Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

is the Executive Director of Penang Institute. His recent books include The Eurasian Core and its Edges: Dialogues with Wang Gungwu on the History of the World (ISEAS 2016).

310 posts

Sustainable Development There is No Other Choice

2 min read

I just returned from Japan, and like every other visitor, I was struck by how clean the place is.To be sure, there are lots of spotless countries and cities...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Climate Change: Are You Not the Problem?

3 min read

It is understandable that the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are vague in formulation and loose in categorisation. Be that as it may, it is h...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Mothers, Thy Name is Worry

3 min read

Women may not all have been born multitaskers, but mothers, whether working mums or not, definitely are.In fact, it may not be possible to define motherhood...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Income Gap, Outcome Bad

2 min read

It is certainly true that never before in human history have so many been lifted out of poverty as has been the case in East Asia over the last few decades. T...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Things Gain Value as They Disappear

3 min read

What did heritage conservation look like or sound like in the pre-modern age when things changed slowly, and conservatism was not an ideology but a...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Give Me a Town Square, or Give Me a Death

2 min read

One thing that strikes me when I travel from city to city nowadays is that the ones I enjoy most and have the fondest memories of are simply those that boast...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

The Seas ‘r’ Us

2 min read

Ooi Kee Beng.Penang lies at the southern end of the Andaman Sea, the eastern end of the Bay of Bengal and the northern end of the Straits of Melaka. It al...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Knowing me through my multiple names and faiths

2 min read

The history of naming is an extremely interesting one that varies greatly from culture to culture. In some, surnames are important, in others, they are not ev...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Dignity is the basic human right

2 min read

The so-called Arab spring that began with the public suicide on December 17, 2010 of a miserable Tunisian vegetable seller whose cart was towed away by the po...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

The Longest Journey Starts with the First Step

2 min read

The conference organised by Penang Institute and held on June 25, 2012 at the famed Eastern & Oriental Hotel is interesting for many reasons outside of al...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Can Penangites Discover Penang?

2 min read

I am sure it has not escaped anyone’s notice. Even at a long distance away, it cannot be ignored.Penang is buzzing – more and more.And this ye...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

“HEAL MALAYSIA” – A Slogan for the Elections

2 min read

We can read books on Malaysia’s history by scholars of various persuasions all we want. In the end, the solution to the ills suffered by the country ove...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng