GEORGE TOWN, Jan. 30 -- Penang needs to look into its pre-colonial history and promote it as another facet of the city's rich history, said former deputy chief minister II P. Ramasamy.

The United for Rights of Malaysian Party's (Urimai) interim council chairman said a focus on the ancient history of Penang might provide an important window to explore and observe the splendor of its history.

"What is needed in Penang is the development of independent research institutions with funding from various sources including the private sector to sustain research and publication interest in ancient history," he said in a statement today.

He said George Town may have the Unesco world heritage city status but there is more to it than preserving wha...