September 2025

This September, we explore Seberang Perai Selatan. Our stories cover Nibong Tebal’s Teochew heritage and sugar legacy, Batu Kawan’s evolution into a township, Penang’s waste challenges at Pulau Burung, the brackish rivers of the south, and the communities that shape the district today.

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Merdeka For Whom? Ooi Kee Beng Rethinks Malaysia's Nationhood

4 min read

Ooi Kee Beng, a prolific writer and academic, continues to shape discourse through Penang Monthly, Penang Institute, and his regular column in The Edge.

by Carolyn Khor

A Mind That Inspires, A Mentor Who Guides

4 min read

At his core, Kee Beng is an anarchist—not in the reckless, chaotic sense, but philosophically. He distrusts power structures that stifle independent thought, and he resists hierarchies that demand obedience over understanding.

by Dr. Beh May Ting

Renewable Energy In Malaysia: The Hard Truth And The Way Forward

11 min read

MALAYSIA IS AT an energy crossroads, but most Malaysians don‘t even realise it. For decades, the global narrative on…

by Lionel Yap Teck Liong

As the Sun Warms the Valley…

3 min read

I AM IN the foothills of the peninsula’s main mountain range, off Gopeng. It is early morning, 7am. From…

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Wealth Tax Systems Needed in ASEAN

4 min read

THIS YEAR, Malaysia chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). But ASEAN is not just about government-to-government ties, neither…

by Ian McIntyre

Stamp Collecting: The King of Hobbies

5 min read

THE SAYING GOES that “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”—that’s how it began for Ng…

by Lim Wan Phing

Unclogging Penang Roads Through Improved Means Of Law Enforcement

4 min read

THE MOST AUTHENTIC driving experience in Penang would definitely include getting stuck in traffic, struggling to secure a parking spot,…

by Kenneth Chin

Faded Landscapes: Alex Face's Journey Across Fleeting Time

4 min read

ALEX FACE (Patcharapon Tangruen) is a Thai artist whose name has become synonymous with street art, along with deep reflections…

by Ivan Gabriel

Rewang: A Wonderful Malay Tradition Losing Out To Urban Living

7 min read

DRIVE-THRU KENDURI[1] is an ongoing joke among my siblings. Why not? It is fast, cheap and convenient! In fact,…

by Husna Shafirah

Electrification Of Mobility In Malaysia: The “Why” Is As Important As The “How”

4 min read

…

by Liew Chin Tong

Penang Energy Framework: Meeting the State’s Energy Ambitions

4 min read

AS PART OF the commitment to the Paris Agreement to reduce the carbon intensity of the country by 45% by…

by Dr. Ng Shin Wei & Renuka Radakrishnan

Dr. Ng Shin Wei Renuka Radakrishnan

Places of Worship In Penang Photographed by The Traveller, Jules Claine

5 min read

JULES CLAINE WAS a French explorer and diplomat who spent a year travelling across Malaysia in 1889 and 1890, photographing…

by Anne Tan

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