February 2026

Our latest issue explores how third places—from bookstores and gardens to KOMTAR—shape community life in Penang, while reflecting on sustainability, inclusion, and the island’s rich history.

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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.

Happiness is a Haircut

6 min read

Goonalam started off his career by working at his grandfather’s shop in Pulau Tikus. He then plied his trade off the Tanjung Bungah main road for a while before permanently relocating to his current location in Jalan Concord. There he has been for the last 32 years.

by Daniel Lee

Lighting the way

4 min read

CAMBODIA IN THE early 1990s was not the investment location of choice for the “big guns” of the Western business elite, despite its proximity to the Asian Tigers.

by Rosalind Chua

Rosalind Chua

The enchanting hill of early Penang

4 min read

Nahuijs was the first Dutch Resident for Suracarta and Yogjakarta, holding that office from 1816 until 1822 when he retired from office. While making his way home to Europe, he wrote diligently about the places he visited along the way.

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Taking bigger than baby steps to transform the economy

6 min read

PENANG CHIEF MINISTER Lim Guan Eng recently demanded that the Prime Minister Department’s Performance and Management & Delivery Unit (Pemandu) gives a formal presentation on its Economic Transformation Programme’s (ETP) Entry Point Projects (EPPs) as he...

by Tricia Yeoh

The Humanities are needed more than ever

5 min read

Taken from the keynote address at the Opening Dinner of the Ninth Regional API Workshop of The Nippon Foundation Fellowships for Asian Public Intellectuals (API) Programme, held on November 20, 2010 in Penang.

by Sharom Ahmat

Sharom Ahmat

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.

by Kee Thuan Chye

Malaysia needs an equitable healthcare system

10 min read

Any humane society must adopt the principle that healthcare is a right of all its citizens and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognises “the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.”

by Toh Kin Woon

Toh Kin Woon

Greening communities in Penang

7 min read

GOING GREEN IS no longer simply a buzzword, nor is it a passing fad. This is becoming obvious to more and more people. In this decade alone, many have come to realise that global warming and climate change are a stark reality and unavoidable phenomena due to anthropogenic activities.

by Khor Hung Teik

Khor Hung Teik

Keeping Penang watered

15 min read

Water management or rather water mismanagement has been making headline news in Malaysia for months. PEM takes an in-depth look at the Penang Water Supply Corporation and reveals how this public-private partnership has thrived and become a model for the rest of the nation.

by Jeffrey Hardy Quah

Cities, People & the Economy: A Study on Positioning Penang

6 min read

PENANG HAS ALWAYS had to depend on its people for economic survival. For the last 40 years, this has been achieved through a development model focused on medium-intensity manufacturing and tourism.

by Francis Hutchinson

Hoy Cheong the Art-ivist

9 min read

Playing For A Dying Mother, based on a painting by Puvis de Chavannes, for the Lyons Biennial in 2008.HE MAY NOT HAVE done a painting in 20 years, but his...

by Ooi Kok Chuen

Dr. Juergen Schloesser: Everything Possible, Nothing Easy

5 min read

Dr. Juergen Schloesser joined B.Braun in 2009 as vice president for B.Braun Medical Industries (BMI) operations and head of the global Center of Excellence for Intravenous Access (CoE IVA).

by Poh Heem Heem

Poh Heem Heem

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