May 2010

The central role that Penang played in the early modernisation of South-East Asia is succinctly captured in the fact that it was the place where the region’s press history began. The first newspaper established there was The Prince of Wales Island Gazette.

The Penang Outlook Forum provides a platform for the assessment of Penang’s past achievements, present capabilities and future growth potential. This year’s focus will be on “Penang in Asia” and the forum will be held at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), Singapore.

Penangites have been leaving the state to work in other parts of Malaysia and throughout the world, at least since the 1960s. The ties they retain with their home state vary, depending on family and working conditions.

Something that Malaysians have had to realise in recent months is that political power in the country has over the years become so centralised that local governance is in real danger of disappearing altogether.

The Socio-Economic and Environmental Research Institute (SERI) celebrates its 13th anniversary and synchronises it with Earth Hour.

The state government makes a long-term commitment to “green” the state by signing the Kyoto Declaration for the Promotion of Environmentally Sustainable Transport in Cities.

Life in a colonial port was always complicated, and historical descriptions of individuals and events tended to reflect racial and gender biases, allowing many to fade away from memory. Tan Soon Cheng draws attention to a forgotten lady philanthropist.