Early Days in Balik Pulau
9 min read
In March 1807 the East India Company’s assistant surveyor in Penang, Jeremiah McCarthy, was sent to reconnoitre the western part of the island. McCarthy h...
Khaw Sim Bee and The Na Ranong Family: A Shared History of Penang and Southern Thailand
4 min read
Penangites may recall catching a glimpse of a road sign bearing the name “Jalan Khaw Sim Bee” while passing Perak Road. This may very well be the on...
The first and forgotten Chief Minister of Penang
6 min read
When it comes to the history of Penang’s modernisation, the late Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu’s name will always appear. His legacy, from the Free Trade Zone...
Local Government in Penang, 1940
6 min read
Coming out as it did just a couple of years before the Japanese put a rude end to the intricate system of government that the British over 160 years had slowly...
When Labour ruled the council
8 min read
As the first British settlement in South- East Asia, George Town inherited most of the British Empire’s conventions, including an elective local council....
Penang’s Forgotten Protest: The 1967 Hartal
6 min read
The word “hartal” refers to a cessation of work or businesses in protest against a political decision. While the 1947 hartal, organised by the Pan-M...
When Penang became a Spice Island
7 min read
Spices were much sought after, not only to tempt Europe’s tongues but also to cure its sick who were suffering from the plague and other nasty diseases. A...
George Town – From city to municipality to culture centre
7 min read
George Town thus had the honour of becoming Malaya’s first city. It remained the country’s only city until 1972, when KL, on being separated from Se...
The history of Bukit Mertajam Part I – From agrarian village to economic hub
6 min read
Early traces of civilisationModern day Bukit Mertajam is without a doubt a sprawling urban centre, with expanding boundaries which have far exceeded its dated...
The history of Bukit Mertajam, Part II:From rural board to town council
5 min read
The year 1913 marked an interesting turning point for Bukit Mertajam. The passing of the Municipal Ordinance 1913 witnessed the colonial local authorities takin...
The swashbuckling municipal president of Penang
5 min read
Civil servant? Soldier? Adventurer? Activist? Surely one could not be all four, and more. But one man indeed was, and left a significant mark on Penang. During...
The Devoted Pioneers of Girls’ Education in Malaya
6 min read
The Convent Light Street School, modestly nestled along Lebuh Light, proudly declares its motto to passersby: “Simple in Virtue, Steadfast in Duty”....