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Tan Twan Eng, one of Penang’s most famous authors today, was in town in July. He granted Penang Monthly an interview at the E&O Hotel, where some key scenes in his new book are played out. Ooi Kee Beng: Congratulations on the success of The House of Doors, Twan Eng. I imagine the experience of finishing a first … Continue reading
By Ooi Kee Beng, Penang Monthly August 2023 editorial “BEST PRACTICES” is quite a clever term. I had trouble accepting it at first, trained to be relativistic as I am by the social sciences. I had to ask questions like: Who decides such things? Who decides that a practice is “best”? Over time, I came … Continue reading
By Ooi Kee Beng for MySinChew (Sin Chew Jit Poh), on 31 July 2023 THERE ARE MANY things to say about Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, truly one of the founding fathers of Malaysia. Without a doubt, The Reluctant Politician: Tun Dr Ismail and His Time, published by ISEAS Publishing in 2006, brought him back … Continue reading
By OOI KEE BENG OVER THE YEARS, as one studies Malaysian history in all its aspects, an uncomfortable feeling grows strong that the ethnic diversity of its post-colonial population, by falling into the nation-state trap of racial ranking, has turned attention away from the geopolitical and geo-economic conditions in which the country develops under. Nothing … Continue reading
GROWING UP IN the foothills of the Penanghighlands, the towering heights — ever verdant, ever extant — always acted as the backdrop to my young life. It comforted with its weighty presence, albeit that its vibrancy often suggested danger. One has to be cautious climbing the slopes. Scorpions, snakes and spiders were always around, always enchanting but always mysterious in … Continue reading
By OOI KEE BENG, in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on June 26, 2023 – July 2, 2023: “Picking on the Present” column. THERE ARE MANY ways one can attempt to fathom what it is that ails Malaysian democracy. Is it democracy itself that, when applied in a country newly emerged from colonial control, has allowed … Continue reading
By Ooi Kee Beng. Penang Monthly editorial June 2023 HISTORY seldom follows a distinct and predictable line of events. Contingencies, serendipities, good luck and bad luck, all come into play. Naturally, therefore, how polities interact with geography over time leaves behind legacies and perspectives which do not necessarily act to their best advantage. In fact, … Continue reading
By Ooi Kee Beng For The Edge Malaysia (Column “Picking on the Present”), 27 May to 3 June 2023 New nations by virtue of being “new”, suffer immediate ontological challenges. Not only does this concern its very existence as an integrated geographical entity, a national economy and a united polity, but also its acceptance by … Continue reading
By OOI KEE BENG, May 2023 PENANG MONTHLY starts a new series, where we, once a year, talk to the Chief Minister of Penang. We met up with YAB Chow Kon Yeow after lunch on Saturday, 4 March 2023, at Penang Institute for the first interview in the series, CM Update. Ooi Kee Beng: CM, state … Continue reading
By OOI KEE BENG, Editorial in Penang Monthly, May 2023 ALL SOCIALLY INCLINED animals start life by crying for food. Beyond that, they seek safety and comfort. After that, the need to train their bodies for the future takes over. If there are siblings, they begin to fool around with each other, in the process, … Continue reading
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