Forkbeard’s Odyssey Lands in Penang
5 min read
TRAGEDY, COMEDY, LOVE and adventure. The musical, Forkbeard, set in 11th-century Scandinavia, contains all the ingredients for an epic historical…
December 2025
Our December issue examines the flavours, practices and foodways that define Malaysian life, from home kitchens and inherited techniques to the diverse cultural influences that shape Penang’s palate.
National Heroes to Remember and Reward
5 min read
THE LAST TIME Malaysians experienced a full-scale conflict in their homeland was probably more than 35 years ago, before the…
Bukit Langkap: A Modest Hill With a Splendid View
5 min read
SLIGHTLY NORTH OF Bukit Mertajam is a low cluster of peaks, including Bukit Gua Gempas and Bukit Langkap, with the…
Joachim Bergström: On Using Universal Values to Drive Diplomacy
12 min read
As his tenure comes to an end, Penang Monthly sits down with Joachim Bergström to talk about his team’s efforts in introducing these universal values to the country, and how these can strengthen the bilateral relationship between Sweden and Malaysia.
Families Hard at Work at Pulau Tikus Market
6 min read
PULAU TIKUS MARKET, located along Jalan Pasar between Jalan Cantonment and Solok Moulmein, first opened in the 1950s. The wet…
Beyond Borders: A Personal Perspective on Brain Drain
3 min read
GROWING UP IN Penang, my early exposure to Hollywood movies and TV sitcoms painted an idealistic portrait of first-world living—…
Encouraging Sisterhood in Entrepreneurship in Penang
3 min read
THE PANDEMIC HIT businesses hard. Yet, for one woman, it was an opportune time for her to realise her dream.…
From The Ground Up: PDC in Property and Infrastructural Development
4 min read
AT THE HEART of Penang’s transformation as a thriving socio-economic and developmental hub lies the Penang Development Corporation (PDC)…
Mapping Islamic Education in Penang
5 min read
THE ROOTS OF Islamic education in Malaysia date back to the 13th century, with the arrival of Islam through trade…
Financial Literacy: A Missing Link in Education
3 min read
I GREW UP in Sungai Petani, Kedah, son to a lumberjack and a housewife who successfully raised four children. My…
Normalising Period Talks—For All Our Sakes
4 min read
MENSTRUATION CONTINUES TO be an uncomfortable topic of discussion today, especially in relatively conservative parts of the world. Akin to…
Regaining the Right to Enjoy Education
3 min read
Malaysia’s education system faces a dual challenge: the issue of school dropouts on the one hand, and an overly exam-oriented mindset among students on the other. These two phenomena, though seemingly distinct, stem from the same cause: an education system that places undue emphasis on examinations.
Explore column