By Ooi Kee Beng, Penang Monthly Editorial, December 2024. BORN WITHOUT ANY spoon of any metal in my mouth, food was a matter of having enough to dispel any passing pang of hunger. Often, it was the drink—plain water or coffee—and not the food that helped. It did not matter how. In any case, lucky … Continue reading
By Dato’ Dr OOI KEE BENG, Speech as Guest of Honour at the Speech Day of St Xavie’’s Institution, 21 November 2024. IT IS A GREAT HONOUR indeed for me to be here today to not only congratulate the Award-winners, but also everyone here, at the end of the school year. I remember the strange … Continue reading
By OOI KEE BENG, for The Edge Malaysia, 23-30 November 2024. I HAVE OFTEN wondered about the nature of “mediocrity”. We tend to think of mediocrity as something an individual besits and should be accountable for. When considered collectively, we have skills and knowledge that we prefer to call “common sense”, and these may not … Continue reading
The Road Ahead Podcast by Penang Institute, with the host, Fazil Irwan Som. Ooi Kee Beng kicks off the series.
By Ooi Kee Beng, Editorial, Penang Monthly November 2024 CLIMATE CHANGE. The phrase rings with an alliterative charm, yet it evokes a notion that is far from simple. It invites us to consider our relationship with the elements and the forces that govern our world. Before the advent of writing, it is difficult to pinpoint precisely what … Continue reading
By OOI KEE BENG, for The Edge Malaysia, Picking on the Present column, 2-9 November 2024. THERE IS SOMETHING very exclusive about research institutes and think tanks in Malaysia. This stems from the control over the academic world that was deemed necessary in the early stages of nation building. The need felt by early leaders … Continue reading
By OOI KEE BENG WHAT IS ON offer for Malaysia to take advantage of in the psycho-political atmosphere of the post-Covid19 era, and in the midst of the so-called trade war between the USA and China? No doubt, since this is an ongoing process and how these tensions will rise or dissolve are difficult to … Continue reading
By OOI KEE BENG, Penang Monthly 15th Anniversary bumper Issue, October 2024 WE ARE AT one of those self-appraising points in time when we—not only Penang Monthly, but also Penang Institute as a whole—stare hard into the rearview mirror in order to orientate our journey forward. In fact, individually, we do that all the time … Continue reading
By OOI KEE BENG, in The Edge Malaysia (Picking on the Present column) 28 Sept – 4 Oct 2024. IS THE WORLD still caught in the ethnocentric fervour of European colonialism, during which the multiple revolutions in political organisation, in energy harnessing, in science and technology, and in military prowess, backed by creative ideological innovations … Continue reading
By OOI KEE BENG, Editorial for Penang Monthly September 2024 I have an iPhone 15 Plus Max. It’s equipped with the best phone camera in the world and I use it quite often to capture events and people I meet on a daily basis. Visitors to my office seldom get away without posing with me … Continue reading