The Common Good in Penang's Progress
17 min read
Is development good or bad?Private development, we are seeing with increased intensity in Penang, is actually a deal made between private business and its cus...
June 2026
Discover Penang Monthly’s June issue: explore the stories behind Penang’s enduring heritage brands, the richness of its multilingual and multicultural heritage, innovative local businesses, community-led initiatives, and the challenges shaping the state’s future. From family enterprises and semiconductor pioneers to traditional food, festivals, education, and environmental sustainability, this issue celebrates Penang’s resilience, identity, and capacity for renewal.
An Overview of Women’s Organisations in Penang
6 min read
In an undeniably patriarchal world order, women’s organisations have not only filled the gaps in civil society to address the unmet needs of women, but have also been a powerful galvanising force in pushing forward the march towards equality for all.
Honest Memoirs From An Extraordinary Lady
5 min read
This much-awaited volume lives up to all reasonable expectations and should be read by anyone – historian, lawyer or layman – interested in Penang,...
Hooking The Young on Heritage
9 min read
George Town’s heritage built environment played a significant role in its listing as a Unesco World Heritage Site and the city boasts the largest concentr...
Of Women Artists and Their Art
7 min read
In this era of the Super Woman, the purportedly weaker sex has to juggle her duties as wife, mother, daughter-in-law, daughter, sister, career woman or home/ fa...
Should Men Still Hold The Door Open for Women?
3 min read
Opening the door for a woman isn't about thinking she can’t do it herself; it is about respecting her enough to go the extra mile for her.
Of Menstrual Blood and Chicken Rice
4 min read
The potency of feminism is excitingly enormous because women’s social roles have been supporting ones for so long that perspectives coming from that half of humanity tend to be extremely challenging for men and their status quo. Never is this truer than when the female body is involved.
Gender Equality and The Millennium Development Goals
4 min read
Malaysia: The Millennium Development Goals at 2010 paints a general but holistic picture of the status of Malaysia since the midterm review in 2005. I was impre...
Women: Economy and Employment
6 min read
The 2009 International Labour Organization (ILO) report on Global Employment Trends for Women warned that, with the deepening of the recession in 2009, the glob...
Gender Issues are About Democracy
5 min read
A prominent woman politician recently lamented the enormous difficulty faced to achieve the United Nation's (UN) target of 30% women participation in Malaysia....
Opting Out – Choice or Circumstance ?
7 min read
When a woman opts out of the workforce, is it choice or circumstance?In both cases, the catalyst to this situation is motherhood which affects women at all le...
Martina Rozells – Penang’s first First Lady
5 min read
During the year 1772 Light allied himself with Martina Rozells, a lady regarding whose antecedents an element of romance has been attributed by some contempor...
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