Ministry of Funny

Yah Lah But

Comedy EN ↓ 845 episodes

A thrice weekly podcast on conversations Singaporeans are having but not saying out loud – politics, culture, identity. Haresh Tilani and Terence Chia consider every side, never quite agree, and never play it safe. Honest, informed, always worth arguing about. Subscribe so you don’t miss new episodes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Author

Ministry of Funny

Category

Comedy

Podcast website

www.yahlahbut.com

Latest episode

Jul 10, 2026

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Episodes

#663 - Ho Ching Defends Ministers in Su Haijin Saga & HDB Residents Revolt over Purple Paint 14.05.2025

The Su Haijin dinner saga continues to escalate as Ministers Ong Ye Kung & Chee Hong Tat lawyer up over online accusations, businessman Sam Goi takes ownership of organising the dinners, and Ho Ching defends all of them! The drama continues to raise questions about transparency and the “Rules of Prudence” written by SM Lee Hsien Loong himself when he was PM in 2020. Elsewhere inn Boon Tiong, r...

#662 ft. Prof. Cherian George - PAP’s Insecurities, SG’s Media Decline & Life After GE2025 09.05.2025

Cherian George, Professor of Media & Politics, author, and ex-Straits Times political journalist, joins us to unpack the state of Singapore’s media, politics, and public discourse. We also cover GE2025, the problems & future of the PAP and the Opposition, how academic freedom was constrained in Singapore and how it ultimately affected his career. And with all that, Prof Cherian shares why...

#661 - Ng Chee Meng’s Response to Controversies & Woman's Matchmaking Refund Drama 07.05.2025

Days after GE2025, a dinner photo featuring Ng Chee Meng, Su Haijin (a convicted money launderer), and billionaire Sam Goi surfaced online - raising eyebrows and trust issues. While Ong Ye Kung and Chee Hong Tat responded quickly, Ng Chee Meng’s delayed statement came off vague and defensive. Even weirder, he “asked” PM Wong to not consider him for a cabinet position. Why does this incident matter...

#660 - Dissecting the Surprises, Shocks & Upsets of the GE2025 Results 05.05.2025

We deep dive into the final GE2025 results and recap the biggest stories. From PAP’s 65.57% popular vote & PM Lawrence Wong’s intact Cabinet to unexpected defeats like Dr Paul Tambyah’s and Dr Chee Soon Juan’s emotional near-miss. We also share our thoughts on what we think influenced the results, fallout of controversies involving Gigine Wong and Ng Chee Meng, the rise of independent and star...

#659 - Hot Takes on Every Political Party & Dissecting PM Wong’s Episode 01.05.2025

★ Our GE2025 Plans!! ★ Sign up for our newsletter at https://www.yahlahbut.com to find out firsthand where we'll be during each day of the campaigning period. It's gonna be epic! After 8 days, 33 constituencies & one wild national ride, we wrap up the Yah Lah But APolitical Party Bus with a recap on GE2025. From Ng Chee Meng vs Andre Low in Jalan Kayu, to Harpreet vs DPM Gan in Punggol and how...

#658 - Leaked Messages from WP’s Andre Low & Ex-NTUC Group CEO Endorses Harpreet Singh 30.04.2025

★ Our GE2025 Plans!! ★ Sign up for our newsletter at https://www.yahlahbut.com to find out firsthand where we'll be during each day of the campaigning period. It's gonna be epic! Overnight, leaked Telegram messages from Workers’ Party’s Andre Low rocked their campaign in Jalan Kayu. From personal rants to vulgarities aimed at residents, we break down the screenshots, his apology, and how this coul...

#657 ft. PM Lawrence Wong - Comparisons with LKY, Opposition Weakening Govt. & Risks of CDC Vouchers 30.04.2025

PM Lawrence Wong joins us in-studio to reflect on leadership, trust, and where Singapore goes next. He shares how he’s different from past PMs, addresses the impact of controversies on public trust, and explains why losing 3-4 Cabinet ministers would weaken his team. We also discuss opposition accountability, policy packaging, and why Singapore can have and needs “radical change” - even from withi...

#656 - WP’s Harpreet Slams DPM Gan in Punggol & Ong Ye Kung Tears into SDP’s Manifesto 29.04.2025

★ Our GE2025 Plans!! ★ Sign up for our newsletter at https://www.yahlahbut.com to find out firsthand where we'll be during each day of the campaigning period. It's gonna be epic! We unpack how WP’s Harpreet Singh took aim at ministerial salaries in Punggol, how Alexis Dang and Pritam Singh clapped back at Gan Kim Yong, and how PM Lawrence Wong explained that he could potentially lose 3 Ministers i...

