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.

Arts-ED: Getting People to Know Each Other

3 min read

PENANG-BASED ARTS-ED works at finding creative ways to connect culturally-diverse young Malaysians. Besides making sure that the young learn art techniques, it...

by Pan Yi Chieh

With E-learning, Universal Education Finally Comes of Age

3 min read

LIKE SO MANY generations before me have done I associate learning with schools with buildings to which little uniformed boys and girls trudge before the day get...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Farizan bin Darus: A Lifetime Serving Penang and the Civil Service [Part One]

6 min read

AFTER A LIFETIME in the civil service, Dato' Seri Haji Farizan bin Darus finally retired from the powerful position of State Secretary for Penang State in 2019....

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

The Man Who Sets Up Chowrasta Market Every Morning

1 min read

At 3am, when the fried bee hoon seller arrives, Tan helps her set up the stove before proceeding to the more demanding task of moving the pots and trays of food from the economical rice seller’s car to her stall.

by Alexander Fernandez & Lim Sok Swan

Staying Fit in a Food Paradise

5 min read

There is something to eat at every street corner in Penang, at any time of day. Unfortunately, all that delicious food – combined with our sedentary lifes...

by Regina Hoo

A History of Malayalees in Penang: Part Two: The Second Wave – White-Collar Workers, Nationalists and Legislators (1920s-1957)

12 min read

The early wave of Malayalee immigrants was largely Muslim.While the first wave of Malayalees contributed primarily to the physical and commercial developm...

by Suresh Narayanan

Suresh Narayanan

Jelutong – Gone Upmarket

2 min read

Vibrant and full of history, Jelutong straddles the new and the old, its high-rise apartments towering over pre-war shophouses, zinc-roofed automobile workshops and quaint fishing boats.

by Mohd Shahrizal

Why Meet the 21st century with 20th century Mindsets?

3 min read

Why Meet the 21st century with 20th century Mindsets?We should not forget that in the days before social media and news websites, the flow of information &n...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Long May They Hawk

6 min read

These photos are a tribute to the hawkers of Penang – many of whom have supplied good food for generations and, in more subtle ways, glimpses of their culture, language and history. This series of portraits is a celebration of their variety and omnipresence in our society.

by Jonathan Lim

Social Media and the Self

3 min read

What is it about social media that turns us so easily into converts and addicts?This is not a difficult question to answer, really. It is immediate; it prov...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Social Growth Factors in Numbers

4 min read

In recent years, Penang’s robust economic performance, bolstered by immense foreign investment and its manufacturing and service sectors, is an encouragin...

by Penang Monthly

Waterfalls in our Backyard

5 min read

The sheer magnificence of waterfalls has captivated humankind from time immemorial. Penang Island’s hilly core is the source of a few streams and small rivers, some of which end up as stunning waterfalls on their downhill course.

by Rexy Prakash Chacko

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