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.

494 posts

What Will a Second Term Mean for Penang and Selangor?

5 min read

Over the last five years, Selangor and Penang have experienced significant changes under new state governments. But despite the innovative policies implemented,...

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Penang Paradigm

9 min read

The present stagnation of the Malaysian economy cannot in truth be blamed on the Global Financial Crisis that broke out in September 2008 and on the slow recove...

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One Billion and Rising

3 min read

In Malaysia, police statistics in 20101 show that eight reports on domestic violence and 17 on sexual violence are made daily. These shocking numbers show that...

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Gurney Drive Must be Improved

4 min read

Gurney Drive came into being in 1934. The surrounding real estate was a choice area for the affluent to live; the sea water was clean and the sandy beach, invit...

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Is Malaysia Prepared? The ASEAN Economic Community is at Hand

14 min read

For the last two decades, Asean has been working on deepening the economic integration process among its 10 member countries. In 1992, it signed the Asean Free...

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Surely Not Another Cold War!

5 min read

In the many workshops on US-China relations that I have attended in the last decade, one very popular view about the future of US-China relations is based on th...

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Time to Free the Mass Media

6 min read

Tears came to my eyes when I was watching a documentary on Martin Luther King, Jr recently. This always happens when I watch programmes or movies portraying the...

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Raising Awareness in the Fight Against Cancer

5 min read

Members of the cancer support group.Major advances in medical science now mean that cancer is not necessarily a death sentence. What’s more, the num...

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An Election by Manifesto

6 min read

The 13th General Election holds a very real possibility of change in the federal government. Most important is the fact that never before have policies played s...

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Shale Gas – A Game Changer for the Energy Industry

7 min read

In November 2012, while the world focused on the US presidential elections, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released the World Energy Outlook 2012 that...

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Penang has decided – time for fulfilling the promises

5 min read

Penangites have shown their preferences. Notwithstanding accusations of fraud in certain constituencies, there is no doubt that the final election results in Pe...

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Carmageddon is not inevitable

6 min read

London, 1983. I’m cycling down St John Street, a busy main road adjoining the city. Attempting to squeeze my bike alongside the cars, I tap the wing-mirro...

by Penang Monthly