socialservice.sg presents: "Before the Ballot"

With environmental consultant Bertrand Seah , we discuss the progress made in environmental policies since GE2020 and what gaps still exist. We also talk about the state of climate advocacy in Singapore, how environmental issues have impacted politics in other countries, and discuss whether environmental issues will still be an important election issue in Singapore’s next general election. The fea...

Following our earlier conversation with former nominated member of parliament Anthea Ong on the current state of mental health and well-being in Singapore, we invited her back to chat about her stint in parliament. In particular, we discussed a 2022 book she edited , which gathered the perspectives and personal reflections of 20 past and present NMPs. We previously hosted Anthea on this podcast in...

With PhD student Joel Yew (The University of Texas at Austin), we discuss the record number of vacancies in parliament as well as his research on the parliamentary representation of marginalised communities in Singapore. We also briefly explore the political and electoral aftermath of the government's repeal of Section 377A of the penal code. Joel was previously on this podcast in 2020 , shari...

Issues of migration, citizenship, multiculturalism, and nationalism have featured prominently in both our politics and elections. Across two episodes with Dr. Rebecca Tan of the National University of Singapore, we take a deep dive into these issues. Fundamentally, she asks, what is fair and what is right? And how do we treat individuals more equitably? In this second episode , we zoom into five k...

Issues of migration, citizenship, multiculturalism, and nationalism have featured prominently in both our politics and elections. Across two episodes with Dr. Rebecca Tan of the National University of Singapore, we take a deep dive into these issues. Fundamentally, she asks, what is fair and what is right? And how do we treat individuals more equitably? In this first episode , we learn about her r...

The links between mental health and well-being and Singapore’s general elections may not be immediately clear. Yet, in GE2020, during a pandemic election which also placed emphasis on how Singaporeans were doing psychologically, many electoral candidates and political parties campaigned on related platforms. With former nominated member of parliament Anthea Ong , we first asked her to assess the c...

On May 15, 2024, at the Istana, Singapore's fourth prime minister Lawrence Wong took his oath of office and was officially sworn in, taking over from prime minister Lee Hsien Loong. This political transition is significant for a host of different reasons, and so, across two episodes, we take a deeper dive with Dr. Kenneth Paul Tan of Hong Kong Baptist University. We look back, and we look ahea...

On May 15, 2024, at the Istana, Singapore's fourth prime minister Lawrence Wong took his oath of office and was officially sworn in, taking over from prime minister Lee Hsien Loong. This political transition is significant for a host of different reasons, and so, across two episodes, we take a deeper dive with Dr. Kenneth Paul Tan of Hong Kong Baptist University. We look back, and we look ahea...

About four years ago, in the lead up to GE2020 as well as halfway through the pandemic election , author Loke Hoe-Yeong shared about the electoral strategies of Singapore's opposition parties. Now, four years later, we've invited him back. We start with a brief reflection of GE2020 and its aftermath, before turning most of our attention to three of the main opposition parties in Singapore:...

How do the economy and economic conditions influence electoral outcomes, both broadly and in Singapore? What can we understand from Singapore's ranking as one of the world's most expensive cities as well as the country's Consumer Price Index, or the CPI? And if the fundamental root cause of Singapore’s low wages can be attributed to widespread cheap sourcing and the influx of foreign w...

Singapore’s next general election must be held by November 2025, which is still some time away. But whether it is GE2024 or GE2025, with plenty of time and space, we’d like to use the next few months (or the next year) to discuss key election issues with experts and voters. For us, “Before the Ballot” provides that space. Feedback? Suggestions? Or join us as a guest? Get in touch at jykwan@udel.ed...

With Alfian Sa’at and Ng Kah Gay , we have a thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening conversation about the arts and publishing vis-à-vis civic engagement and political participation in Singapore. What does it mean to be challenged with the unfamiliar? How do we provoke more conversation and action through artistic modalities? And how do we make sense of censorship, self-censorship, and pushback, wh...