#655 - SM Lee Defends Ng Chee Meng Over NTUC-Allianz Saga & SDP Apologies for Racial Slur 28.04.2025

★ Our GE2025 Plans!! ★ Sign up for our newsletter at https://www.yahlahbut.com to find out firsthand where we'll be during each day of the campaigning period. It's gonna be epic! At a high-stakes PAP rally, Ng Chee Meng finally addressed the NTUC Income–Allianz controversy—but needed backup from Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong to frame it as a story of good faith, not mismanagement. SM Lee also to...

#654 - PM Lawrence Wong Slams Identity Politics & SDP Candidate Uses Slur During Rally 27.04.2025

★ Our GE2025 Plans!! ★ Sign up for our newsletter at https://www.yahlahbut.com to find out firsthand where we'll be during each day of the campaigning period. It's gonna be epic! As GE2025 hustings hit full swing, Lawrence Wong calls a rare press conference warning against race and religion in politics, though some headlines painted a murky picture. We dive into the real issues, including foreign...

#653 - The Best & Worst of the GE2025 Party Broadcasts & SDP Claps Back at Ong Ye Kung 26.04.2025

★ Our GE2025 Plans!! ★ Sign up for our newsletter at https://www.yahlahbut.com to find out firsthand where we'll be during each day of the campaigning period. It's gonna be epic! We dissect every speech from the first GE2025 Party Political Broadcasts - from Lawrence Wong’s bleak-to-positive pitch to Ravi Philemon’s viral “5 C’s” reboot. Plus, we dive into the cheeky clapbacks to Ong Ye Kung from...

#652 - Unpacking the GE2025 Rallies & Yah Lah But Mentioned in a Speech Against Chee Soon Juan 25.04.2025

★ Our GE2025 Plans!! ★ Sign up for our newsletter at https://www.yahlahbut.com to find out firsthand where we'll be during each day of the campaigning period. It's gonna be epic! Singapore’s GE2025 rallies are officially underway, and we dive into the energy, tactics, and speeches from five parties—WP in Sengkang, SDP in Marsiling, PSP in Marymount, PAP in Woodlands, and PBP in Tampines. From Chee...

#651 - Opposition Parties Blast WP’s Pullout & Lawrence Wong Defends Last-Minute Candidate Shifts 24.04.2025

★ Our GE2025 Plans!! ★ Sign up for our newsletter at https://www.yahlahbut.com to find out firsthand where we'll be during each day of the campaigning period. It's gonna be epic! This is our first on-the-ground episode of our Yah Lah But GE2025 coverage, where we’re travelling to all 33 constituencies over 8 days in our APolitical Party Bus. We break down WP’s shock withdrawal from Marine Parade G...

#650 - Nomination Day Surprises & Our Plan For Covering GE2025 In A Way That’s Never Been Done 23.04.2025

★ Our GE2025 Plans!! ★ Sign up for our newsletter at https://www.yahlahbut.com to find out firsthand where we'll be during each day of the campaigning period. It's gonna be epic!  GE2025 is officially underway - and your daily hustings coverage starts NOW. In this special kickoff to this series, Haresh and Terence unpack the biggest Nomination Day headlines: Marine Parade’s surprise walkover, WP’s...

#649 ft. Chan Chun Sing - Regulating Tuition, GE2025 & The Role of Opposition Parties 22.04.2025

★ Our GE2025 Plans!! ★ Sign up for our newsletter at https://www.yahlahbut.com to find out firsthand where we'll be during each day of the campaigning period. It's gonna be epic! Minister Chan Chun Sing opens up on Singapore’s most emotional pressure points: PSLE, streaming, tuition, and our obsession with comparison. He challenges the idea that we should do more to build resilience - maybe we sho...

#648 ft. Dr Tan See Leng - Foreign Talent, Economic Anxieties & Speaking Cantonese in Parliament 21.04.2025

★ Our GE2025 Plans!! ★ Sign up for our newsletter at https://www.yahlahbut.com to find out firsthand where we'll be during each day of the campaigning period. It's gonna be epic! Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng joins YLB to talk about Singapore’s economic anxieties, the role of foreign workers, and how his business background shapes his policies. From his COVID-era baptism of fire to recent con...

