In Lieu of Race and Religion
4 min read
One can easily see how southern South-East Asia – being largely maritime, ethnically very diverse and geo-economically a collection of trade routes &ndash...
A Malaysian Spring for the Intelligentsia?
4 min read
I know Malaysia is a tropical country, but let’s adopt a concept from temperate zones without having to be politically sensitive about it. We are in the m...
The Deep Historical Significance of GE14
4 min read
Whatever one’s politics may be, one has to admit that the origins of the Federation of Malaysia are complicated and are overlaps of compromises made over...
Naming Modern Means of Mass Transport
3 min read
In the age of speedy technological innovations, thinking up names for totally new things that are not created by Mother Nature but by this innovative ape we c...
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 (1766-January 25, 1842), and published in London in 1804 are some interesting notes about the importance of pepper.
Governing with a Vision: Part One
12 min read
It was a Monday, the beginning of a working week and the start of a hopeful time for Malaysia. At 11.10am on May 14, 2018, four days after it became official th...
A Tsunami of Cultural Disruptions is on the Horizon
3 min read
The digital revolution that in recent years has been pigeonholed as Industry 4.0 in reality transforms modern life in more ways than merely through new products...
Limiting the Political Class Should be the Ultimate Goal for Reformists
4 min read
Was the opposition to BN-Umno rule, which led to the change in government in 2018, about corruption, ethnic baiting and deteriorating socio-economic conditions,...
Interview with Dato’ Seri Maimunah Sharif: Changing the World – City by City
7 min read
Penang Monthly celebrated the appointment of Dato’ Seri Maimunah Sharif as Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habita...
Cheah Cheng Hye Penang’s Own Warren Buffett
10 min read
This article first appeared in our October 2012 issue. In celebration of our 10th anniversary, we put together for you in this issue some of our most memorable...
Words and Music—Two Sides of the Sense of Hearing
3 min read
MUSIC HAS ALWAYS been a phenomenon to savour for the great thinkers. One can sense how these master craftsmen of words relished being stumped when it came to an...
Why Cultures Co-Exist Better Than Ethnicities
4 min read
ABOUT 30 years ago, a very influential Malaysian scholar wrote the following incisive and insightful paragraphs:“I contend that, like most social phenomena, ide...