• Real museums, please: The need for the establishment of authentic museums in Penang should be emphasized, and the proliferation of pseudo-museums that dilute the artistic and cultural objectives of the state should be curbed. [...] Knowing and making use of the extent to which we nurture the relationship, the extent to which they feel that Penang is their home, those are fundamental ways for Penang to grow… in the arts and also in industry. [...] The above example is not only between the city council and the Wong Pow Nee state government; the state government also stood its ground against the federal government until the establishment in reality of a university in Penang in 1969, the precursor of Universiti Sains Malaysia. [...] What is the way forward? Can the federal government afford to devolve power, like in the context of Sabah and Sarawak, to other states in Malaysia, including Penang? What sort of formula should be implemented in the devolution? I think it is worth mentioning that the substance of the devolution debate is not the size of the allocations to the state – or at least, that is not the key issue because. [...] Over the next three to five years, Penang Institute hopes to play the role of synergizing the many brains, the many public intellectuals, known throughout the region and the world, to help Penang and, by extension, Malaysia, to live up to its potential.
- Pages
- 86
- Published in
- Malaysia