July 2015 - Penang Monthly

A Show of Images Small, Succinct and Sensational

5 min read

Diversity is perhaps best noticed and accepted when artistic and cultural expressions are clearly framed and starkly expressed. By encouraging small and mobile paintings, inspiration gets democratised.

by Ooi Kok Chuen

Where There’s A Will, There Can Be Light

4 min read

The very small village of Long Rusu in Sarawak, population 20, is supplied with hydroelectricity, thanks to a spirit of gotong-royong.

by Carolyn Hong

Let’s Clean Up Our Island City

4 min read

In general, human settlements are called villages, towns or cities, depending on size and importance. But more often than not, the difference between “town” and “city” is unclear.

by Datuk Dr. Goh Ban Lee

A Trail of Beauty and History

5 min read

The Lily Pond Circular Walk is one of the most attractive and accessible hikes in Penang, and takes only a couple of hours even at our slow pace. For this reason it is one we come back to again and again.

by Louise Goss-Custard

The History of Bukit Mertajam, Part II: From Rural Board to Town Council

6 min read

With the rubber boom of the mid-20th century, Bukit Mertajam develops to become a major town, spurred by the tenacity of the locals, an able council and – interestingly – the triads.

by Koay Su-Lyn

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.

by Emilia Ismail

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.

by Matthew Tan Kiak Hin

Making Full Use of a Creative Economy

6 min read

The importance of a creative economy is undeniable – it generates income, jobs and export earnings based on the practical ingenuity of individuals and groups. According to Unesco’s 2013 Creative Economy report, a total of US$624bil in world trade was generated by creative goods and services in 2011.

by Ong Wooi Leng

Moving Towards High-performing Shared Services and Outsourcing

6 min read

Global capitalism is changing. MNCs are now expected to build the next generation of high-performing support services operations at their offshore centres throughout the world.

by Ong Wooi Leng

Cautiously but Surely, Penang's Growth Continues

8 min read

Penang’s economy is dependent on national and global economic conditions; the US economic recovery, lower oil prices, the Asean Economic Community (AEC) and the implementation of GST in Malaysia are likely to change consumers’ spending and producers’ output, as well as business strategies.

by Ong Wooi Leng

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.

by Ong Wooi Leng

Are 11MP’s Projections Not Too Optimistic?

5 min read

With factors such as a creeping debt service cost and tepid investors, can Malaysia achieve Vision 2020 at the end of the 11th Malaysia Plan?

by Dr. Lim Kim-Hwa