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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 544 posts for Wikibeng

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 →

Endorsing Wanderlust: Travel to Live, Travel to Learn

By OOI KEE BENG, Cover story for Penang Monthly September 2024 A baby should cry at birth. It must be traumatic being born. The compressing comfort of the womb is gone, the noises and lights once gleaned through the mother’s body are now unfiltered. The first journey the former foetus takes is a watery slide, … Continue reading →

Modernity as Political Economy Building: The Exemplary and Extreme Case of Singapore

By OOI KEE BENG* , pp. 28-33 in Economics & Society Volume 1, 2024: Man & Generations. The Economic Society of Singapore. Singapore: World Scientific. MODERNITY IS MORE often than not defined from a European point of view, milestoned by events selected to highlight the progress of scientific methods, the radical restructuring of society following … Continue reading →

Can ASEAN Afford Not to Raise its Ambitions in a Multipolar World?

By OOI KEE BENG, for The Edge Malaysia, 25-31 August 2024 THE MULTIPOLAR WORLD is upon us. And the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has a vital role to play. The need for it to evolve—to finally mature, some would say—to meet new challenges posed by the post-unipolar era is strong, and this is … Continue reading →