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.

The housing Market in Penang Today

7 min read

Malaysia’s population crossed the 30 million mark in February 2014. According to the Population and Housing Census 2010, about three in 10 people fall in the 20-40 years old age group – the one most likely to be first-time home buyers. By 2020, that group is projected to grow to 11.3 million.

by Lim Chee Han

Penang Transportation by the Numbers

4 min read

We examine the transport situation in Penang and provide the statistics on the trends and modes of transportation available in the state.

by Penang Monthly

Ripples From Global Events Threaten Local Economy

13 min read

Recent economic events, particularly the fall in oil price, are predicted to significantly shade the economic outlook for Penang and for Malaysia at large.

by Ong Wooi Leng

Penang Economic Outlook 2015

4 min read

Malaysia’s domestic environment will become more challenging given the introduction of the GST from April 1, 2015 and the sensitivity of Malaysian households to any interest rate hike due to their high debt levels.

by Dr. Lim Kim-Hwa

Making Malaysia’s Literary Capital Work

9 min read

Organising a literary festival is no easy task, especially when you’ve only got five months to do it. But passion and determination drove one man and his team to pull it off – and very successfully.

by Julia Tan

An Art Exchange on Penang’s Walls and Streets

6 min read

Urban Xchange, Penang’s first international street art festival, divided the state’s art sphere between purists and those who dare to be different.

by Marco Ferrarese

The More Individual Stories We Acknowledge, The More Authentic Our National History

6 min read

One thing common to most Malaysians is the balik kampung tradition. This goes even for those millions who have left the country over the last 50 years, who return whenever they can to visit relatives, friends and old haunts.

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

The Art of Sonny Liew

9 min read

Comics are fun, but if one is to make a career of it, one needs luck and lots of talent. And one needs to take bold initiatives and to experiment. A very adult way to stay young, really.

by Jeffrey Hardy Quah

Springtime For Art Biennales

7 min read

Art is not only big business worldwide, it is big everything today, including city branding. Huge art festivals are taking place throughout the world.

by Ooi Kok Chuen

The New Wave of Malaysian Fixi-on

6 min read

Petaling Jaya-based independent publisher Fixi conquered Malaysia's bestsellers charts with a new wave of pulp fiction that dares to defy Islamic conservatism and the country’s alleged low-reading rates.

by Marco Ferrarese

George Town – From City to Municipality to Culture Centre

7 min read

George Town became a city on January 1, 1957. The timing was not by accident. In fact it was an event to herald the approach of sovereignty for the 11 states of Malaya exactly eight months later that year.

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Manufacturing in Penang: Onwards and Upwards

6 min read

In 2013, Penang's share of the manufacturing sector to the overall GDP of the state was almost equal to that of the service sector, at 47.8%. Penang shows that its manufacturers have a higher overall share towards its income than the Malaysian average.

by Tim Niklas Schoepp

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