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.

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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.

“Listeners Calling”: Radio Enters its Second Century in Malaysia

14 min read

IMAGINE BEING ON the lookout for new music in the prewar days, and you had already exhausted the collection of the local S. Moutrie and Co. Ltd., local agents o...

by William Tham

Chinese Whispers: The Literature and Politics of Nanyang Writers

8 min read

“Man is a restless creature, nomadic at heart.” Tash Aw, Map of the Invisible World.NANYANG, the “South Sea” in the Chinese imagination, is rich in stories – th...

by William Tham

PSDC: A Technical Skills Institute of Excellence

5 min read

THE 1980S IN Penang was a time of rapid economic growth. A decade earlier, then Chief Minister Lim Chong Eu had envisioned the creation of the Free Industrial Z...

by Ooi Tze Xiong

Strengthening Water Security in Penang via Self-reliance and Stakeholder Engagement

6 min read

MALAYSIA IS RICH in water resources, having 990 Billion Cubic Metres (BCM) of rainfall which translates into a surface runoff (mostly rivers) of 566 BCM. Its pe...

by Dr. Chan Ngai Weng

The Elaborate Meaning of the Indian Marriage Necklace

7 min read

JEWELLERY CAN mean many things, all the more so if placed in their traditional contexts.In the Indian tradition, the Rig Veda, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and...

by Preveena Balakrishnan

Prostitutes in Penang: A Life Often Filled with Fear and Violence

6 min read

The “princess”, was a human-trafficked victim sold to brothel houses at a tender age. These girls suffered deplorable conditions; in exchange for basic food and accommodation, they were forced into prostitution and were treated as personal belongings and slaves by the brothel-keepers.

by Dr. Kuah Li Feng

Expanding the Hi-tech Ecosystem in Penang for a New Era

5 min read

OVER THE PAST 20 years, ViTrox has established itself as a global technology company that is “powered in Penang and in Malaysia”, growing to reach a market capi...

by Lee Siu Ming

Lee Siu Ming

The Japanese Conquest of Penang: Part Two

9 min read

[IN DECEMBER 2021, Penang Monthly published Part One of The Japanese Conquest of Penang. This issue covers the remainder of the campaign and what came after].Th...

by Enzo Sim

Pets in Numbers

4 min read

The ancient practice of having animals as part of a human community, even if not as pets in the modern sense, is at least 15,000 years old. It started with the breeding and domesticating of wild wolves...

by Yap Jo-yee & Ng Kar Yong

Ng Kar Yong

Pet Healthcare Options in Penang

9 min read

ONE WOULD THINK that since afflictions such as gastrointestinal disorders, chronic kidney diseases and the Big C are suffered by both humans and mammals, that i...

by Regina Hoo

What Are the Tropics If Not Naturally Diverse?

10 min read

DESCRIPTIONS OF NATURE in the tropics once employed expressions such as luxuriant, verdant or lush. As technical terminology became the vogue, our ability to im...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Uniting Communities Through Sports and Traditions

2 min read

The organisation of groups of people with similar goals have long been a key aspect in human interaction and social functions – it is also what sports clubs are founded upon.

by Dr. Beh May Ting

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