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By Ooi Kee Beng [for Penang Economic Monthly, September 2011] Standfirst: August is the only time of year when Penang’s son, Jomo K.S., can get away from his office at the United Nations in New York. While passing through Southeast Asia, he gave talks in Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. I managed to squeeze a … Continue reading
by Ooi Kee Beng For TODAY, 2 Sept 2011 On July 9, the streets of Kuala Lumpur played host to animated engagements between demonstrators and the police. Bersih 2.0, which started out as a simple and hesitant attempt to revive public interest in electoral reforms, became a huge demonstration that captured the imagination of many … Continue reading
By Ooi Kee Beng [PEM September 2011 Editorial] From August 2, 2011, the name of the research centre that produces this magazine is changed from seri to Penang Institute. While there are several reasons for this evolution, the change that it signals most strongly is the realisation that social research in Penang and Malaysia – … Continue reading
By Ooi Kee Beng [PEM August 2011 Editorial] Most of us are prepared to accept the notion that Science is objective. The application of Science, however, is another story. Technology is driven not only by the matrix of demand and supply, it also springs from cultural biases. Once a new technology has rooted itself, society … Continue reading
By Ooi Kee Beng for Penang Economic Monthly, August 2011 Standfirst: Leaving one place does not mean that you have a definite destination in mind. For Tan Thean Peng, the conditions of a journalistic career saw him working for a long line of employers throughout the region, from Sydney to Bangkok to Hong Kong. Finally, … Continue reading
By Ooi Kee Beng for TODAY │ 11 July 2011 AFTER THE EVENTS of July 9 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak could be making a mistake if he calls snap elections any time soon. A day after the police suppression of the Bersih 2.0 demonstration, he continued using a confrontational tone … Continue reading
By Ooi Kee Beng For TODAY │ 7 July 2011 THE SHOWDOWN scheduled for Saturday between the Malaysian government and the group of non-government organisations calling itself Bersih 2.0 has simmered somewhat. What would probably have been a long peaceful march by 100,000 Malaysians of all races, dressed in royal yellow T-shirts, towards the palace … Continue reading
The planned July 9 rally will be a deciding point for Malaysia By Ooi Kee Beng for TODAY │ 4 July 2011 AS JULY 9 looms closer, the administration of Malaysia’s Premier Najib Abdul Razak feels itself more and more pushed into a corner. This coming Saturday threatens to be a day of reckoning for … Continue reading
By Ooi Kee Beng. PEM July 2011 Editorial Malaysians are known to be multilingual as a rule, especially in urban or semi-urban areas where flows of cultures mingle. This mingling can take place in an ad hoc and spontaneous manner like at a market place; or in a more regularized way like at a work … Continue reading
By Ooi Kee Beng For TODAY │ March 16, 2011 JUST WHEN things were starting to look up for Malaysian Premier Najib Abdul Razak and the ruling Barisan Nasional, come disturbing reminders to voters that the essential nature of the UMNO-controlled ruling coalition has not changed. Although Mr Najib’s 1Malaysia initiative and economic reform documents such … Continue reading
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