Making federalism REAL
17 min read
Malaysia Day celebrations.Many West Malaysians will find it mind-boggling for Malaysians one day to celebrate three national days: August 31 as Merdeka Da...
Malaysia’s special role in the South China Sea
13 min read
Soldiers of the Chinese People's Liberation Army 1st Amphibious Mechanised Infantry Division.In May this year, Chinese oil company China National Offshore...
A history of local elections in Penang Part I: Democracy Comes Early
13 min read
Fifty years ago, in March 1965, local elections were suspended throughout the newly founded Federation of Malaysia.Those were turbulent times in many ways, no...
A history of local elections in Penang Part II: A legacy to protect
12 min read
In response to the increased dynamism evident in Malaysian politics today, and in order to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of local elections in Penang and...
One Heck of a Hill
11 min read
Visitors to Flagstaff Hill – the traditional name for Penang Hill – have more than doubled in the last five years. There may have been some complain...
The ringgit and sen of festivals
11 min read
Malaysia enjoys a plethora of annual religious and ethnic festivities, thanks to its multicultural population. From Hari Raya Aidilfitri to Chinese New Year and...
A city’s status and its civil society
12 min read
It’s not easy getting a Unesco listing. Apart from the rigorous assessment criteria, the nomination process can be highly political – tourist income...
The Unity Fetish
10 min read
Boy in Kelantan. Collective identities are a demand from without, while individual identity is a personally lived experience.The collective individualMa...
Local elections as the foundation of democracy Part I: The Athi Nahappan Report revisited
8 min read
Penang in the 1960s. The newly formed Alliance central government had found it increasingly difficult to govern and achieve its version of national unity beca...
The Athi Nahappan Report revisited Part 2: Local elections are part of a larger reform agenda
13 min read
The most cited recommendation of the Athi Nahappan Royal Commission of Enquiry must be the restoration of local government elections. Today, half a century late...
Crisis ahead for private higher education – and solutions
13 min read
Graduating students of the Penang Medical College (PMC). Private university enrolment is expected to grow at 5.6% per annum and overtake the public sector in...
Butterworth beckons A bright future awaits East Penang
13 min read
It lies just 3km across the North Channel from George Town, but for most islandside Penangites, Butterworth is a world away.Seemingly limp and lifeless, the m...