June 2010 - Penang Monthly

Unravelling the figures

8 min read

A guide to dissecting the 2009 Bank Negara Report. Official numbers for the Malaysian economy are released twice every year, in March by Bank Negara Malaysia and on Budget Day in September by the Federal Treasury.

by Chan Huan Chiang

Chan Huan Chiang

Birdmen of Penang

8 min read

The battle for habitat between man and bird is an ancient one, and sadly, man is winning.

by Ooi Kok Chuen

The New Economic Model – Strategic Policy Directions

4 min read

Malaysia has made significant progress over the last few decades – the eradication of poverty and provision of health and education for its people, world-class infrastructure and access to modern technologies.

by Poh Heem Heem

Poh Heem Heem

Young Nepalese in Penang

5 min read

Penang, filled with factories on the island and in Seberang Prai on the mainland, has an unquenchable thirst for workers, both skilled and unskilled. Opinions differ as to how this demand cannot be met by local workers.

by Andy Ooi

Andy Ooi

Laying the groundwork for innovative growth

3 min read

During the talk at Wawasan Open University’s main campus on April 20, 2010, World Bank economist for Malaysia Philip Schellekens emphasised that “innovation is key for Malaysia’s longterm prosperity”.

by Selvarani Suppiah

Selvarani Suppiah

Celebration of culture

4 min read

Two years on from George Town’s listing as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the newly established George Town World Heritage Office is planning a revamped and extended annual bash to celebrate the honour.

by Rosalind Chua

Rosalind Chua

Safety in the cities

8 min read

A horrific incident occurred in April in Shah Alam, Selangor, that will sadly be merely an additional statistic in the growing list of police shootings recorded in recent times.

by Tricia Yeoh

Gardens going to seed

7 min read

The public wants to be involved before a project is carried out.” But the public wasn’t informed, not until the projects were well under way. Then it was too late, and widespread outrage soon followed.

by Jeffrey Hardy Quah & Ben Wismen

Ben Wismen

Butterworth Remains the Ugly Duckling

5 min read

When a clear vision for growth is missing, places and plans that hold promise turn into disappointments. Such is the case for Butterworth. But now that the town is richly represented in the state assembly, perhaps the aging duckling can yet turn out to be a swan.

by Datuk Dr. Goh Ban Lee

An Eminent Malaysian Academic Abroad

10 min read

Professor Aihwa Ong is an internationally respected anthropologist with at least 10 books to her name. Born in Penang where she had her entire pre-tertiary education, she is now a Professor of Socio-Cultural Anthropology at the University of California at Berkeley, the United States.

by Datuk Dr. Goh Ban Lee

Nation In A Dilemma

15 min read

The mere mention of migrant workers is usually greeted with a sneer, and when not, it is because of indifference. Foreign workers are often seen as a wage depressant, and accused of “taking” jobs away from locals.

by Ivy Kwek

Ivy Kwek

Voter registration

2 min read

On May 1, 2010, a voter registration drive was held throughout Penang, with the aim of encouraging more Penangites to get involved in the parliamentary process.

by Penang Monthly