A dream for Penang
4 min read
I HAVE A DREAM. That one day Penang will become a cultural hub and that it will not only be one for the Malaysian north but for the region as well.I have a dr...
Must progress be ugly?
4 min read
It seems to me that in the last couple of decades, Penang, especially George Town, has been allowed to develop haphazardly. If I have to use one word to describ...
In Search of Good Penang Fiction
7 min read
Penang takes pride in having produced an endless string of intellectuals. But when it comes to good fictional writing, we certainly come out short. Why is this so? The late Lee Kok Liang is still the best we have had.
A Personal Penang Treasure That Can Be Revived
7 min read
Kee Thuan Chye returns in his mind to the village his great-great-granddad built. Sungai Bakap, after being bypassed by development, has lost much of its past glory. But the Kee family home is still there, reeking of history and other fragrances, waiting for another turn in its fortunes.
A Man Who Always Made An Impression
7 min read
Teik Chee touched many lives, and even those who got to know him for only a brief spell came away impressed. When news spread of his death, I received SMSes, phone calls and e-mails from my friends who had been acquainted with him, asking what had driven him to it.
Days of Wine and Adelaide
5 min read
I was very pleased to hear that the Penang state government has recently proposed a revival of Adelaide Week in Penang, and Penang Week in Adelaide. The last one was held some years ago.
In Between Heaven and Earth
7 min read
Cheah Teng Hong is the director of Corporate Finance at the World Bank, where he has been since 1981.
Things Tourists Cannot Experience
5 min read
I was surprised when I visited Penang recently to discover that there’s a boutique hotel operating on Bangkok Lane. Called PalanquInn Heritage Suites, and it’s in house number 39. Diagonally opposite it is number 38, where I lived for nearly 10 years throughout the 1970s.
What Is The Truth About The Baling Talks?
6 min read
We tend to think of the Baling Talks of 1955 as a serious attempt by the government to negotiate peace with the Communists. But if we were to study the actual transcript of the talks, we might get a different impression.
Fair Election Postponed Is Democracy Denied
6 min read
WILL the next general election be fair? This question has become urgent and pressing as claims are surfacing that the electoral roll is not clean, and fears are being raised that recent immigrants might be issued blue identity cards to enable them to vote.
A Malaysia Lost
6 min read
Uneven policies, overzealous politicians – these are among the reasons many Malaysians feel estranged from their beloved country. But it wasn’t always like this. There were once happier times...
Who’s the Hero– Tuah or Jebat?
5 min read
Who was right – Hang Tuah or Hang Jebat? Which one is the true hero?
This was a question posed to a journalist when he was called to the police headquarters for a scare session in 1987, in the wake of Operation Lalang.