Wikibeng

Ooi Kee Beng for The Straits Times, 8 September 2016, Malaysia’s former prime minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, surprised his countrymen by turning up at the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Monday to shake the hand of his former deputy and protege, and (perhaps former) political foe, Anwar Ibrahim. This is a highly significant event, … Continue reading →

By Ooi Kee Beng Editorial, Penang Monthly, September 2016. Much of youth is definitely wasted on the young, and this is because the young as a rule are not aware enough of what it means to be old. They are not burdened by the growing sense of mortality that growing old brings. And that is … Continue reading →

By Ooi Kee Beng For The Edge Malaysia, 29 August 2016 Studying history teaches us that the significance of events depends on what span of time and space one brings into play. As in geology, movements can sometimes be so painfully slow to be practically indiscernible, as with the tectonic plates covering lengthy periods of … Continue reading →

Ooi Kee Beng For The Straits Times 26 August 2016 The issue of Bangsa Johor (Johor nationality) made national news again on Wednesday, when former prime minister Mahathir Mohamed was asked about it at a forum on relations between the federal government and state governments. Asked about Johor’s separation from Malaysia, a national concern fanned … Continue reading →

By Ooi Kee Beng, Editorial for Penang Monthly, August 2016 Artists – be these painters or sculptors, musicians or even authors in many cases – need sponsors. They need patrons. In our commercial age, there is of course the market, through which some artists can succeed. Those are few though, and the so-called market often … Continue reading →

By Ooi Kee Beng for The Edge Malaysia, 31 July 2016. The income gap, technically defined, is quite an easy concept to comprehend. One can compare Gross Domestic Product per capita or per household within a given country; and collectively, one can use the Italian sociologist Corrado Gini’s measure of statistical dispersion developed in 1912 … Continue reading →

By Ooi Kee Beng For The Straits Times, Singapore. 22 July 2016. The civil lawsuits filed by the US Justice Department on 20 July 2016 to seize assets worth over US$1 billion stolen from Malaysia’s state fund, 1MDB, are sending tight ripples across the globe. Not only are these the largest set of cases brought … Continue reading →

By OOI KEE BENG Editorial, Penang Monthly, July 2016. Penang’s free port status began eroding after the final boundaries of Malaysia were defined with the exit of Singapore in 1965. By 1974, the federal government had made it a thing of the past. Luckily for the state, the state government that was voted into power … Continue reading →

By Ooi Kee Beng Editorial in Penang Monthly, June 2016. This morning (May 20, 2016), my 12-year-old daughter asked me “what is Capitalism?”. Since the Cold War is over, this is actually a harder question to answer than one may think. So if you, dear reader, do not mind, I shall use this space to … Continue reading →

By Ooi Kee Beng For The Edge Malaysia, 26 June 2016. When studying humanity and its history, what one does is construct a narrative. And in that narrative, one distinguishes heroes from villains, outlines territories and peoples, and differentiates steady trends from turning points. Since different choices result in different stories, it is understandable that … Continue reading →

By Ooi Kee Beng For The Straits Times, Singapore, 26 May 2016 On 5 May, in the midst of the Sarawak state election campaign, a helicopter crashed in the jungle and killed five people, including the Malaysian Deputy Minister for Plantation Industries and Commodities, Datuk Noriah Kasnon, and the Member of Parliament for Kuala Kangsar, … Continue reading →

By Ooi Kee Beng For the Edge Malaysia, 16 May 2016. Practically all pundits predicted that the Barisan Nasional (BN) in Sarawak, headed by the PBB under the leadership of Chief Minister Adenan Satem, would win big in the Sarawak state election held last Saturday, 7 May. They were right, no surprises there. What was … Continue reading →

By Ooi Kee Beng For The Edge Malaysia, 27 April 2016 In an age in which we constantly assert the Paramountcy of the Law and in which we proclaim equality before the law, we carelessly assume that obeying the law, or at least not breaking the law, is all we really need to do for … Continue reading →

By Ooi Kee Beng Editorial, Penang Monthly May 2016. Being a late-bloomer, I seldom took part in sports when I was in school. They felt too physical, too competitive and too regimenting. That did not stop me though from admiring those individuals who could excel not only in sprint, long jump and high jump, but … Continue reading →

By Ooi Kee Beng Editorial in Penang Monthly, April 2016. Thinking about the liveability of cities makes me wonder in what ways cities are similar enough to each other for us to compare them to each other, not to mention their liveability. By virtue of size and significance, it is common that one differentiates between … Continue reading →

By OOI KEE BENG For The Edge Malaysia, 28 March 2016 The problem with thinking of Merdeka—of independence—as a reboot, and as the beginning of a largely internal process through which pride of place on the world stage for the people and the state is that one becomes rather ahistorical. By that, I mean that … Continue reading →

By OOI KEE BENG For The Edge Malaysia, 7 March 2016 This year—2016—is a special year for Malaysia. This is not because of the Sarawak state elections due in April (according to some sources); not because of the alarming economic situation facing so many already poor Malaysians today; nor is it because of the risk … Continue reading →

