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

Kyogen : An awesome tradition seeking a future

6 min read

At a time when traditional performances – be they wayang kulit, Hokkien puppet theatre or bharatanatyam – cling to the fringes of our society as TVs...

A personal experience at GTF

5 min read

No politics this time. Let me talk instead about my experience participating in this year’s George Town Festival (GTF) as an actor in the play 2 Houses, w...

Indonesian responses to the IS challenge

8 min read

In the last six months, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (IS) militants took over a number of local mosques and preached for Indonesians to join the growing rank...

Malaysian bank giants merging?

5 min read

The proposed merger between CIMB Group Holdings Bhd, RHB Capital Bhd and Malaysian Building Society Bhd – which has yet to be approved by regulatory autho...

Decentralisation offers solutions – and snags

9 min read

De·cen·tral·i·sa·tion: the dispersion or distribution of functions and powers; specifically: the delegation of power from a c...

Injecting gender into the Penang Agenda

6 min read

Budgeting isn’t strictly about dollars and cents. Gender, for example, plays a role, too. But what exactly is gender responsive budgeting, and how is it d...

Penang’s heritage wealth goes way beyond the Unesco site

8 min read

In May this year, an elegant bungalow on Jalan Macalister was torn down to make way for a new residential tower. e house, a Category 2-listed building designed...

The last Siamese village of Penang

5 min read

The sun sets on the Siamese village. The golden pagoda of Wat Chayamangkalaram nearby glimmers in the fading light, its multi-tiered tower dwarfed by the surrou...

The digital world belongs to the young

4 min read

Jazz Tan runs a successful youth development, events management and social media marketing company. As its founder and chief executive, she is the oldest among...

More money needed for proper healthcare

5 min read

Malaysia has a two-tier system of healthcare services: a state-led and publicfunded sector exists alongside a thriving private sector. The National Health and M...

Balancing the Budget – Malaysia vs Germany

6 min read

Malaysia has always respected Germany and its economic accomplishments – something Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak himself mentioned when he tab...

What does the ending of quantitative easing mean for Malaysia?

5 min read

Quantitative easing (QE) unleashed a flood of cheap money throughout the world in the past few years, and many emerging markets benefitted from this added liqui...