Penang’s way forward
3 min read
PENANG managed to secure the highest manufacturing investments in its industrialisation history in 2008. With the RM10.16bil injected into the manufacturing s...
Is fiscal federalism the answer?
3 min read
THE complaint that state governments are given insufficient funds to operate at the local level is as old as the nation’s half-century history.Malaysia...
We are all little Indian boys
4 min read
I FIRST heard the name Yasmin Ahmad through her debut Petronas commercial for Merdeka Day. It was called LITTLE INDIAN BOY (1996).It opens in black and white....
A day in the life of a tutor
5 min read
INSIGHTS into socio-economic trends in any Asian city can be gained by studying the chaos of its shop lot signage. If one understands the language, a sense of...
Water management: Selangor can borrow buckets from Penang
7 min read
REPORTS of the intense water battle in Selangor have featured in the mainstream media throughout 2009. Most of these speak of tensions arising between the Selan...
Accommodating heritage
5 min read
The rear of five terrace houses in Lebuh Clarke. The re-orientation towards the laneway will benefit from the enlarged open space that the additional set back...
George Town as an engine of growth
5 min read
UNTIL as late as the 1990s, cities were largely associated with pollution and congestion. Worse, they were seen as crucibles of moral decay and crime. Those w...
Penang Finance:Strong Roots, Stunted Growth
13 min read
Kwong Wah Yit PohGeorge Town: The Penang State Government has no option but to persist in convincing the Centre to play fair&hellipThe challenge for P...
Repossessing the future of Penang
4 min read
Once upon a time, and not long ago at that, Penang was a brand name instantly recognisable globally. In those days, Penang’s progress signalled the immine...
Giving federalism a future
5 min read
Universiti Sains Malaysia's funding in 2009 was RM9oo million. Penang's state budget was RM477 million.ALTHOUGH MALAYSIA officially practises federalism,...
Regional power politics and the birth of Penang
4 min read
PENANG'S HISTORY is directly tied to that of Kedah, a sovereign — and the oldest — kingdom on the peninsula before its annexation by Siam in the 13t...
Marketing Culture
6 min read
All pictures by Adrian CheahIN JUST OVER three years, one market in Penang has built up a cult following among Penangites and visitors, who are drawn to...