By Ooi Kee Beng Editorial in Penang Monthly, June 2016. This morning (May 20, 2016), my 12-year-old daughter asked me “what is Capitalism?”. Since the Cold War is over, this is actually a harder question to answer than one may think. So if you, dear reader, do not mind, I shall use this space to … Continue reading
By Ooi Kee Beng Editorial, Penang Monthly May 2016. Being a late-bloomer, I seldom took part in sports when I was in school. They felt too physical, too competitive and too regimenting. That did not stop me though from admiring those individuals who could excel not only in sprint, long jump and high jump, but … Continue reading
By Ooi Kee Beng Editorial in Penang Monthly, April 2016. Thinking about the liveability of cities makes me wonder in what ways cities are similar enough to each other for us to compare them to each other, not to mention their liveability. By virtue of size and significance, it is common that one differentiates between … Continue reading
By Ooi Kee Beng Editorial, Penang Monthly March 2016. Since our cover story for the month is about the future of education in Malaysia, I would like to take up the issue of exposure as a necessary element in the intellectual development of an individual. And this applies to all ages. What does it mean … Continue reading
By Ooi Kee Beng Editorial, Penang Monthly February 2016. They call it Paradise I don’t know why You call some place Paradise Kiss it goodbye “The Last Resort” The Eagles, 1976. Let’s be upfront about it. Anyone concerned about the survival of the planet has to struggle with the deduction that the greatest threat to … Continue reading
By Ooi Kee Beng Editorial, Penang Monthly, January 2016 So it’s that time of year again. The Lunar New Year arrives, and we witness the happy congregation of dispersed Chinese at the home of their family elders. They perform tuan yuan (reunion). In essence, they return from all corners of the land, the region and … Continue reading
By Ooi Kee Beng, editorial for Penang Monthly, December 2015. Natural resources are always good to have. If rightly used, they are the basis not only for an economy’s path of growth, but also for its international identity. Having said that, it is not always easy to recognize a valuable natural resource. Something that is an asset … Continue reading
Editorial for Penang Monthly November 2015 Now when Penang is holding its George Town Literary Festival again—and I have no doubt that it will be an even greater success than before—let me ponder over what I think is one of the most important things that have failed to develop properly in post-colonial Malaysia, namely our … Continue reading
Editorial for Penang Monthly October 2015 Tourism has been vital to Penang for decades, but a competent history of it has yet to be written to give due credit to the key actors involved, to describe the twists and turns and ups and downs of the industry over time, and to understand the debates and … Continue reading
By Ooi Kee Beng For Penang Monthly, October 2015. [Also published in Digital Edge Weekly, 31 August 2015 as “Merdeka – Unfinished Liberation”] It takes two hands to clap; there is no shore unless there is sea; and one man’s ceiling is another man’s floor, as the poet rightly claims. You get the point. There … Continue reading