Why Penang YWCA is Such a Landmark
8 min read
The Penang Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) was formed during a time when girls suffered from fewer options, limited access to education and exp...
A History of the Malay Left: Part One
8 min read
Being anti-colonial, the Malay Left was classed either as communists or at least as fellow travellers of the reds.1 The basis for this claim? Undeniably, being...
Women Against the Flow
5 min read
Women in colonial Malaya lived under unquestionable patriarchy – inequality was prevalent, and very few women were fortunate enough to make a difference i...
A History of the Malay Left: Part Two
9 min read
The fall of Singapore on February 15, 1942 saw the release of Ibrahim Yaacob and the resumption of Kesatuan Melayu Muda (KMM)’s activities.1 For the sake...
Let Them Not Crumble
11 min read
The towns dotting the southern district of Province Wellesley, such as Nibong Tebal, Sungai Bakap and Bukit Tambun, contain within their boundaries an amazing t...
The Sun Rises on Jit Sin
9 min read
It was not until the nineteenth century that the northern part of Bukit Mertajam was gradually dominated by Fui Chiu Hakka settlers making a living planting pep...
A History of Malayalees in Penang: Part One: The First Wave – Traders, Convicts and Builders
18 min read
The Malayalees originate from the modernday state of Kerala, on the south-west coast of India, and Malayalam is their mother tongue. Older historical references...
How Penang’s Early Prominence was Lost
15 min read
The early decades in the life of Prince of Wales Island did not see it living up to the expectations of its administrators, especially as a ship-building port...
The Early Promise of Penang Pepper
8 min read
In A Short Account of the Settlement, Produce, and Commerce, of Prince of Wales Island, in the Straits of Malacca, written by Sir George Leith, 2nd Baronet (1...
A History of Malayalees in Penang: Part Two: The Second Wave – White-Collar Workers, Nationalists and Legislators (1920s-1957)
12 min read
The early wave of Malayalee immigrants was largely Muslim.While the first wave of Malayalees contributed primarily to the physical and commercial developm...
When Penang and the Dindings were One
6 min read
Penang today consists of the island and the mainland (Province Wellesley), but at one time its territory extended all the way south to the Manjung district in P...