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

VIDDSEE, make south-east Asia films available

6 min read

It’s a Sunday a ernoon and Derek Tan and Ho Jia Jian are chatting with me via Skype (both of them are based in Singapore). Ho, the Malaysian half of the d...

Boxers in boxes, a different kind of Shaolin show

3 min read

The curtain swept aside to reveal a stark stage setting of 21 wooden boxes designed by Turner Prize-winning artist Antony Gormley, as the audience at Dewan Sr...

Penang's secret hash society

6 min read

I am a runner. I may not stride at a blistering pace, but I do run when and where I travel. I get out in the early mornings before it is too hot. Last summer my...

Homeless in Penang

5 min read

Penang is perceived as a food paradise, a world-class tourist destination and the all- round place to be. George Town is the cultural heart of the island state....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...