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Foster Inclusive Global Histories Built on Curiosity and Respect

By Ooi Kee Beng, for The Edge, 1-6 August 2026 Serious change in a person’s pathos and ethos—their will and the rationale for their actions and feelings—is most likely to take place when their self-image is altered. A self-image, in turn, is constructed on the network of narratives relevant to their surrounding—their reference group, basically; … Continue reading →

Reassessing Hobbies In The Age Of Social Media

By Ooi Kee Beng, Editorial, July 2026, Penang Monthly WRITING DURING THE middle of my writer’s retreat at the Rimbun Dahan arts centre, near Sungai Buloh, I was inspired by its peaceful environment to adopt some generous perspectives about the world. I turn to a seemingly innocuous subject: the hobby. How much time do you need … Continue reading →

Southeast Asia’s Real Decolonization Is Only Beginning Now, Driven by China’s Rise, Malaysian Scholar Says

Interview with Yicai Global, July 15, 2026 (Yicai) July 15 – A new stage in the decolonization in Southeast Asia began recently, triggered not by politics but by the transformative regional growth driven by China’s phenomenal rise, according to the executive director of Penang Institute, one of Malaysia’s major public policy think tanks. “The broad … Continue reading →

Migrants and the mobility of their economic culture

By Ooi Kee Beng. Penang Monthly editorial for July 2026 THE CONNECTION BETWEEN culture and economics is a fascinating one. Staying alive is much easier to do as a group than alone. Interweaving functions, connecting roles and sharing the benefits of teamwork; all these are the building blocks of society. And of culture. I chase … Continue reading →

Can ASEAN Adapt to Operate Effectually in a Geopolitically Complex World?

By Ooi Kee Beng, for The Edge Malaysia, 20-27 June 2026 TWO THINGS that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been depending upon for its slow-and-steady, all-aboard method to deliver are firstly a lack of urgency, and secondly an absence of unrelenting outside pressure. Anyone concerned about the issues the organization purports to … Continue reading →

Front Row Podcast on Dr Goh Keng Swee

Exclusive Interview on GDToday: ASEAN-GCC-China Summit aims to create a multi-polar world

The ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)-GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council)-China Summit held on May 27 in Kuala Lumpur shed light on the collaboration among Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and China amid Trump’s tariffs worldwide. In an exclusive interview recently, Ooi Kee Beng, Executive Director at Penang Institute, Malaysia, noted that the summit, gathering 10 … Continue reading →

Defining Penang Exceptionalism through its Geography, its Biology and its Human History

By OOI KEE BENG, June 2025 Editorial in Penang Monthly. “Does Penang Exceptionalism still exist?” That question was put to me recently by a learned and slightly agitated visitor. I assume the query stems from distress over how recent developments in the state have been too much, too hasty, and too uncontrolled. It is a … Continue reading →

May 2025 issue of Penang Monthly

https://www.penangmonthly.com/tag/may-2025/ I reached my 70th birthday in May 2025. My dear colleagues, led by my old friend Liew Chin Tong, Malaysia’s Deputy Minister for International Trade and Investment, decided to use the May issue of Penang Monthly (of which we are co-founders) to highlight what they see as my contributions in leadership and parenthood, and … Continue reading →

George Town, Adelaide and other Siblings

By OOI KEE BENG, speech at Ayer’s House, given as part of the Adelaide’s History Festival, on 12 May 2025 SIBLING RELATIONSHIPS are very complex matters. I come from a family with four brothers, and two half-brothers and a half-sister. And I have three children from two marriages. Much insights—and moments of exasperation—have been gained … Continue reading →