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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 520 posts for Wikibeng

Soft Handling of Divisions is ASEAN’s Strength

By Ooi Kee Beng For THE EDGE, Malaysia,30 March 2014 One trend is quite certain in these uncertain times, and that is that China’s political economy’s impact on the world will increase for a long time to come. For the Big Powers, China’s rise is understood sometimes as a win-win situation, but oftentimes as a … Continue reading

Federating Malaysia—A Continuous and Troubled Process

By OOI KEE BENG Editorial for Penang Monthly, April 2014. PM’s cover story this month is about East Malaysia, and how unknown a territory it has always been to Malaysians on the peninsula. To start with, we need to remind ourselves of how troubled the beginnings of the Federation of Malaya actually were—and I don’t … Continue reading

A Magnificently Rich Tome on Early Penang

Review of Penang – The Fourth Presidency of India 1805-1830, Volume One: Ships, Men and Mansions, by Mark Langdon. George Town: Areca Books. 2013. By OOI KEE BENG, for Penang Monthly, March 2014 There are several questions about the history of Penang that have bothered me for quite a while, satisfactory responses to which cannot … Continue reading

Letting Little Things Talk

INTERVIEW with Tan Twan Eng. In Penang Monthly, February 2014. OOI KEE BENG: What fascinates me greatly about your writing is your ability – and your apparent need – to embellish your narration with a sensitive description of some act or item occurring on the side. I hesitate to use the word “embellish”, because very … Continue reading

Retaining the Ability to Enjoy Simple Abilities

By OOI KEE BENG EDITORIAL for Penang Monthly, March 2014 This month’s article about the endless hunt for energy to power modern man’s countless machines leads me to think about the psychological consequences of our dependence on external power; and how that dependence clouds our appreciation of the most simple talents and faculties we possess; … Continue reading

The More Satire We Accept, the More Mature We Are

By Ooi Kee Beng For THE EDGE, Malaysia. Feb 24 – Mar 2, 2014 Regimentation is elemental to Nation building. The issue is about “How”. How are the processes of social regulation, legal control, central education and negotiated buy-ins arranged?; how is national pride and identity, not to mention national knowledge and aspirations, developed and … Continue reading

Anwar as Selangor MB will provide track record for next polls, says top analyst

By Eileen Ng, February 07, 2014: The Malaysian Insider A prominent Malaysia watcher has said that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim becoming the Selangor Menteri Besar could be a game changer for the opposition, as it provided him the opportunity to lead the state and a track record to pitch to Malaysians in the future. Dr … Continue reading

The Importance of Being Inspirable

By OOI KEE BENG, Editorial for Penang Monthly, February 2014. It’s always a bit disconcerting when a notion forms in your mind and you cannot find a good word for it. Memory going bad? Mental energy running out? Bad vocabulary? In many cases, it is one of the above – or more. Also, when you … Continue reading

Malaysia’s democratically elected leaders must act

By OOI KEE BENG, For The Edge, Kuala Lumpur, 3-7 February 2014. WITH rising racial and religious intolerance dominating the stage in Malaysia, the basic unresolved problem in the country’s development becomes painfully apparent once again, and questions begged to be asked and answered, again. Principally, how can the diverse cultural terrain that is Malaysia … Continue reading

Can Development be Inclusive?

By OOI KEE BENG [Speech given at 27th Conference of the Academy of Latinity in Kuala Lumpur. Organised with Global Movement of Moderates (GMM), 7 January 2014]. Honoured guests, dear friends, I am most honoured to be here today for this event, and to be on this esteemed panel. My short speech today at this … Continue reading