#647 ft. Dr Chee Soon Juan - Issues With the PAP, Conviction Politics & Why He’s Still Running for GE2025 19.04.2025

★ Our GE2025 Plans!! ★ Sign up for our newsletter at https://www.yahlahbut.com to find out firsthand where we'll be during each day of the campaigning period. It's gonna be epic! After 30 years in opposition politics, Dr. Chee Soon Juan is still in the fight. In this candid, wide-ranging interview, the Secretary-General of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) discusses why he’s contesting again, h...

#646 ft. Koh Buck Song - Country Brand Ambassador on the Singapore Identity, Soft Power & What Makes Us Unique 18.04.2025

Koh Buck Song, poet, writer, and country brand advisor, has helped shape how the world sees Singapore. He joins us to unpack the essence of what it means to be Singaporean and how we see ourselves. We also discuss how our shared identity as Singaporeans makes us unique. We explore why multiculturalism is our secret sauce, how hawker centres are more than food courts, and what we’re missing when it...

#645 ft. Professor Donald Low - GE2025, US Tariffs & COVID’s Impact on China 17.04.2025

★ Our GE2025 Plans!! ★ Sign up for our newsletter at https://www.yahlahbut.com to find out firsthand where we'll be during each day of the campaigning period. It's gonna be epic! Donald Low, Professor of Practice at the HKUST Institute for Public Policy, joins us to talk about his new book on COVID’s lasting impact on China, the consequences of Donald Trump’s tariffs & counterintuitive facts a...

#644 ft. Inderjit Singh - Former MP on Speaking up From Within the PAP, Our Evolving Political Culture & Avoiding Groupthink 16.04.2025

★ Our GE2025 Plans! ★ Sign up for our newsletter at https://www.yahlahbut.com to updates and to find out firsthand where we'll be during each day of the campaigning period. It's gonna be epic! In this candid conversation that took place right after the Writ of Election was issued, former PAP MP and serial entrepreneur Inderjit Singh joins us to reflect on his time in Parliament, his business journ...

#643 ft. Ravi Philemon - Why We Need “Mosquito Parties”, Going Up Against Tharman & His Reasons for Leaving PSP 14.04.2025

Red Dot United’s Secretary-General Ravi Philemon opens up about why he left the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) to start Red Dot United just weeks before GE2020, and even more shockingly, contested against now-President Tharman Shanmugaratnam. He shares how RDU is positioning itself differently from other opposition parties ahead of GE2025, why discipline and data matter for his team, and the chall...

#642 - PM Lawrence Wong Goes Viral & Calvin Cheng’s Gaza Comments Spark Backlash 11.04.2025

PM Lawrence Wong’s speech on US tariffs and global trade shockwaves didn’t just make headlines in Singapore - it went viral around the world, earning praise from political commentators and international audiences. But is it a true rallying cry that will inspire confidence? Elsewhere, the saga regarding former NMP Calvin Cheng’s comments about sending a group of activists to Gaza has triggered a se...

#641 ft. Harpreet Singh - The Time for Change Is Now, His Long Journey Into Politics & Reforming the Singapore Dream 09.04.2025

 Arguably the biggest catch of the upcoming election, Senior Counsel Harpreet Singh joins Yah Lah BUT for a candid, wide-ranging conversation. He reveals why an accomplished legal professional would join opposition politics under the Workers’ Party. He tells us about the instances in his life when he spoke truth to power, and what policies that he believes need to change to prepare young Singapore...

#640 - Lawrence Wong’s Response to Tariffs “Overblown”? & Marine Parade’s Benefits Under Scrutiny 07.04.2025

 Last Friday, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong released a video warning Singaporeans to brace for global economic instability in light of US-imposed tariffs. The 5-minute address sparked mixed reactions - some lauded the call for unity, others slammed it as vague and fear-mongering. We unpack what he actually said and how the opposition parties responded. Over the weekend, a community event in the Eas...

#639 ft. Seah Kian Peng - Social Mobility & Decorum in Parliament 04.04.2025

We come full circle, as the Speaker who first introduced Yah Lah BUT to Parliament now comes to our studio as a guest! Seah Kian Peng shares his candid views about his role as Speaker, what he thinks about the recent kerfuffles in Parliament, and the biggest misconception about his longstanding MP role at Braddell Heights. This episode was recorded on 17 March 2025. (00:00) Intro (02:01) Backgroun...

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