In this wide-ranging conversation on community and community-based governance with Aaron Maniam , we cover many diverse but related topics. First, we discuss the global state of democratic governance in the context of community-based governance as well as truth and misinformation. We then learn more about his Ph. D. dissertation comparing public sector digital transformation efforts, before a segu...

Today, we have a broad conversation on PE2023 with veteran journalist Bertha Henson . She reflects on Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam’s landslide win, shares how she got involved in Mr. George Goh’s campaign, and discusses and evaluates the office of the elected presidency in Singapore. In particular, we highlight two bodies: the Presidential Elections Committee, or the PEC, as well as the Council of P...

What are the experiences of Singaporean academics who have spent time abroad, before returning home and working to reintegrate, both as academics, and as Singapore citizens. Together with her collaborators, in the article - " International academic or citizen scholar?: Singaporean returnees in the global city " - lead author Yasmin Ortiga focused on this notion of reintegration as well a...

Like the entire PE2023 campaign thus far, the presidential forum offered little beyond scripted platitudes and vague generalities. Be that as it may, Isaac Neo and I sat down after the forum to chat about our general impressions, and how the limits of the forum modality perhaps reflected the limits and ambiguities associated with Singapore's elected presidency. Listen to the full mini-series:...

Singaporeans go to the polls on September 1, 2023 to elect our new president. We choose from three candidates: former senior minister and deputy prime minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, former chief investment officer of sovereign wealth fund GIC Ng Kok Song, and former CEO of NTUC Income Tan Kin Lian.  An estimated 300,000 to 400,000 Singaporean youth, or about 15 per cent of the electorate, will b...

Singaporeans go to the polls on September 1, 2023 to elect our new president. We choose from three candidates: former senior minister and deputy prime minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, former chief investment officer of sovereign wealth fund GIC Ng Kok Song, and former CEO of NTUC Income Tan Kin Lian.  An estimated 300,000 to 400,000 Singaporean youth, or about 15 per cent of the electorate, will b...

We're trying something new today, and it's something we've wanted to do for some time. Together with a new co-host, Estella Ho, we've picked a book of interest to discuss and explore. For this episode, the book we've chosen is titled " Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do about It " by US journalist and scholar Richard V....

Singapore’s members of parliament receive an allowance to engage legislative assistants to help them with their parliamentary questions and speeches. Different members adopt different strategies and use the allowance differently. Some have larger teams who split the allowance, and in other instances volunteers may also be involved. Across two episodes, we learn more about the roles, responsibiliti...

On this podcast, we've moved away from direct features of charities and social service agencies, not only because there are so many with interesting stories, but also because a greater focus on systemic trends and structural solutions - involving multiple parties - feels more productive. Nevertheless, the story of Glyph Community ( https://www.glyphcommunity.com/ ) and one of its founders, Lim...

Today, we’ll pick up from where we left off previously, focused on the “Future of Asian Philanthropy” reports published by the Asia Philanthropy Circle (APC) . We focus on the second report, “Strategies for a Better Future”, in this episode, and we’ll also link our last episode covering the first report. You’ll again hear from Bradley Wo - previously Knowledge Resources Manager at the Asia Philant...

Did you know that Asia is home to more billionaires than any other continent in the world? Wealth Report predicts that the region will see its fastest growth in ultra-high net-worth individuals between 2022 and 2026. The Asia Philanthropy Circle (APC) recently released two reports focused on the Future of Asian Philanthropy. The first is titled “ Scenarios for Asia in 2050 ”, and the second “ Stra...

Centred on the Singapore government's plan to enact new legislation to prohibit workplace discrimination, the Association of Women for Action and Research , or AWARE , published a position paper with recommendations to address gaps in coverage and implementation related to the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices. Today, we speak with two people who were part of the team behind t...

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced in 2021 that the government would enshrine into law the current workplace anti-discrimination guidelines. Since then, the Tripartite Committee on Workplace Fairness, comprising the Ministry of Manpower, National Trades Union Congress, and the Singapore National Employers Federation, has been reviewing the current guidelines. The Tripartite Committee then re...