The story of Jane Yumiko Ittogi as told by Tharman Shanmugaratnam warms many hearts
Who is Jane Yumiko Ittogi? Former Senior Minister and presidential hopeful Tharman Shanmugaratnam shares a part of their life story in a Facebook post. Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam and his wife, Jane Yumiko Ittogi He wrote: “Whenever my wife Jane was with me when I was still in Jurong, people would speak with her in Teochew, […]
Little did I know that this solo wave would be a sad goodbye: Tharman Shanmugaratnam
The decision to leave politics and put himself forward as a candidate in the forthcoming Presidential Election was a difficult one, Tharman said in his letter to PM Lee. It was a decision made after he had consulted his family, and given careful thought to how he could best serve the country in the years […]
Tharman Shanmugaratnam announces that he will be running for President
With the recent news announced by President of Singapore, Halimah Yaacob – that she won’t be running for presidency this year – there have been speculations about who will be the next President of Singapore. In a letter dated 8 June to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Senior Minister Tharman stated that he would resign […]
Soft options are a luxury Singapore cannot afford if Singapore is to survive
Times may pass, things may change but some facts about Singapore will never change. Singapore will always be a small country and hence, vulnerable. Singapore is not a natural country. It is artificial and man-made. For Singapore to survive, it will have to be better organised than countries in the region, said Mr Lee Kuan […]
The pandemic brought to the fore the critical role of the People’s Association (PA)
The pandemic brought to the fore the critical role of the People’s Association (PA). The People’s Association (PA) is often the target of attack from the Opposition. But the 3 years of pandemic and the response of PA during the pandemic had altered people’s perception – and appreciation – of the PA. The pandemic years […]
Debunking 3 common myths about the People’s Association
The People’s Association (PA) – you know them as the people who handle your community spaces in your HDB estates, those who do community events – but who are they really? We debunk 3 common misconceptions (or ahem, conspiracy theories as sometimes conjured up by opposition parties) about these unsung heroes. Myth 1: The People’s […]
Singapore goes from third place to top spot in the Chandler Good Government Index
Singapore has moved from third place to top spot in the Chandler Good Government Index. In second place is Switzerland. Finland, which has topped the index since it was first published in 2021, is in third place. This is the third edition of the index. Singapore’s top rank is helped by its strong performance in […]
Does a single poverty line help you to identify who are the poor who really need help?
The Workers’ Party Jamus Lim renewed his party call for an official poverty line. He called for the establishment of a committee of government representatives, civil society leaders and academic experts to decide what the poverty line should be, and for all government assistance and policies to then be pegged to this threshold. Back in […]
A widened definition of success, a meritocracy where everyone is best possible version of themselves: Lawrence Wong
Success means different things to different people, in different places. Yet somehow, as a society, we tend to converge the definition of success around material possessions such as the size of the paycheck, or the property we own, says DPM Lawrence Wong in Parliament (17 April 2023). DPM Wong suggests that we should shift our […]
The sound of different languages is like the old Singapore, we mustn’t lose confidence and descend into xenophobia, says Ho Ching
In a post responding to the incident in which Amy Tashiana shamed a FairPrice staff for being unable to speak English, Mdm Ho Ching said ‘the strength of a Singaporean is our open mindedness to accept all creeds, colours and cultures as equals’. We accept we are not a perfect people, and we recognise that […]