Bukit Brown activism- A race to save history
6 min read
Standing amidst 173 acres of lush and undisturbed undergrowth in Bukit Brown, Singapore, one becomes aware of a sense of urgency in the air. A loose group...
Championing Chinese Ink- Perception Is What Is
5 min read
At the head of the Neo-Nanyang movement to promote Chinese ink tradition is Cheah Thien Soong @ Cheah Mei. At 71, he has been reinventing and revitalising the g...
Not Being Affraid Anymore - Ksatriya's music demands attention
4 min read
Young, talented and passionate, musician Ksatriya refuses to box himself into a genre. One can easily see why. Beat poet, punk poet and self-proclaimed “r...
What East Malaysians Care About
5 min read
It was the day that the two policemen were acquitted of the murder of Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu. None of us here in Ba Kelalan heard the news until a...
Staying Prepared For natural disasters
6 min read
After the May 13 riots in 1969, the National Operations Council was formed to restore law and order. It was disbanded when Parliament was restored in 1971. Howe...
Ending Child Soldiering in Myanmar
7 min read
The Myanmar state army – the Tatmadaw – has discharged 176 child soldiers since September 2012 as part of the Joint Action Plan between the governme...
Heroes of Documentaries
5 min read
Recently, Penang Institute hosted a rare cinematic moment – the airing of a locally-produced documentary in a Gurney Plaza cineplex.Heroes of Chingay wa...
Online Platforms That Run Errands For You
4 min read
Shawn (not his real name) was excited; he had booked a hotel room where he planned to propose to his girlfriend. A day before the event, he came down with a hea...
Virtual Classrooms are virtually here
8 min read
At school I had decent handwriting, but it’s been steadily getting worse. More worryingly, the other day I was handed a paper map and absentmindedly tried...
How well can we police the police?
5 min read
As enforcers of the law, the police are imbued with considerable power – but this is power that is wide open for abuse. As cases of police brutality and d...
Straits Green – towards more quality public space for Penang
5 min read
Last August, Penangites welcomed the makeover of Straits Green, a pocket park near Tanjung Tokong. Dubbed a “playground by the sea”, the park boas...
After the good start, let's get the rest high
6 min read
Two months ago, I wrote in this column about the issue of English and asked whether our government would give the language the importance it deserves and get ou...