Whose rubbish is it anyway?
6 min read
This will soon be cleaned up by private companies, should the federal government have its way.The cabinet has decided that solid waste management (SWM) an...
Halal – the next frontier
15 min read
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and Haji Abdul Malik Kassim at mou signing at mihas 2009.The global halal industryInternational experts place the worth of t...
Unripened spices
3 min read
The onset of the Napoleonic Wars meant disaster for Penang’s fledgling pepper industry which was battered by a trade embargo. Without access to the lucr...
Unravelling the figures
8 min read
The Bank Negara (Penang branch) building on Light Street.Official numbers for the Malaysian economy are released twice every year, in March by Bank Negara...
The New Economic Model – Strategic Policy Directions
4 min read
Malaysia todayMalaysia has made significant progress over the last few decades – the eradication of poverty and provision of health and education for it...
Young Nepalese in Penang
5 min read
Penang, filled with factories on the island and in Seberang Prai on the mainland, has an unquenchable thirst for workers, both skilled and unskilled.Opinions...
Laying the groundwork for innovative growth
3 min read
During the talk at Wawasan Open University’s main campus on April 20, 2010, World Bank economist for Malaysia Philip Schellekens emphasised that “in...
Celebration of culture
4 min read
Buoyed by the 2009 celebrations, the George Town World Heritage Office (GTWHO) is planning a month-long series of events collectively known as the George Town...
Safety in the cities
8 min read
A horrific incident occurred in April in Shah Alam, Selangor, that will sadly be merely an additional statistic in the growing list of police shootings record...
Gardens going to seed
7 min read
Loh-Lim Lin Lee: “The public wants to be involved before a project is carried out.”It was a Thursday, and Loh-Lim Lin Lee was buying fruit in...
Butterworth remains the Ugly Duckling
5 min read
Surely, Butterworth is worth more than what it is getting.About 25 years ago, I gave a talk to a youth organisation there about the future of the town. The...
An eminent Malaysian academic abroad
10 min read
Anyone would be intimidated by Professor Aihwa Ong. Although petite and slender, her presence is overwhelming. She speaks emphatically and powerfully, insisti...