Saving SMEs is Key to Economic Recovery
4 min read
TO FLATTEN THE recession curve, and to save SMEs and preserve jobs, the organisation Research for Social Advancement (REFSA) convened policy experts and industr...
February 2026
Our latest issue explores how third places—from bookstores and gardens to KOMTAR—shape community life in Penang, while reflecting on sustainability, inclusion, and the island’s rich history.
Youth Unemployment Expected to Worsen
5 min read
SOME ECONOMISTS BELIEVE that the ongoing economic crisis set off by the Covid-19 pandemic can rival the 1929 Great Depression. In Malaysia the national unemploy...
Students Make Do in the School of Covid-19
6 min read
MALAYSIA’S EDUCATION SECTOR is embracing e-learning, but this adoption also brings to the fore the nation’s entrenched socioeconomic divide. Online...
EVENTS IN FEBRUARY
3 min read
SHARINGLearn more about the opportunities in traditional businesses and SMEs in the digital age at the Opportunities in Traditional Businesses sharing org...
Connecting Creatives at Open Studios Penang
5 min read
ART IS BACK, Art is Alive!”, was the theme for Open Studio Penang’s (OSP) third edition as it re-engages Penang’s locals and visitors. Together, creatives and a...
Mount Palmer and Pulau Betong: Penang’s Forgotten Southern Flagstaff and Watering Place
7 min read
AS ONE VENTURES further southward of Paya Terubong, the mountain pass brings one onto a winding hill road. This road climbs to a height of 316m, offering breath...
Gedebe: Being a Man in Kelantan
6 min read
ALMOST EVERYONE IN the small town of Kota Bharu knew who Mat Zin Korea was in the 1960s and 70s. He was born and bred in Kampung Padang Bemban, a small farming...
CPO Shuhaily Zain: Beyond Mere Enforcement of the Law (Part One)
9 min read
On 15 December 2022, Penang Monthly’s editor Dato Ooi Kee Beng interviewed Dato’ Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain at his office at the Penang Contingent Police Headquart...
The Dubious Grouping of Ages
3 min read
I ASSUME THAT he who sees a cup as half empty will try to conserve what he has, while he who sees a cup as half full will proceed to fill it further. I also ass...
The Chariot Processions
5 min read
Pulau Pinang Magazine was a celebrated bi-monthly magazine that covered the culture, history, traditions and lifestyle of Penang. Edited by Khoo Salma, it ran f...
Exploring the Twin Islets We Know as Pulau Betong
5 min read
SOUTHWEST OF Balik Pulau lies the little settlement of Pulau Betong, surrounded by hills colonised by durian plantations and a flat plain dominated by lush padd...
Patongko! Is Definitely Not a Swear Word
3 min read
SOMETIMES, WHEN I have nothing better to do, I wonder about how things are discovered. For instance, who was the first person who picked up an egg and thought,...
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