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...
Will the falling oil price mean austerity for Malaysia?
4 min read
With the oil price falling more than 40% since June from US$115 a barrel to, as of press time, below US$70 a barrel, the US Energy Information Agency (EIA) agai...
Getting to know Malaysia, one trip at a time
4 min read
On a Friday afternoon, photographer Chok Yen Hau was at the market in Wakaf Che Yeh near Kota Bharu. It was his first ever trip to Kelantan. Entranced by the co...
The housing market in Penang today
7 min read
Malaysia’s population crossed the 30 million mark in February 2014. According to the Population and Housing Census 2010, about three in 10 people fall in...
Penang transportation by the numbers
4 min read
We examine the transport situation in Penang and provide the statistics on the trends and modes of transportation available in the state.Vehicle re-re...
Ripples from global events threaten local economy
13 min read
The economy of Malaysia – and of Penang – depends to a significant degree on global trends, since both are highly exposed to externalities nowadays....
Penang Economic Outlook 2015
4 min read
• The external macro environment, in particular the crude oil price, the timing on the start of the rise in US interest rates and its ensuing impact on fin...
Making Malaysia’s literary capital work
9 min read
Umapagan Ampikaipakan is no stranger to organising festivals. Having directed Cooler Lumpur – South-East Asia’s first festival of ideas – for...
An art exchange on Penang’s walls and streets
6 min read
A crowd of curious Penangites and visitors gathered at the Hin Bus Depot Art Centre on Jalan Gurdwara at the end of November for the launch of the international...
The more individual stories we acknowledge, the more authentic our national history
6 min read
Balik kampung – a true Malaysian traditionOne thing common to most Malaysians is the balik kampung tradition. This goes even for those millions who have...
The Art of Sonny Liew
9 min read
Sonny Liew.In Seremban, a young Sonny Liew stumbled across an issue of the British anthology comic series, 2000AD. “My mind was blown,” he sai...
Springtime for art biennales
7 min read
At Heathrow in London, I was singled out by security personnel for an “interview” after X-ray clearance. When told that I was simply stopping over i...
