I want to state upfront that I am for a good opposition. I don’t think anyone intellectually rigorous can argue against that. In the past, some quarters of the PAP have insinuated that only a one-party system can work; this is patently illogical. A one-party system works if that party is good; if that party…
The People’s Action Party (PAP) has often said that it believes multi-party democracy would be bad for Singapore. This is an untenable position. In the past 150 years, several societies, primarily in the West, have flourished and developed under systems of multi-party democracy. To argue categorically that Singaporeans should not vote in an alternative party…
My fellow Singaporeans. In the next few weeks, it may look like the world is ending. And it might already feel so, with the world shutting down, countries closing their borders. This message is especially for the young ones. If there is one country that has been preparing for disaster, it has been Singapore. In…
1. Singapore is extremely dependent on trade. In fact, we have the HIGHEST trade to GDP ratio in the entire world , at over 300%. Between 2008 and 2011, it even averaged 400%. 2. This makes Singapore extremely vulnerable to anti-trade measures, such as tariffs. Conversely, we also disproportionately benefit from free trade agreements. 3.…
On Tuesday, the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation (POFMA) Bill goes to Parliament for Second Reading, a culmination of a month-long lively debate. Some observations before we enter the final stretch: ENGAGEMENT Ministers, and in particular Law Minister K Shanmugam, have gone out of their way to engage and respond to local critics. I…
I have been wondering why there has been little traction with the objections towards the fake news laws. One criticism is that letting Ministers have the first say in take-down orders puts too much power in their hands. Apart from most Singaporeans being more interested in material values and bread and butter issues, one reason…
I see that the Government is getting flak from all quarters for announcing that foreign workers quota for services sector will be cut. Businesses are upset as they feel they cannot employ Singaporeans for these jobs. The people are upset as they feel they don’t want these jobs in the first place, and demand that…
Fake news exists on a spectrum. Although there would be egregious cases of obviously fake news – for example, claiming that there is a fire when there was none – most instances of fake news lie on a spectrum between news that is falsifiable, and news that is hyperpartisan but not falsifiable. In some of…
In the post Budget 2018 discussion, I feel there are some wong arguments, but also opinions based on value judgements where there isn’t a clear right or wrong. First, there are the usual snake oil sellers who tell you that we can spend more money without raising revenue, or insisting we should draw on our…
The one thing that stood out in yesterday’s Presidential Address was the remarks about possible changes to Singapore’s political system. As I have argued before, whilst the PAP still has its 2/3 majority, it needs to implement constitutional changes to safeguard the future of Singapore, and ensure we avoid the degeneration that Western political systems…
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