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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

I Know Why Penang Food Is So Amazing…

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

Be Humble, Be Honest, Be Honorable

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

Accepting the Ubiquity of Mediocrity is Required if We are to Transcend it

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

Nurturing Extroverted Nations

The Road Ahead Podcast by Penang Institute, with the host, Fazil Irwan Som. Ooi Kee Beng kicks off the series.

Climate Change: A Timeless Concern

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

Nurturing a Bold and Articulate Population as Part of the ‘Madani’ Agenda

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

Malaysia a Major Player in Regional Change

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

After 15 Rousing Years, the Penang Renaissance Still Resonates Clearly

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

The Neocolonial Myth of Unipolarity

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

The Art of Getting Creative and Staying Creative

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