September 2026

The September Issue Is Out Now! Penang Monthly’s September issue explores the vibrant world of Penang’s pasar malam, highlighting their food, culture, community, traditions, and evolving role in island life.

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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.

I Am Everyday People

4 min read

Penangites and adopted Penangites captured on film prove the point that everyone has a story… we just need to stop and listen. Kindly reproduced from Penang Portraits by Francine Linssen and Jennifer Heal, published by Penang Passion, isbn 978-983-42360-5-2.

by Jennifer Heal

Jennifer Heal

Oktoberfest

1 min read

Penangites and Germans bonded over bratwuerste, beer, and Bavarian beats at the Malaysian German Society’s Oktoberfest—an evening of dancing, drinking, and delightful cultural chaos.

by Penang Monthly

Islamic matters in Pakatan states

5 min read

Political competition between the Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat coalitions is predicated on numerous fronts, the more sensitive of which involves religious matters.

by Tricia Yeoh

It’s been an exhilarating year

2 min read

The revamped PEM has now been around a year since the preview issue came out in September 2009. The response has been consistently good.

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

George Town Festival

3 min read

In July, the Penang state government held the inaugural George Town Festival, in celebration of its listing as a Unesco World Heritage Site. Initially a one-day...

by Penang Monthly

How will nationalism evolve?

2 min read

The biggest trick that the nation-state concept has pulled on modern man is the proposal that there is an essential line between the external and the internal.

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Remembering Yong Mun Sen (Born Kuching, Sarawak, January 10, 1896. Died Penang, September 29,1962)

12 min read

Often called the "Father of Malaysian Painting", Yong Mun Sen was a fourth-generation Malayan who grew up in Kuching but ended his days in Penang. Much has been written and said about him but strangely, none from the true heir in spirit and substance, his son Cheng Wah (born 1943).

by Ooi Kok Chuen

Penang's Pride - 25 years of the Penang Bridge

4 min read

When the iconic Penang Bridge was opened to the public in 1985 it marked an important milestone in Malaysia's economic development, linking the mainland with the Free Trade Zone on the island.

by Penang Monthly

Jewel of Muscat

2 min read

AMIDST THE USUAL assortment of tankers, ferries and fishing boats, the 18-metre Jewel of Muscat was an anachronism: made completely out of wood with not a single nail used, and hailing all the way to Penang from Qantab, Oman.

by Penang Monthly

Youths Learn that a Crisis is a Time of Positive and Negative Change

9 min read

From colleagues to friends. Farhanah enjoys a morning workout with her colleagues from Vouk Hotel Suites. Photo: Farhanah AzizanFarhanah (second from ri...

by Regina Hoo

Changing recipe in industrial production

9 min read

Every recipe needs the right ingredients for success; get the mix right and walk away with a winning formula; get the mix wrong and the dish could fall flat...

by Carolyn Ch’ng Sue Ern & Ong Wooi Leng

Carolyn Ch’ng Sue Ern

Speakers’ Square

2 min read

Kwong Wah Yit Poh“ Lend me your ears...”As trite a saying as that may be, Penangites are taking advantage of Speakers’ Square at Esp...

by Penang Monthly

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