February 2011 - Penang Monthly

Turning Points: Ups and downs of Penang’s economy

10 min read

IntroductionWe take keen interest on economic news only because we realise that recessions have a way of creeping up on us and messing up whatever big plans w...

Making future artists better

9 min read

THROW A STONE and you would hit a few Datuks. The joke may be trite, but for artists, “Datukships” are exceptions to the rule. Still, Penang is one...

Jordan Plofsky: Acknowledging results and recognising performance

5 min read

How long have you been in Penang and what were your initial reactions when posted here? I have been coming to Penang since 2001 on a bi-annual basis, but relo...

Palm oil remains key export for Malaysia

4 min read

PALM OIL is widely used in the food and cosmetics markets and has more recently been in great demand in the making of bio-fuel. There are many advantages associ...

Before palm oil, there was coconut oil...

5 min read

WHEN PENANG WAS occupied by the British, it was intended not only to serve as a trading port but also as land for the cultivation of commercial crops such as pe...

The day George Town grew up

4 min read

IT IS THE MORNING OF the New Year. The face of the Victoria Memorial Clock Tower blocking the rising sun to the east shows the time to be 8.50.Here, on the Es...

Death and the undertaker

5 min read

OOI THEAN CHOO, aka Ah Seng, is a soft -spoken, easygoing man who makes a living out of death. “I’ve been working as a funeral director for more tha...

What the Selangor State Secretary issue teaches us

6 min read

IN 1993 the Federal Constitution of Malaysia was amended with the aim of removing legal immunity of the royalty. Articles 32, 38, 42, 63, 72 and 181 were...

Garbage graves of Penang

8 min read

Different graves for diff erent wastesThe Jelutong dumpsite (20ha) was started in the 1970s and was initially used to receive municipal solid waste (MSW), the...

In between heaven and earth

7 min read

You were born and bred in Penang. How did you find growing up there?I loved growing up in Penang. I was lucky enough to live on Gurney Drive, in one of a row...

The miracle of Penang Jazz

7 min read

PENANG'S JAZZ FESTIVAL is a small miracle. I say “small miracle” partly because “jazz” is not the most userfriendly word in the dictiona...

James Lochhead

Freeing education from politics

5 min read

THERE IS ONE particular issue in this country that never fails to incite fierce debate, with passionate arguments – and the occasional flying brick &ndash...

Zairil Khir Johari