Freeing education from politics
5 min read
THERE IS ONE particular issue in this country that never fails to incite fierce debate, with passionate arguments – and the occasional flying brick &ndash...
Entering New Territory With Open Tenders
11 min read
“What we really are is anti-corruption.” — Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan EngBy and large, it has achieved its objectives. Yet at the sa...
Cosmopolitanising Bahasa Malaysia
5 min read
Dynamism leads to cosmopolitanismAny language is a reflection of the society that uses it. Hence, any society that aims to attain an international cosmopoli...
A Post-Industrial Future for Penang?
9 min read
The advent of the digital era, characterised by seamless and instantaneous transfer of information and unprecedented levels of global interconnectedness, has se...
Back to the Future of Traffic Planning
6 min read
When one thinks of Penang today, a few things come to mind: the best food in the world, living heritage, multiculturalism, the hills, the beaches, CAT governanc...
The day BN won the election but lost the contest
9 min read
The evening began optimistically enough. By 7pm, my team members and I were gathered at the nomination centre, where the final votes were going to be tallied up...
Federalism arrested
7 min read
On September 16, 1963 a covenant was forged between the peoples of Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore, resulting in the creation of a new sovereign nation cal...
Penang: Malaysia’s stepchild or prodigal child?
6 min read
When tabling the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP) in Parliament on May 21, the Prime Minister waxed lyrical about the government’s intention of “anchoring...
Malaysia’s great – and recent – identity crisis
4 min read
If ever there was a country chronically afflicted by an identity crisis, it would be ours. Debates rage on about how we should define our identities. For exampl...
Flip-flops Trip Key Education Reforms
5 min read
In September 2013 the Ministry of Education (MOE) launched the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025, a document touted by then Education Minister Tan Sri Muhy...
Education – Ever The Political Victim
12 min read
Every political crisis inevitably claims its share of casualties. Normally, those who fall on the wrong side in the corridors of power will find their careers c...
The Future is Now
8 min read
Exponential TimesWe now live in unprecedented times where the pace of evolution is no longer linear but exponential. In the 20th century alone, the population...