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The Star
29-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Voices of Palestine to feature at Penang's literary festival
Narrative power: (From left) Omar Siddiq, Ooi, Koay and festival manager co-curator Julia Tan posing for the photo after mock cheque presentation at the Penang Institute. —CHAN BOON KAI/The Star GEORGE TOWN: For the first time, the George Town Literary Festival (GTLF) 2025 will showcase a poet and a writer from Palestine, bringing with them powerful narratives of memory, identity and their stories to the international platform. Penang Institute executive director Datuk Dr Ooi Kee Beng said Palestinian historian and academic Nur Masalha, along with writer and theatre director Dr Ahmed Masoud are among the featured speakers. 'This year's theme, Urban Myths and Memories, will take on an even richer dimension with their presence,' he said during a press conference at the Penang Institute yesterday. Ooi said the inclusion of the Palestinian perspective aligns with the festival's ethos of challenging narratives and exploring the role of literature in times of political and social upheaval. Another highlight of the event will be a unique music heritage exhibition curated by Paul Augustin and created especially for the festival to explore the urban soundscapes and cultural legacies that have shaped Malaysia's musical identity. This year's programme will feature international and regional collaborations through partnerships with organisations such as Tim Promosi Sastera Indonesia and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia. Ooi said the 15th edition of GTLF will be held from Nov 28 to 30, featuring a line-up of regional and international authors, translators, artists and thinkers. Among the literary voices from around the world will be Belgian author Lize Spit, Canadian novelist Madeleine Thien, Dutch author Reggie Baay, French author Wilfried N'Sondé, Indian writer Nirmala Lakshman, Bornean-Australian poet and performer Omar Musa, Taiwanese author Yang Shuang-Zi and Singaporean writers Amanda Lee Koe, Ng Yi-Sheng and Shivram Gopinath. From Indonesia are acclaimed writers Cyntha Hariadi, Ramayda Akmal and Ratih Kumala, whose works span poetry, fiction and screenwriting. They will be joined by celebrated Malaysian authors such as Bernice Chauly, Tunku Halim Tunku Abdullah and Malachi Edwin Vethamani. Other distinguished writers are from India, Taiwan and the United States, bringing together voices from at least 12 countries. Audiences and visitors to GTLF can expect a dynamic programme featuring panel discussions, readings, workshops, book launches, a film screening and an exhibition, all designed to breathe life into this year's theme and connect readers, writers and thinkers from around the world. The full programme will be available from September via GLTF's website. Festival events are free and open to the public, with registration details to be announced with the full programme. During the press conference, Ooi received mock cheques from HSBC chief executive officer Datuk Omar Siddiq and Greatech International chief financial officer Koay Lin Lin. HSBC and Greatech International are the main sponsors for this year's edition of GTLF. Ooi said this year, Penang Institute has also run a short-story competition and the interest has been enormous. 'So far, we have received 63 entries from around the world,' he said, adding that the institute would still be accepting entries until its deadline on July 31.
Arab News
16-04-2025
- Business
- Arab News
China's Xi visits Malaysia, pledges closer ties amid US trade war
KUALA LUMPUR: Chinese President Xi Jinping met Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, as part of a three-nation tour to advance ties in Southeast Asia as a trade war with the US intensifies. Xi is in the country for a three-day state visit and was met by Anwar on his arrival at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Tuesday evening. On Wednesday he was received by the king at the National Palace before holding talks, along with the rest of the Chinese delegation, with Anwar in the administrative capital Putrajaya. 'China looks forward to building a high-level China-Malaysia shared future,' Xi said during a press conference with Anwar. 'Together we will energize modernization in both our countries, set up a fine example of unity and cooperation for the Global South and make a new and greater contribution for peace, stability and prosperity for our region and beyond.' The visit comes just days after the US announced a 90-day pause on sweeping 'reciprocal' tariffs, while raising tariffs on Chinese imports to an effective rate of 145 percent. Beijing responded with retaliatory hikes on US exports. The Trump administration also imposed a 24 percent tariff on Malaysian imports, raising concerns about its export-driven economy. 'The rules-based order has been turned on its head — dialogue has yielded to demands, tariffs are imposed without restraint and the language of cooperation is drowned beneath the noise of threats and coercion,' Anwar said. 'China has been a rational, strong and reliable partner. Malaysia values this consistency. Malaysia will remain an unwavering and principled friend to China … When some nations abandon the principle of shared responsibility and others question long-standing commitments, China's global initiatives offer a new lease on hope.' During Wednesday's meetings, Malaysia and China signed 31 memorandums of understanding, Malaysia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The deals span security, trade, technology — including AI cooperation — and visa exemptions. Since 2009, China has been Malaysia's largest trading partner, accounting for 15 percent of Malaysia's exports and 21 percent of its imports. In the first 10 months of last year, two-way trade totaled about $86.3 billion. But the US also has a strong economic presence in Malaysia. 'Both the US and China are Malaysia's main trading partners,' Dr. Lim Kim Hwa, director of the public policy think tank Penang Institute, told Arab News. 'While the 90-day tariff reprieve may mitigate the short-term impact, Malaysia needs to treat the complex relationship with both parties deftly so that both parties will not get the idea that a good relationship is a zero-sum game.' He said that with Beijing, Malaysia should aim for greater participation in its domestic economy, as China was likely to pivot to domestic consumption to mitigate the impact of loss of direct exports to the US, and while 'trade re-routing is inevitable, getting China's commitment to minimize dumping will mitigate the impact on Malaysian manufacturers.' Xi arrived in Kuala Lumpur from Vietnam and is also due to visit Cambodia. Vietnam has been hit by a 46 percent US tariff and Cambodia 49 percent. While Xi's visit has been seen as a regional push to shore up Beijing's ties amid the trade war, Oh Ei Sun, a political analyst at the Pacific Research Centre of Malaysia, said it was unlikely that the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations would commit themselves fully to China's camp. 'This trip is not one which is in immediate response to the latest trade war, but is a long ago planned one which aims to further solidify the already substantial economic ties,' he told Arab News. 'It is highly unlikely that Malaysia or indeed Vietnam will throw its lot with the Chinese. So there is scarcely any significant geopolitical implication, as ASEAN countries, too, largely go their separate ways in engaging the US and China.'
