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.

834 posts

At 55, Malaysians Should Take Charge of Their Own Fate

5 min read

At the end of this month, we’ll be celebrating the 55th anniversary of our independence. For the occasion, I’m prompted to think about where we ar...

by Penang Monthly

Wireless in George Town

4 min read

It may be the top man’s vision but it is people like Jeff Ooi who are pounding the pavement in order to fulfil the promise of free WiFi service for Penang...

by Penang Monthly

Shark Savers

6 min read

You were instrumental in establishing Shark Savers here in South-East Asia. How did you get involved with the organisation?I’m a diving instructor, so t...

by Penang Monthly

A Silat Performance to Awe the World

3 min read

The George Town Festival 2012, under the directorship of Joe Sidek, opened on June 15, under a “starry starry night” with a spectacular performanc...

by Penang Monthly

Brunch with the Grand Dame

2 min read

A TASTE OF BELONLet's start with the Belon oysters. Belon is a river in France where these juicy oysters were originally found. "These wild oysters are as pow...

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Buying Property is No Stroll In The Park

3 min read

Penang is in a property boom at the moment with a record number of development projects being found on both the island and the mainland. This trend will most...

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Is Sharing Home Ownership The Way Out For Penang?

5 min read

Public housing in East Asia has traditionally been distinct from European social housing. A Unitary system in Western Europe stems from a conception of social w...

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Who Wants to Be A Tech Entrepreneur?

6 min read

Michael was very nervous. There was only an hour left before he had to present his project and he hadn’t finished preparing. Worse still, his total time f...

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Power and The Arts

5 min read

As the heated controversies over the recent movie “Tanda Putera” which depicted the May 13, 1969 riots demonstrates (even before being publicly scre...

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The Mixed Impact of The Heritage Listing

6 min read

The most obvious place to start when assessing the impact that the Unesco World Heritage Site (WHS) listing has had on George Town over the last four years is t...

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Can Penang Port be Saved?

8 min read

From its establishment as a British settlement in 1786, Penang, with its sister settlements Malacca and Singapore to the south, enjoyed the status of a free por...

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Tackling The Brain Drain

6 min read

Talent Corporation Malaysia BerhadTalent Corporation Malaysia Berhad (TalentCorp) was set up to strengthen public-private sector collaboration in widening and...

by Penang Monthly