By Ooi Kee Beng [Editorial in Penang Monthly June 2012] I am sure it has not escaped anyone’s notice. Even at a long distance away, it cannot be ignored. Penang is buzzing – more and more. And this year, the third George Town Festival in a row is taking place. Typically of Malaysian adaptability, instead of … Continue reading
By OOI KEE BENG [Editorial for PENANG MONTHLY, May 2012] We can read books on Malaysia’s history by scholars of various persuasions all we want. In the end, the solution to the ills suffered by the country over the last half century will have to come from discussions about principles, not about contested facts. We … Continue reading
By OOI KEE BENG [Editorial in PENANG MONTHLY, April 2012] For all movements of liberation, the key to successful initiatives lies in identifying what the means of sustained suppression are, and to know which area is the most strategic to attack at a given time. No doubt, some areas are more fundamental than others and … Continue reading
Book Review: P.G Lim’s Kaleidoscope: The Memoirs of P.G. Lim. Petaling Jaya: Strategic Information and Research Development Centre. 2012. By Ooi Kee Beng This much-awaited volume lives up to all reasonable expectations and should be read by anyone – historian, lawyer or layman – interested in Penang, in late colonialism, and in the early history … Continue reading
By Ooi Kee Beng [Editorial for Penang Monthly, 2012] How concepts relate to each other is always revealing. A close look at them always arouses new ways of thinking. The same goes for discovering the lost origins of words. Most of us have feasted ourselves on the connections between “revolution”, “evolution” and even “involution”. Lately, “devolution” … Continue reading
By Ooi Kee Beng (Editorial in Penang Monthly, February 2012) Why is it so important to scientists to discover extra-terrestrial life forms? They know the odds are astronomically small. Well, they are hoping against hope, certainly. But I think that it is because they intuitively know that the leap in knowledge about Life and the … Continue reading
By Ooi Kee Beng This interview with YB Liew Chin Tong, outgoing Executive Director of Penang Institute and Member of Parliament for Bukit Bendera, discusses his understanding of the tasks think tanks need to adopt in the 21st century. Malaysian nation building has not been an easy process, and one of the negative developments it … Continue reading
By Ooi Kee Beng [Editorial in Penang Monthly, http://www.penangmonthly.com] It has now been two years since this magazine, Penang Economic Monthly, was revamped into a new colourful product meant for wider circulation and sale. The reasons why that had to be done are still valid. In fact, they are more valid than ever. After March … Continue reading
By Ooi Kee Beng, 3 December 2011, in TODAY, Singapore The leader of the Youth Wing declared at the United Malays National Organisation’s (UMNO) annual assembly held this week that the opposition parties had been vehemently opposing the Peaceful Assembly Act because they were hoping to create the conditions for widespread demonstrations in the hope … Continue reading
By Ooi Kee Beng Editorial for Penang Economic Monthly [www.penangmonthly.com] What would happen if every car is obliged by law to have a CCTV camera mounted in front of the driver, which immediately beams his face prominently onto an LED screen fixed on the roof of the vehicle for the world to see? Simple answer, … Continue reading