Federalism arrested
7 min read
On September 16, 1963 a covenant was forged between the peoples of Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore, resulting in the creation of a new sovereign nation cal...
City Status Is a Matter of Status – and Expectations
5 min read
What’s in a name? Does George Town smell any less sweet now that the city status encompasses the entire island of Penang?
Plan, plan and you will succeed
7 min read
“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” From small undertakings to the creation of cities, this holds true and many have found themselves in unfortunate predicaments with few solutions when things are not properly thought out on the drawing board.
An Air Ferry for Penang
6 min read
With two bridges linking Penang’s island and mainland, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng now looks towards an aerial connection to stitch more tightly the state’s two halves together.
Building Batu Kawan Brick by Brick
10 min read
The vast and vacant territory of Batu Kawan – formerly a backwater – is now buzzing with activity and anticipation. It lies at the start of the Second Penang Bridge which opened just over a year ago.
Bukit Mertajam Offers Some Rare Authenticity
6 min read
Bukit Mertajam might be well off the tourist map, but it has much more to offer than what its reputation as George Town’s satellite suggests. We take a walk to the town’s centre and meet its protagonists.
Penang on the Verge of a Revolution in Waste Management
7 min read
Applying bacteria technology to recycle waste, a Penang company is turning our mounting throwaways into liquid fertilisers, reducing the need for landfills.
Keeping the Orphans Safe
5 min read
Situated along Penang’s Jalan Scotland, the Ramakrishna Ashrama has come a long way since it was founded in 1938. This orphanage survived World War II and the Japanese Occupation of Malaya.
Schooling for Rohingya children in Penang
5 min read
When the Burma Citizenship Law was enacted in 1982, 800,000 Rohingya were left stateless because it no longer recognised them as citizens. Stateless and vulnerable to abuse, they were subject to forced labour, harassment, rape, arbitrary land seizure and destruction of property.
It Is Time We Help the Stateless Among Us
6 min read
The local media and the international press have been strongly drawn to the plight of the Rohingyas, who have been denied citizenship by their government and who are left stranded at sea in their attempt to seek greener pastures.
Can Malaysia Achieve High-speed Widely Penetrative Broadband by 2020?
4 min read
The 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP) highlighted that broadband infrastructure will continue to expand to cover rural households, and to provide affordable broadband and high quality digital infrastructure.
Penang: Malaysia’s Stepchild or Prodigal Child?
6 min read
The grandiose plans of the 11th Malaysia Plan, in a bizarre and unfair manner, excludes Penang.