Penang Monthly

Penang Monthly, by Penang Institute, is the voice of Penang, offering insights on its people, politics, economy, culture, and society, with a focus on local and national issues for curious Malaysians.

817 posts

Structural changes needed in the way we use our human resource

10 min read

Market sensitive labour demand is a skills gap When 2009 rolled in there were genuine concerns over the impending retraction of Malaysia's economy. Jobs, especi...

Keeping Applied Engineering certification alive

5 min read

Applied engineering students specialise in a technical area of study and blend handson process experience with theory. At the rudimentary level, they are traine...

Captain of the channel

6 min read

The metal ladder in the ferry beckoned, and for a moment I was a young boy again, wondering what treasures were hidden up there. I felt a childlike giddiness as...

We can’t afford bad waste management

7 min read

Whilst the words "green" and "sustainable" have been gaining popularity in both the public and private sectors in Malaysia, it is worrying that problems associa...

Seri Talks

5 min read

PENANG'S LABOUR SHORTAGEPenang's efforts to move towards a high-income economy are experiencing a host of deep-rooted problems. Among these are the high turno...

Days of wine and Adelaide

5 min read

I was very pleased to hear that the Penang state government has recently proposed a revival of Adelaide Week in Penang, and Penang Week in Adelaide. The last on...

Stories to stir the soul

8 min read

 " People are waking up to the power of storytelling. It was something that was always there, but got buried for a while in our rush towards modernity."...

Penang’s neglected industry

5 min read

The gold and jewellery industry in Penang was established almost 200 years ago by guilds founded by the Chinese, the Indians and the Indian Muslims.The state...

Pluck, luck and a practical mind

7 min read

On his early days…"I grew up and was educated in Penang, I went to Chung Ling. I came from a poor family and was the youngest of five kids. I understand...

Returning power to the people

12 min read

MALAYSIA'S FEDERALISM - A GOOD THING GOING TO WASTEBy Francis HutchinsonAt a time when rising economic giants such as China and India are discovering the bene...

Gender Parity Still A Distant Dream

6 min read

 Sticky floor, glass ceilingAchieving gender parity in Malaysia seems to be a far-off goal for a conservative Asian society which has traditionally...

Making Little Changes Matter In Penang

4 min read

From concept to reality, Phase 1 of the Shared Services Centre was realised in 18 months.Popular perception of Penang’s economy had for some time be...