July 2014 - Penang Monthly

Who’s the Hero– Tuah or Jebat?

5 min read

Who was right – Hang Tuah or Hang Jebat? Which one is the true hero? This was a question posed to a journalist when he was called to the police headquarters for a scare session in 1987, in the wake of Operation Lalang.

by Kee Thuan Chye

Was Bujang Valley Culture the Beginning of Malayness?

6 min read

The Bujang Valley civilisation, which stretches back to possibly as early as the year 110, is the oldest in South- East Asia, predating Angkor Wat (12th century), Sri Vijaya (seventh century), Majapahit (13th century), Borobudur (ninth century) and the Malacca Sultanate (15th century).

by Ooi Kok Chuen

The Grey World of Capital Movements

9 min read

Building connectivity does not only mean maximising the movement of goods. The movement of people and their wealth, not to mention corporations and their capital, are central to the global economy. But what does capital flows – and capital flight – mean?

by Herbert Poenisch

Herbert Poenisch

Talk About Elections Being Local!

4 min read

Why wait five years just to vote once when you can organise low-level neighbourhood elections to get a better say in the very place you live? This was what the residents of Taman Weng Lock asked themselves after being rudely woken up.

by Cynthia Hoo

Cynthia Hoo

Social Entrepreneurs: Just Who Are They?

6 min read

The perennial phrase “give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime” does not capture all the essentials where social entrepreneurs are concerned. In effect, these seek to revolutionise the entire fishing industry through innovative thought.

by P. S. Yeoh

P. S. Yeoh

Quick Guide to A Green Life

3 min read

A lot of us want to do something to help the environment. Maybe we’re concerned about what’s in our food, toiletries or cosmetics. Malaysians, as relatively new entrants into the consumerism fray, are very much at the mercy of transnational corporations (TNC).

by Pamela Nowicka

Penang – A Future Centre for Classical Music in Asia?

6 min read

At the Penang Philharmonic Orchestra’s (PPO) new venue on Lebuh Pitt, young musicians calmly practice their shiny instruments. In a few hours, they will be playing "Beethoven's First", the first of a cycle of Beethoven symphonies the orchestra will be performing this year.

by Jeffrey Hardy Quah

No Country A Contemporary Art Exhibition Without Borders

8 min read

The Guggenheim UBS MAP Global Art Initiative is a five-year programme which stretches across three regions: South and South-East Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa.

by Julia Tan

Keeping Silambam Spinning

5 min read

On Penang Island, a small group of dedicated Tamils fights the odds to ensure that an ancient martial art stays alive.

by Marco Ferrarese & Chan Kit Yeng

Is the Nursing Profession in Good Health?

12 min read

In February, an Air Asia advertisement caused an uproar among the nursing community – and for good reason.

by Julia Tan

As Travellers Get Smart, Hoteliers Have to Get Smarter

4 min read

The travel business has been revolutionized, bringing pressures and opportunities to hoteliers and travelers alike. WIT, a travel news portal supported by Penang Global Tourism, will try to bring Penang’s hoteliers up to date at a workshop in July at China House.

by Yeoh Siew Hoon

Aiming for Developed Yet Healthy Cities

7 min read

Anthony Capon’s first trip to Penang was as a medical student in 1981, and 30-odd years later, he is stunned by how much Penang has changed.

by Jeffrey Hardy Quah