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.

835 posts

Online Platforms That Run Errands For You

4 min read

Shawn (not his real name) was excited; he had booked a hotel room where he planned to propose to his girlfriend. A day before the event, he came down with a hea...

Virtual Classrooms are virtually here

8 min read

At school I had decent handwriting, but it’s been steadily getting worse. More worryingly, the other day I was handed a paper map and absentmindedly tried...

How well can we police the police?

5 min read

As enforcers of the law, the police are imbued with considerable power – but this is power that is wide open for abuse. As cases of police brutality and d...

Straits Green – towards more quality public space for Penang

5 min read

Last August, Penangites welcomed the makeover of Straits Green, a pocket park near Tanjung Tokong. Dubbed a “playground by the sea”, the park boas...

After the good start, let's get the rest high

6 min read

Two months ago, I wrote in this column about the issue of English and asked whether our government would give the language the importance it deserves and get ou...

Reforming Education

11 min read

Man of Mathematics was the title of the book, a parting gift from Mr Paul Pommel, my father’s secondary school teacher who finished his term as a Peace Co...

A feast of fish

2 min read

There is no cold hard rule to eating at a buffet, but to not miss out on anything, we started with the line-up of appetizers, diving into the refreshing and mod...

An Operetta on Masked Revenge

4 min read

Applause, laughter and gasps reverberated throughout Dewan Sri Pinang when Die Fledermaus took the stage on September 28. Sung in English (with lyrics projected...

The Tailor of Bishop Street

3 min read

I first met Lee in 1999 when my husband suddenly moved to a job that required him to be in an office and wear suits. Tukang Jahit Soon Loong was recommended by...

Tropfest comes to Penang

4 min read

What started out 20 years ago as an informal short film festival for friends in the Tropicana cafe in Sydney, Australia is now the largest short film festival i...

Awed by the Korean DMZ

5 min read

The border between North and South Korea. The Demilitarized Zone. DMZ. Not your typical tourist destination. What started off like a bad trip to a theme park du...

Ecstatic about short + sweet

5 min read

Short+Sweet Theatre Festival 2013.I still remember the rush I felt in the weeks leading up to last year’s Short+Sweet theatre Festival. It was my ve...