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

Develop by All Means, But Not by Any Means

5 min read

I WOULD LIKE to touch on the issue of the type of development towards which Penang, in particular Penang Island, is headed.Let me begin with an anecdote. Rece...

Why Compete When You Can Collaborate?

4 min read

A representative from the Newborn Care Centre, Royal Hospital for Women, Australia, leading a workshop on neonatal resuscitation.IN AN UNEXPECTED move, fi...

Cooking From The Heart

3 min read

PEARLY IS A bundle of cheery energy and it’s apparent that her enthusiasm for life translates into intense, rapid-fire cooking classes. “An American...

Larger Than Life

2 min read

Ng in his workshop, decorating traditional wooden clogs.Zacharevic at work.Wall versus canvas —what’s your preference?Er...

Malaysia The Welfare State?

6 min read

EVER SINCE THE Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) muktamar in June, which had as its theme the “welfare state” policy concept, there has been a scram...

Chinese and Muslim Societies As Natural Allies

7 min read

VERY LITTLE HAS BEEN written on the existence of two Muslim secret societies in Penang, namely the Red and the White Flags, and their association with the Chine...

Penang Hill — Nature’s Gift to The Public

4 min read

INTERNATIONALLY, Penang Hill has little to shout about. It is nowhere near the fame of Huangshan in China or Mt Fuji in Japan. But to Penangites and many Mala...

Now Let’s See How Clean We Can Get

7 min read

Rats, crows, clogged drains, dirty markets… these characterised Penang urban street life for a long time. Over the last two decades, however, the situati...

Mind the child and grow the country

14 min read

Parents with young children tend to also be at the beginning of their career. And keeping both family and work life going is a tough balancing act. Nursery scho...

Secret to success: Doing your best at what you do best

6 min read

Faces of industrial Penang: This special series looks at the local talent behind industrial Penang. From ceos to strategists, managers to engineers, technicians...

What’s in the budget for state governments?

5 min read

Prime minister Najib Abdul Razak tabled the 2012 Budget amidst great fanfare, announcing a slew of benefits for almost every possible layer of society. One comm...

Freedoms we take for granted

9 min read

I came to penang to give a paper at Universiti Sains Malaysia’s International Humanities Conference and to see my friends’ first grandchild. My bubb...