November 2025

This November, Penang Monthly explores language, place and memory. As GTLF returns, we highlight Penang’s multilingual streets and the dialects that keep local history alive.

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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.

Economic Ripples of July’s Rally

5 min read

AS GLOBAL MARKET STOCKS rise and fall, bringing with them more financial uncertainty and a likely global slowdown at least for the short term, it is important to examine how political conditions within Malaysia affect its economic performance.

by Bridget Welsh

Bridget Welsh

No Two Ways About Integrity

6 min read

On August 12, 2011, Tunku Abdul Aziz, the senator representing Penang in the Dewan Negara, was conferred the degree of Doctor of Laws honoris causa by his alma mater, the University of Tasmania at Hobart, Australia. We proudly reproduce his acceptance speech here for all to read.

by Tunku Abdul Aziz

Tunku Abdul Aziz

The Spice Island of Penang, 1834

5 min read

PENANG HAS been a spice island from the period nearly of its first settlement. Pepper engrossed the consideration of capitalists for many years, and until...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Transcending Dualism In Public Administration

3 min read

THE OLD GREEK philosophy has a famous law, the law of non-contradiction, which says, a thing cannot be its opposite in the same time-space continuum. In pl...

by Steven Sim

Making Housing Affordable In Urban States

7 min read

MALAYSIANS LOVE to talk about property. Most opening conversations of late sound something like, “Property prices are so high these days! I am just waiting for the property bubble to burst before making my purchase”;

by Tricia Yeoh

Optimistic Economic Outlook For Penang and Malaysia

4 min read

CLUEDO SUSPECTS is a card game of logical deduction – information regarding a mysterious crime is spread within a few players and each player attempts to...

by Penang Monthly

The First Penang In Asia Lecture Series

6 min read

In June, the International Monetary Fund issued a downward revision of its global economic growth forecast of April 2011 to show smaller growth for developed countries and stronger growth for developing countries.

by Selvarani Suppiah & Marisa Heah

Selvarani Suppiah Marisa Heah

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.

by Kee Thuan Chye

Love And More Is All Around

6 min read

What makes Penang stand out is its streets history being lived against a backdrop of ancient architecture and the air scented by hawker wares and musically scored by vehicles peopled by diverse seekers of lifetime fortune and night-long adventure.

by Gabija Grusaite

Gabija Grusaite

Our Economist At The UN

7 min read

I first met Jomo KS in late 2004. This was also in Singapore, just after I had relocated back to the region from Europe. Having lived almost three decades on th...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Paradise Being Lost, All Is Not Well on Penang’s Beaches

14 min read

YOU CANNOT SIT HERE, I just realised that,” Juergen Bosch says, looking at our surroundings as if for the first time, though we’ve been talking for most of an hour. The otherwise white sand is filthy, covered with dirt, detritus and the occasional plastic bottle and cigarette butt.

by Jeffrey Hardy Quah & Marisa Heah

Marisa Heah

Manning The State Government

9 min read

The Malaysian flag, now affectionately called the Jalur Gemilang, raised at the Stadium Merdeka in 1957 when Malaya became a new nation, bears a close resemblance to the American Stars and Stripes. The Malaysian flag’s red and white stripes represent one state each as do the star’s 13 points.

by Chan Huan Chiang

Chan Huan Chiang

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