By Ooi Kee Beng Editorial, Penang Monthly March 2016. Since our cover story for the month is about the future of education in Malaysia, I would like to take up the issue of exposure as a necessary element in the intellectual development of an individual. And this applies to all ages. What does it mean … Continue reading →

By Ooi Kee Beng Editorial, Penang Monthly February 2016. They call it Paradise I don’t know why You call some place Paradise Kiss it goodbye “The Last Resort” The Eagles, 1976. Let’s be upfront about it. Anyone concerned about the survival of the planet has to struggle with the deduction that the greatest threat to … Continue reading →

By Ooi Kee Beng Editorial, Penang Monthly, January 2016 So it’s that time of year again. The Lunar New Year arrives, and we witness the happy congregation of dispersed Chinese at the home of their family elders. They perform tuan yuan (reunion). In essence, they return from all corners of the land, the region and … Continue reading →

By Ooi Kee Beng For The Edge Malaysia, 25 January 2016. The biggest paradox in Malaysian political narrative is how the call for unity is in reality a call for disunity. This comes about because calls for unity tend to be rhetorical appeals for racial unity vis-à-vis other races. Since all societies today—and Malaysia started … Continue reading →

By Ooi Kee Beng, editorial for Penang Monthly, December 2015. Natural resources are always good to have. If rightly used, they are the basis not only for an economy’s path of growth, but also for its international identity. Having said that, it is not always easy to recognize a valuable natural resource. Something that is an asset … Continue reading →

By Ooi Kee Beng for The Edge Malaysia, 28 December 2015. Malaysia has drawn the attention of the global community in recent times, and this has largely been much more as negative publicity than positive. Just last Thursday, the European Parliament passed a resolution deploring “the deteriorating human rights situation in Malaysia and in particular the … Continue reading →

By Ooi Kee Beng, for The Edge Malaysia, 30 November 2015 In recent weeks, the Southeast Asian region has been getting more global attention than it is used to, or is in fact comfortable with. But while governments there have for years been reiterating ASEAN Centrality as the cornerstone of their foreign policy, most of … Continue reading →

Editorial for Penang Monthly November 2015 Now when Penang is holding its George Town Literary Festival again—and I have no doubt that it will be an even greater success than before—let me ponder over what I think is one of the most important things that have failed to develop properly in post-colonial Malaysia, namely our … Continue reading →

By OOI KEE BENG For TODAY NEWSPAPER SINGAPORE, 28 September 2015 Following the Red-Shirt rally in Kuala Lumpur on Sept 16, discussions have been rife that the government of Prime Minister Najib Razak was “playing the racial card” to bolster support and to distract the public, especially its Malay supporters, from distressing issues at hand. … Continue reading →

BY OOI KEE BENG TODAY NEWSPAPER, SINGAPORE 28 OCTOBER 2015 Just 20 months short of turning half a century old, the Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) will officially become an integrated community. On Dec 31 this year, rotating ASEAN chair Malaysia will declare this to be the case. The integration has essentially been and … Continue reading →

By OOI KEE BENG The Edge Malaysia, 26 October 2015 What any Malaysian knows at heart is that the Malay community will always dominate the politics of the country. This means in concrete terms that Malaysia’s key leaders will always nominally and in reality be Malay Muslims. However, the country’s population is a very mixed … Continue reading →

Editorial for Penang Monthly October 2015 Tourism has been vital to Penang for decades, but a competent history of it has yet to be written to give due credit to the key actors involved, to describe the twists and turns and ups and downs of the industry over time, and to understand the debates and … Continue reading →

By Ooi Kee Beng For Penang Monthly, October 2015. [Also published in Digital Edge Weekly, 31 August 2015 as “Merdeka – Unfinished Liberation”] It takes two hands to clap; there is no shore unless there is sea; and one man’s ceiling is another man’s floor, as the poet rightly claims. You get the point. There … Continue reading →

Editorial for Penang Monthly, September 2015 Pulau Tikus. The name always sounded exotic to the ears of a boy growing up in the general area of Ayer Itam (yes, not Air Itam), Reservoir Gardens and Rifle Range. At a time when I still measured distance by bicycle speed, the place was far enough away to … Continue reading →

By Ooi Kee Beng For SING, August 2015 “50 Years, and Counting…” [Singapore Association of Hong Kong]. This tiny nation may be heavy-handed at times, but many laud it adaptive, responsive, progressive and even creative. Ooi Kee Beng examines the paradox that is Singapore, and why it has been so successful the last 50 years. … Continue reading →

Editorial for Penang Monthly, August 2015. I WAS IN Abu Dhabi recently for the first time. The United Arab Emirates is a strange land. Its citizens make up only 15% of the whole population. The rest are foreigners of one kind or another and from all parts of the world. It is in that sense … Continue reading →

