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Ooi Kee Beng

Dr OOI KEE BENG is the Executive Director of Penang Institute (George Town, Penang, Malaysia). He was born and raised in Penang, and was the Deputy Director of ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute (formerly the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, ISEAS). He is the founder-editor of the Penang Monthly (published by Penang Institute), ISEAS Perspective (published by ISEAS) and ISSUES (published by Penang Institute). He is also editor of Trends in Southeast Asia, and a columnist for The Edge, Malaysia.
Ooi Kee Beng has written 517 posts for Wikibeng

The Global North and South at a Crossroads: Preparing for Multipolar Stability

By OOI KEE BENG, presentation at the Baichuan Forum: “Global South in Transition: Geopolitical Dynamics and Development Cooperation”, 24-25 May 2025, Organised by CUHK-Shenzhen and Iinstitute for International Affairs, Qianhai Adopting different timespans provide for different glimpses of the subject in question. Different timespans also impact the concepts being used to decide them. This weekend, … Continue reading

Deconstructing the Notion of Good Governance

By OOI KEE BENG, for The Edge Malaysia, in the column “Picking on the Present”; 26 May – 1 June 2025. AS A RULE, one should focus more on structure, purpose and process when talking about Governance. This is all the more important when one is to discuss the notion of “Good Governance”, and the … Continue reading

May 2025 issue of Penang Monthly

https://www.penangmonthly.com/tag/may-2025/ I reached my 70th birthday in May 2025. My dear colleagues, led by my old friend Liew Chin Tong, Malaysia’s Deputy Minister for International Trade and Investment, decided to use the May issue of Penang Monthly (of which we are co-founders) to highlight what they see as my contributions in leadership and parenthood, and … Continue reading

George Town, Adelaide and other Siblings

By OOI KEE BENG, speech at Ayer’s House, given as part of the Adelaide’s History Festival, on 12 May 2025 SIBLING RELATIONSHIPS are very complex matters. I come from a family with four brothers, and two half-brothers and a half-sister. And I have three children from two marriages. Much insights—and moments of exasperation—have been gained … Continue reading

Recognising the Geopolitical Backdrop for Modern Self-Perceptions

By Dr OOI KEE BENG My being here today, in Adelaide, South Australia, is still a great surprise to me. This is because there are certain geographical journeys in one’s step-by-step trip through life that one does not envisage for a variety of reasons. Australia was never on my to-see and to-do list. I lived … Continue reading

A History Lesson for Malaysia as it Responds to the Trump-given Multipolar Moment

By OOI KEE BENG, in The Edge Malaysia’s column “Picking on the Present”, 17-25 April 2025 Continuing the line of thinking presented in this column last month, on “Recognising Colonial History as the Genesis of Malaysian History”, we are given a shocking current example of how excessive nostalgia for post glory, by its nature, always … Continue reading

Trumpism as Delayed Reaction to the Success of Export-Oriented Growth in the Global South

By Ooi Kee Beng A shorter version published on 13 April 2025 by South China Morning Post as “Decoding Trump’ s tariffs and the world’s multipolar future” can be read at South China Morning Post, 13 Apr 2025: https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3306221/decoding-trumps-tariffs-and-worlds-multipolar-future?display=plus Perhaps what the world is missing in trying to make head or tail of Trump’s tariff … Continue reading

As the Sun Warms the Valley…

By OOI KEE BENG, April 2025 editorial in Penang Monthly. I AM IN THE foothills of the peninsula’s main mountain range, off Gopeng. It is early morning, 7am. From the balcony of my room, I throw pellets from a bag provided by the hotel to the multitude of pink and gold fish in the pond. … Continue reading

Recognising Colonial History as the Genesis of Malaysian History

By OOI KEE BENG, in The Edge Malaysia, 22-29 March 2025. AS WESTERN POWERS go into crisis mode again, and as the global structure within which the nations of the world relate to each other evolves beyond recognition, there is great need for historians to step up. Their voice is needed to help us analyse, … Continue reading

Simple Tools for Taming Your Prejudices

By OOI KEE BENG, Penang Monthly March 2025 Editorial I AM STRONGLY convinced that as long as children continue to be brought up to learn behaviours and imbibe ideas that certain groups of humans are inherently worth less than others, we can expect human civilisation to not be much more than an exercise in Damage … Continue reading