March 2026

Our latest issue explores ageing as renewal, inspired by Ooi Kee Beng’s “liberational ageing.” Stories include love rediscovered, digital confidence among seniors, caregiving, and ageing in Penang, alongside women’s underrepresentation in politics, Penang’s GBS innovation frontier, future-ready education, GTLF highlights, outdoor adventures—and more, reflecting how purpose, participation, and meaning can be cultivated at every stage of life.

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A publication of Penang Institute, Penang Monthly is the voice of Penang - an inspiring read for the curious Malaysian, featuring stories about the people, ideas, and issues shaping the state's well-being. Sign up for a free account to enjoy unlimited access to all our articles.

Walkability Badly Desired in Batu Kawan

5 min read

Unlike George Town, Batu Kawan was—ostensibly—built “from scratch”. You live in one area, work or study in another, and hang out somewhere else. It sounds great in theory, but unless you have a car—which is not something to expect of students—getting around takes much more energy than expected.

by Nurul Natasha Amir

Penang’s Keramat Roar: Football Fandom as Community Identity

3 min read

SOMETIMES, YOU DON’T need a map to know where you are. You just need a sound. In Penang, it…

by Dr. Suresraj Therambarajoo

Getting to Know Seberang Perai Selatan

7 min read

Home to about 188,000 people, SPS is Penang’s least populous mainland district, and recorded the state’s lowest growth rate in 2024, at just 0.7%. Its population has remained mostly steady over the past three years, shaped by a mix of Bumiputera, Chinese and Indian communities.

by Hajar Ariff

Tan Sooi Beng: The Revivalist of Dying Cultural Arts in Penang

10 min read

Penang Monthly sits down to chat with her after she recently received the 20th BOH Cameronian Arts Awards (BCAA) Lifetime Achievement Award as recognition of her outstanding contributions to dance, music, theatre and musical theatre.

by Rachel Yeoh

Placemaking for and by Residents: Participatory Mapping in Nibong Tebal

4 min read

Spearheaded by Arts-ED, a Penang-based arts and education non-profit, this participatory mapping project places local voices at the centre of heritage documentation—literally putting them on the map.

by Carolyn Khor

The Majie in Penang: A Proud Heritage of Woman Power

8 min read

The majie may not have fitted the image of modernity, but she embodied its deeper transformations. Through financial independence, migration and lifelong labour, she was both breadwinner and caregiver, sustaining families across borders through decades of uncertainty, war and independence.

by Miriam Devaprasana

Penang’s Tourism Faces the Challenges of Success

5 min read

The office of Penang’s Executive Councillor for Tourism and Creative Economy (PETACE) has released data showing that the Penang International Airport (PIA) recorded a significant rise in foreign arrivals last year with a notable increase from China, Thailand and Taiwan.

by Ian McIntyre

The Pulau Burung Landfill: Managing Penang’s Dirty Backyard

7 min read

Each day, the inhabitants of Penang, both in Seberang Perai and Penang Island, generate over 2,200 tonnes of waste, of which 80% is channelled via barges to the Pulau Burung sanitary landfill.

by Ian McIntyre

Azmi Hussin: A Life in Lines, A Legacy in Love

4 min read

AZMI HUSSIN, a beloved Penang-born cartoonist and visual storyteller, passed away on 5 March 2025 at the age of 40 from a heart attack. He left behind a legacy far greater than the pages he had filled.

by Ivan Gabriel

Enjoying the Brackish Rivers of Seberang Perai Selatan

7 min read

In the south of Penang’s mainland, the estuaries of Sungai Kerian, Sungai Chenaam and Sungai Jawi quietly sustain much of the region’s coastal life.

by Husna Shafirah

An Aging Artist: Teoh Shaw Gie’s Midlife

6 min read

In his solo exhibition, Archaeology of Midlife, which was hosted at O Sculpture Studio from 21 June to 27 July 2025, Teoh Shaw Gie explored the pains and insecurities of his midlife with a beer-bellied sense of self-deprecating humour.

by Teioh Nuan Ning

Indian Barbershops in Malaysia: A Fading Fashion

3 min read

INDIAN BARBERSHOPS HAVE become a unique institution in Malaysia, rooted in local history and the country’s cultural fabric. Beyond…

by Wong Teik Aun

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