

3 min read

GROWING UP IN the foothills of the Penang highlands, the towering heights — ever verdant, ever extant — always acted as the backdrop to my young life. It comfor...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

After a Year in Power, Has Pakatan Harapan Learnt Enough to Save Malaysia from Itself?

4 min read

The big debate in Malaysia one year after the change in government on May 9, 2018, concerns the unfolding nature of Pakatan Harapan (PH).No one seriously doub...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Do You Remember Having a Memory?

2 min read

Have you noticed that one easy way to look cool nowadays is to carry a book with you? It can sit leisurely in your hand or be lightly squeezed under your armp...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Middle Bank – Penang’s Central Park

7 min read

HISTORY seldom follows a distinct and predictable line of events. Contingencies, serendipities, good luck and bad luck, all come into play. Naturally, therefore...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Catharsis The Rebirth of Malaysia Finally Begins

9 min read

 This article first appeared in our June 2018 issue. In celebration of our 10th anniversary, we put together for you in this issue some of our most memor...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Slowing Climate Change

10 min read

This article first appeared in our May 2013 issue. In celebration of our 10th anniversary, we put together for you in this issue some of our most memorable arti...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

The Man Who Industrialised Penang

7 min read

This article first appeared in our July 2010 issue. In celebration of our 10th anniversary, we put together for you in this issue some of our most memorable art...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

CPO Shuhaily Zain: To Lead Is to Train (Part Two)

7 min read

IN FEBRUARY 2023, Penang Monthly published the first part of an interview with Dato’ Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain, the Chief Police Officer of Penang, which was titl...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

CPO Shuhaily Zain: Beyond Mere Enforcement of the Law (Part One)

9 min read

On 15 December 2022, Penang Monthly’s editor Dato Ooi Kee Beng interviewed Dato’ Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain at his office at the Penang Contingent Police Headquart...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

The Dubious Grouping of Ages

3 min read

I ASSUME THAT he who sees a cup as half empty will try to conserve what he has, while he who sees a cup as half full will proceed to fill it further. I also ass...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Happy Accidents that Bred Academic Impact and Excellence: Ooi Kee Beng in conversation with Danny Quah (Part One)

9 min read

One of the most influential academics and economists in the world today is Penang boy, Danny Quah. A citation impact study done in 2020 by Stanford University p...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng