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.

Teluk Anson: The Faded Gem of Lower Perak

15 min read

Teluk Anson is one of the few towns in Perak that owes its existence and prosperity to waterborne trade.1 It was initially a struggling village made up of attap...

by Dr. Wong Yee Tuan

The Coming and Going of Penang’s Trams

7 min read

From Steam to HorseThe first tramway introduced in Penang was the steam tram operated by one Mr.Gardiner with concessions from the government. Commencing oper...

by Koay Su-Lyn

With Cars as Public Transport, the Role of Roads Changes

6 min read

The Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) has its roots in the state government’s 2009 initiative to establish the Penang Transport Council, which included...

by Joshua Woo Sze Zeng

New Means of Public Transport That We Do Not Have to Wait for

5 min read

In 2010 the modal share of public transport was 3% in George Town, and 8% state-wide. Eight years later, those figures are still the same.The ideal is 40%, wh...

by Yap Jo-yee

Celebrating A Vibrant Property Sector in Our “New” Malaysia

5 min read

Heralding a new beginning for the country, the Penang Property Summit, in its fifth consecutive year, returns in January 2019 with a very apt theme: “Cele...

by Penang Monthly

Naming Modern Means of Mass Transport

3 min read

In the age of speedy technological innovations, thinking up names for totally new things that are not created by Mother Nature but by this innovative ape we c...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Asian Art Dominates at Malaysia Expo

7 min read

Held on October 12-14 (VIP Nite on October 11), AEM+12 ignited more engagement for ostensibly edgier visual-intellectual propulsion beyond the semantics of lucre. Art fairs in Malaysia are still not a money-making enterprise though.

by Ooi Kok Chuen

Jalan-Jalan Cari Datuk: Encounters

3 min read

In Malaysia, specific forces of history and geography created our very own Datuk Kong. The concept of Datuk Kong is as wide-ranging as the imaginations of generations of Malaysians. In this exceptional cultural landscape, we begin our story at the confluence.

by Cheryl J Hoffmann

Siamese Ties in Need of Preservation

7 min read

On May 30, 1845, a piece of land was granted to the Siamese and Burmese communities by the East India Company on behalf of Queen Victoria. Today, Kampung Siam still stands on this land, replete with families that have been living there for generations.

by Tan Lii Inn & Johnson Lee Chong Fatt

How to Survive Without Having to Migrate?

11 min read

What if you want to emigrate to the West but are not able to? Don’t worry – if you shift your paradigm, you don’t need to even worry about survival because you will thrive. Not being able to emigrate can be a blessing in disguise.

by Ken Soong & Michael Soong

Michael Soong

Using Books to Connect Cultures

5 min read

Zubedy Ideahouse is the publicity, communications and creative arm of Zubedy Sdn Bhd. Its primary responsibilities include Zubedy’s communications projects such as their full-page festive ads, book publications and Unity products.

by Emilia Ismail & Tho Mun Yi

Defending Literacy among the Visually Impaired

6 min read

New forms of media following the rise of technological advances have eclipsed the written word, and Braille literacy among the visually impaired appears to be on a gradual decline.

by Regina Hoo

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