Political Prude: The Podcast

Think of yourself as a HR manager. Before you can even award someone a job, you need to first understand what the job even entails. Similarly, when casting our votes this GE, we are essentially giving someone a job. In the second episode of our GE2025 Special, it's another crash course where we break down the fundamentals: What is Parliament, really? What does a Member of Parliament (MP) actua...

It's time to enter your informed voter era. We're kicking off our GE2025 Special series with a power-packed episode featuring a panel of political analysts and academics: Dr. Felix Tan, Dr. Gillian Koh, Dr. Mustafa Izzuddin and Dr. Elvin Ong. We tackle the practical questions many voters face: Where do we even start? How do we think about our vote? What do we prioritise in our decision-mak...

What happens when the world throws you a crisis — or three — and you’re one of the people in charge of keeping the ship steady? In this episode, we sit down with Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong to unpack how Singapore responds to global turbulence, from pandemics to the most recent Geopolitical news. DPM Gan co-chaired Singapore’s Multi-Ministry Taskforce during the COVID-19 pandemic — a defini...

How does a small country like Singapore navigate its international relations at home and abroad? When global conflicts erupt, does a diverse country like Singapore have a say? To give us a broader perspective of what really goes into these decisions, we’re speaking with our very own Minister for Law and Home Affairs, K. Shamugam. Previously serving as Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mini...

In this episode, we explore a fundamental question: How do problems in Singapore evolve into policy? Minister of State Sun Xueling joins us this episode to take us behind the scenes of policymaking in Singapore. From identifying complex challenges to formulating responses and adapting strategies over time, this episode charts the journey of policymaking, from big-picture thinking to real-world cas...

Singapore has a new British High Commissioner – but what exactly does the High Commissioner do? Sitting in the hot seat this episode is His Excellency Nik Mehta, who has taken over the role in July 2024. He has had a distinguished diplomatic career, including roles such as Political Counsellor in Malaysia, Deputy Ambassador at the British Embassy in South Korea, and Co-Champion for Race in the UK’...

In a youth survey conducted recently, the rising cost of living is a significant issue for many young people in Singapore, with more than eight in 10 youths identifying it as a major concern. How should we understand and manage the rising cost of living, and what measures are Singapore taking? Earlier this year, the annual Budget was announced by Minister for Finance (and now Prime Minister) Lawre...

We are capping this PE2023 series with a post-results analysis episode with someone we never expected to have on the show but are deeply honoured to host: Professor Tommy Koh. He is a Special Adviser at the Institute of Policy Studies at the National University of Singapore. He is also a diplomat, lawyer, professor and author who served as Singapore's Permanent Representative to the United Nations...

As the campaign period draws to a close, let us recap and discuss the respective campaigns and happenings this Presidential Election. Joining us in this episode is Associate Professor of Law at Singapore Management University and renowned political analyst Mr Eugene Tan. We will discuss the intricacies of their campaign strategies, the respective issues they prioritise, and the underlying ideologi...

As we approach the end of the campaigning period of the 2023 Presidential Election, we reflect on everything that has transpired since Nomination Day to the present. In the first of a two-part review of the campaigns, we have invited three first-time voters (and listeners of this podcast!), Megan Chia, Nicholas Teo, and Zalelo, to share their views on the respective campaigns and candidates. While...

The final presidential hopeful joining us is Mr. Ng Kok Song, best known as the former Chief Investment Officer of GIC between 2007 and 2013. GIC manages Singapore's foreign reserves. He was also director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore between 1985 and 1986, and the founder of asset management company Avanda Investment Management. Mr. Ng announced his intention to run for the presidency in...

The next prospective presidential candidate joining us for a sit-down interview is a familiar name: Mr. Tan Kin Lian. He had contested in the 2011 Presidential Election and lost to Mr. Tony Tan. Now, 12 years later, he's putting on his boxing gloves and preparing for another round in the ring. This time, he's bringing a renewed sense of purpose and a surprising endorsement from a former competitio...

Note: This episode was recorded before 18 Aug 2023, when it was announced by the Elections Department that Mr. George Goh was not issued the Certificate of Eligibility and therefore will not be able to contest in the upcoming presidential election. In this episode, we’re joined by Mr. George Goh. He is an individual that wears many hats, most notably that of the founder of Harvey Norman Ossia, Sin...

The first Presidential hopeful joining us for a sit-down interview is former Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam. He was the Managing Director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) before making his political debut in November 2001, after being elected to represent Jurong GRC as a Member of Parliament. Since then, Mr. Tharman has taken on various government roles, like Education Minister...

We kickstart this podcast with the first in a series of episodes dedicated to the 2023 Presidential Election. Today, we delve into the role of the President in Singapore with guest, Dr. Gillian Koh, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, National University of Singapore. Dr. Gillian sheds light on the multifaceted responsibilities of the President and we also explore the Singap...