By OOI KEE BENG Editorial, Penang Monthly, JULY 2015 We take global communication as a matter of course today. Not long ago, messages had to be written on physical media to arrive only after being carried across oceans and mountains. Since then, we have seen the telegram come and go, and now with the internet … Continue reading →

By Ooi Kee Beng For The Edge Malaysia | July 7, 2015 I have always enjoyed the story — almost certainly a false and libellous one, but that does not matter here — about the tragic French Queen Marie Antoinette watching in consternation from a palace window as rebels rioted on the streets of Paris … Continue reading →

For THE EDGE Malaysia, May 31-June 6 2015 (titled “Democracy is Necessarily Multi-tiered” By OOI KEE BENG It is time we pay careful attention to the essential multi-tieredness of democracy. Democracy is in essence much more than simply the electing of a central government. It is about electing representatives at different levels in order to … Continue reading →

Editorial, Penang Monthly June 2015 By OOI KEE BENG It is very sad that the state of Penang is being ignored in the 11th Malaysia Plan (2016-2020). None of the infrastructure projects the Penang government presented for financial support has been accepted by the federal government. Putrajaya seems to imagine that Malaysia will reach advanced … Continue reading →

Editorial of Penang Monthly, May 2015 By OOI KEE BENG Spread the good news! Penang Monthly will be a free magazine from June 2015 onwards. Next month, you will be able to pick up a copy at selected locations throughout Penang. Gerakbudaya Penang (78, Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling, opening hours 11am-8pm) and Chocolate Passion Cafe … Continue reading →

By OOI KEE BENG For THE EDGE MALAYSIA, March 29-April 4 How the geographical belt stretching from South India through Southeast Asia up to Northeast Asia develops in the near future holds great significance not only for the global economy but for how leaders in maritime Southeast Asia think about their own country. To be … Continue reading →

Editorial for Penang Monthly, April 2015 By OOI KEE BENG It is fascinating how seemingly innocuous words actually are not. Especially those that sound neutral, even ethically positive. That is why the sage never thinks in haste, because he knows the words that bear his thoughts cannot be trusted and his listener’s ability to understand … Continue reading →

By Ooi Kee Beng For The EDGE Malaysia, April 2015 Malaysia is in serious trouble today because the different narratives that have been driving politics in the country for more than half a century have come into direct conflict with each other. This shows more clearly than ever that what was always important for social … Continue reading →

By OOI KEE BENG Penang Monthly Editor’s Column — March 5, 2015 Democracy is a big word, and like all big words it is given to controversy and misuse. Since the magazine’s cover story this month and in April will be about local elections and local governments, it may be suitable to discuss what Democracy … Continue reading →

By OOI KEE BENG for THE EDGE MALAYSIA, 22-28 February 2015 Malaysian political disagreements have deteriorated to a level quite unthinkable in the minds of the founding fathers. Name-calling of the type, “I’m not a racist, you are”, is now common, and does no credit to the country’s reputation. When childish quarrels take the place … Continue reading →

By OOI KEE BENG, for THE EDGE Malaysia, 31 January-6 February, 2015. Aiming for maximum effect, the anti-poverty organisation Oxfam International megaphoned just before the World Economic Forum began in Davos, that the wealth gap has become incredibly huge. It released a study indicating that the richest one percent is on the brink of owning … Continue reading →

Cover Story for Penang Monthly, February 2015 By OOI KEE BENG fe•tish noun \ˈfe-tish also ˈfē-\ : a strong and unusual need or desire for something : a need or desire for an object, body part or activity for sexual excitement : an object that is believed to have magical powers Standfirst: Building a nation … Continue reading →

By OOI KEE BENG, Editorial for Penang Monthly, February 2015 Have you ever thought about apparently different things, only to find out as you go along that they are totally linked trains of thought? And what starts out as a multitasking undertaking leads in the end to an epiphany of a sort. This is not … Continue reading →

PENANG MONTHLY, Feature Story February 2015 by Ooi Kee Beng Cultures are defined by their literature. In fact, in Chinese – classical or modern – the same term is used for both. What this tells us is that a country’s self-consciousness is vibrant and alive only if writing is strongly encouraged among its population. See … Continue reading →

By Ooi Kee Beng For Commentary, The National University of Singapore Society (NUSS). Volume 23, 2014. IF ONE DOES NOT go back too far, one could divide relations between Singapore and Malaysia into the Mahathir period and the Post-Mahathir period. Malaysia’s long-term Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed retired on 30 October 2003, after 22 … Continue reading →

By OOI KEE BENG For YaleGlobal Online, MacMillan Center. 26 June 2014. The world is on the watch for Islamic extremism – recent examples include the execution of some 1,700 Shia solders in Iraq and the kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls in Nigeria. Two dynamics are underway that confound international relations, argues Ooi Kee … Continue reading →

By OOI KEE BENG For The Edge, Malaysia, May 25, 2014 What seems to have happened in Malaysian politics since 2008 is that we have a voter population that is divided right down the middle, and given the nature of the game, this situation is expected to remain for quite a while. We have a … Continue reading →