Halal – the next frontier
15 min read
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and Haji Abdul Malik Kassim at mou signing at mihas 2009.The global halal industryInternational experts place the worth of t...
November 2026
Penang Monthly | November 2026 is out now. This month, we journey through Penang’s South Asian links—from the enduring energy of George Town’s Little India to the remarkable restoration of Wadda Gurdwara Sahib. Discover stories of Punjabi cha, Ganesha at the threshold, traditional trades, migration, literature, art and the people keeping living heritage alive across Penang. Because heritage is more than buildings and archives—it is found in the languages we speak, the food we share, the work we do and the memories we carry.
Unripened spices
3 min read
Penang is home to several spices, from which the early British administration took advantage of.
Unravelling the figures
8 min read
A guide to dissecting the 2009 Bank Negara Report. Official numbers for the Malaysian economy are released twice every year, in March by Bank Negara Malaysia and on Budget Day in September by the Federal Treasury.
Birdmen of Penang
8 min read
The battle for habitat between man and bird is an ancient one, and sadly, man is winning.
The New Economic Model – Strategic Policy Directions
4 min read
Malaysia has made significant progress over the last few decades – the eradication of poverty and provision of health and education for its people, world-class infrastructure and access to modern technologies.
Young Nepalese in Penang
5 min read
Penang, filled with factories on the island and in Seberang Prai on the mainland, has an unquenchable thirst for workers, both skilled and unskilled. Opinions differ as to how this demand cannot be met by local workers.
Laying the groundwork for innovative growth
3 min read
During the talk at Wawasan Open University’s main campus on April 20, 2010, World Bank economist for Malaysia Philip Schellekens emphasised that “innovation is key for Malaysia’s longterm prosperity”.
Celebration of culture
4 min read
Two years on from George Town’s listing as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the newly established George Town World Heritage Office is planning a revamped and extended annual bash to celebrate the honour.
Safety in the cities
8 min read
A horrific incident occurred in April in Shah Alam, Selangor, that will sadly be merely an additional statistic in the growing list of police shootings recorded in recent times.
Gardens going to seed
7 min read
The public wants to be involved before a project is carried out.” But the public wasn’t informed, not until the projects were well under way. Then it was too late, and widespread outrage soon followed.
Butterworth Remains the Ugly Duckling
5 min read
When a clear vision for growth is missing, places and plans that hold promise turn into disappointments. Such is the case for Butterworth. But now that the town is richly represented in the state assembly, perhaps the aging duckling can yet turn out to be a swan.
An Eminent Malaysian Academic Abroad
10 min read
Professor Aihwa Ong is an internationally respected anthropologist with at least 10 books to her name. Born in Penang where she had her entire pre-tertiary education, she is now a Professor of Socio-Cultural Anthropology at the University of California at Berkeley, the United States.
Explore column