I think one of the most important things Singapore will need to do in the coming years and decades is wean itself off the CMIO (Chinese-Malay-Indian-Other) framework. The CMIO framework may perhaps have been necessary in the post-war nation-building years (this is disputable), but it is increasingly irrelevant as we head towards SG100. We live […]
I don’t believe that the CMIO framework will remain relevant. Singapore’s long term future has to involve welcoming the best and brightest from the region, and the world. There has to be something more compelling than “Singapore is safe and clean and you can make a lot of money” in order for Singapore to not […]
to be updated
Saw this ad a while back and was thinking about how there was a Singapore Conversation years ago. What was that about? What did that end up leading to?
This post is a work in progress. I’m still figuring out what I know and what I think about this. The Ethnic Integration Policy was introduced in 1989. I think it’s a good policy in concept. In practice, however, it means that minorities are subjected to smaller housing markets. There are fewer buyers and sellers […]
The following is from a 1910 article in the Straits Echo. The microfilm is available from NLB here. Going down town the other day, a splash of vivid scarlet suddenly arrested my gaze, forcing it defiantly as it were from the entrancing book I was reading. The morning was dull and grey ; cold, I […]
This is a junk draft of a post idea I’d title “Jack Neo Moral Universe”. It’s an analysis of several of Jack New’s movies, primarily Money No Enough and Ah Boys To Men 1 & 2. Jack Neo does a pretty good job of depicting the struggles of regular people. But the frustrating thing is […]
One of the most common and sticky criticisms of Singapore is that it’s sterile. Part of this can be a kind of orientalizing Western perspective – the assumption being that Asia is supposed to be dangerous, exciting, and that Singapore is just too clean and clinical for the adventuring westerner. But also, simultaneously, there’s a […]
What makes a city exciting? How do we make Singapore the most exciting city in Asia by 2050? Opportunity. In simplistic terms, economic opportunity. But it’s not just about jobs. It’s about wealth creation. The best people on the planet don’t just want to make money, they want to be where the action is. They […]
I want to assemble a post to honour the people who have spoken up in Singapore over the years. 2021 MOM apologises to ex-DJ Jade Rasif for saying her account of maid’s Covid-19 scare was ‘inaccurate’ (straitstimes.com) – her IG post Woman in Hari Raya wedding photo controversy responds to PA’s cancellation of planned meeting […]