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.

824 posts

Speed Tables are plateaus of our uncivil behavior

4 min read

The latest new infrastructures in Penang are “speed tables”. They can be seen in and around Pulau Tikus, a township that is associated with rich Pen...

by Penang Monthly

Letter to the Editor

2 min read

In your September 2013 issue, I read your article, “Bahasa Indonesia championed by Chinese”, and I have a question for the writer. Since she said th...

by Penang Monthly

Budget 2014 Changes that don't add up to a reform

12 min read

The 2014 budget was formulated with two prior events in mind: the election in May 2013 and Fitch Ratings’ downgrade of Malaysia’s credit ratings out...

by Penang Monthly

An internationalised Renminbi will help stabilise global finances

4 min read

China is increasingly debating whether or not the Renminbi should be internationalised, possibly joining the US Dollar and the Euro as an international vehicle...

by Penang Monthly

Transforming transport the earlier the better

7 min read

Transport in Penang (and all around the world for that matter) relies on non-renewable sources of energy. Think 20 cars with one person in each vehicle, versu...

by Penang Monthly

Are we ready to become an "advanced nation"?

5 min read

As we begin the new year and realise that we are only six years away from the magical 2020 when – as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has promise...

by Penang Monthly

Letting Penang nurture creativity

4 min read

Let’s go back to your roots as a photographer. How do you envision photography contributing to society? Photography has been doing that for a long time, s...

by Penang Monthly

No such thing as failure

7 min read

You grew up in Johor Bahru. How did that influence you?Growing up in Johor Bahru was difficult only because I went to school in Singapore. Every day, you ha...

by Penang Monthly

New housing policies to help Penangites cope

8 min read

The Penang state government has introduced a range of housing policy interventions which came into force on February 1, 2014. These are intended to protect exis...

by Penang Monthly

PLAC – where the poor can seek justice

13 min read

The first time I met Teh Chin Lee, I noted that he wasn’t like most clients who typically marched into the office. He didn’t have the kind of swagge...

by Penang Monthly

Up close with Lat

6 min read

"We shouldn’t use the word 'kampung' as a term that reflects backwardness – we are proud kampung people! We were born in the kampung, but we can str...

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A chat with Tan Twan Eng

7 min read

It was in early December last year when we met the award-winning writer of The Gift of Rain and The Garden of Evening Mists, Tan Twan Eng, who...

by Penang Monthly