-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
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
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
By OOI KEE BENG for TODAY, Singapore. 10 January 2014 TO EVERY major flow of events, there is always a backflow, and the stronger that major flow, the greater the backflow. But unlike with water, social flows are not so easily read and one can easily mistake major flows for backflows, and vice versa. In … Continue reading
By OOI KEE BENG, Editorial for PENANG MONTHLY, January 2014 We have just entered a new year—again—so allow me to kick off this magazine’s fifth year in its present form with some observations about the central importance of narratives—of stories, if you like—to every individual human being. We all have a large schemata in our … Continue reading
By OOI KEE BENG, for TODAY Newspaper, Singapore: 30 December 2013 Finally, the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) is displaying signs that it now realizes what a sorry state the once powerful party now finds itself in. This it managed to do at the party elections held on 21-22 December. In the general elections held in … Continue reading
By OOI KEE BENG, for THE EDGE, Malaysia, 29 December 2013 One thing you learn from driving school is to plan your journey before you set off. This good advice holds for any journey really, including Malaysia’s route to 2020. Not only is proper comprehensive and goal-oriented planning needed, but some precise navigation is needed … Continue reading
By OOI KEE BENG, for THE EDGE, Malaysia. 15 December 2013 If there is one thing everyone can agree upon about Malaysia, it is that the status quo—however one wants to describe that—is not satisfactory. From the Prime Minister down to the Malaysian on the street, from Barisan Nasional to Pakatan Rakyat, from PAS to … Continue reading
By OOI KEE BENG For TODAY Newspaper, Singapore: 12 December 2013 The art of studying Malaysian politics is about hearing the signals despite of the noise; this is not always easy because the noise is always so much louder. To switch metaphor, it is more like being in a room full of mirrors. To keep … Continue reading
By OOI KEE BENG, Editorial for Penang Monthly, December 2013 Today when we talk about the rise of China and India, we lazily think of them as similar items — as ancient and rich civilizations coming into their own in modern times. We should also remind ourselves though of how deeply they captured the imagination … Continue reading
KEYNOTE SPEECH at the George Town Literary Festival 2013 held on 29 November to 1 December 2013. By OOI KEE BENG Literature and the Individual The only subject I was really excited by when I went to school here in Penang four decades ago was Literature, both as a subject and in the form of … Continue reading
Wikibeng 