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New Naratif is committed to bringing our Singaporean members the information that they need to make informed decisions. As we explained with The Citizens’ Agenda, we do not cover the day-to-day “horse race” of an election, but rather focus on the forces which shape the world around us. Our coverage focuses on explaining how elections are run in Singapore, and in particular the structural issues which undermine democracy and accountability; and the issues which our community in Singapore have told us are the most important issues facing Singapore. The Top 5 issues identified in The Citizens’ Agenda are listed below, along with other selected issues. We hope our readers will use these articles to discuss the issues and vote wisely.
Other Languages: 华文
This content is all paid for by our members, who support our publications and community organisation activities. Your support enables us to be editorially independent and to conduct hard hitting independent research and journalism. It allows us to give a voice to the powerless and to hold the powerful accountable. But we remain desperately short of funds. Please consider joining our movement and donating.
For an introductory note, please see: A Note from the Managing Director: New Naratif’s Coverage of the Singapore General Election 2020
Elections and Singaporean Democracy
- A Brief History of Elections in Singapore
- Explainer: Singapore’s Electoral System
- How Gerrymandering creates Unfair Elections in Singapore
- The Show with PJ Thum, episode 2 (How Elections are Structurally Unfair)
- The Show with PJ Thum, episode 3 (How Elections are Qualitatively Unfair)
- The Importance of Polling Agents and Counting Agents
- What is Voter Secrecy?
The Basics: Our Explainers on Political Concepts
- What is Politics? (and why we can’t get away from it)
- Political Power, Authority, and Force
- Why Is the Protection of Minorities Important?
- Toleration, or Living with Disagreement & Difference
- What is Democracy?
- Partisanship
- Pragmatism
Important Issues: An Overview
- Explainer: Singapore’s General Elections 2020
- The Citizens’ Agenda: The 28 Most Important Issues Facing Singapore
- The Citizens’ Agenda: The Top 5 Issues and Results Analysis
- The Citizens’ Agenda: The Top 5 Issues by GE 2015 Constituencies
- The Citizens’ Agenda: Singapore’s Political Parties Respond
1. Transparency & Accountability
How do we increase transparency and accountability from elected officials/ civil servants, and work to prevent corruption and abuses of power? How do we increase independent scrutiny of officials and expenditure?
Freedom of Expression, Disinformation, Privacy, and Media Literacy
- Understanding Disinformation by Mohan Dutta
- Singapore’s “Fake News” Bill: The FAQ by Kirsten Han and Thum Ping Tjin
- Academic Freedom in Singapore and the “Fake News” Law by Teo You Yenn
- The Show with PJ Thum, episode 8 How bad laws are created and abused in Singapore (A POFMA case study)
- Out of Bounds: Freedom of Expression in Singapore Revisited by James Rowlins
- Singapore’s Flawed Data Privacy Regime by Tay Jing En
- Learning Media Literacy in Singapore by Kirsten Han
- Political Agenda: “Fake News”, Foreign Interference, and Freedom of Expression with Terry Xu (The Online Citizen) and Ian Chong
- Political Agenda: Privacy Breaches in a “Smart Nation” with Avin Tan (Action For AIDS) and software engineer Chong Kai Xiong
The Oxley Road feud, and what it tells us about transparency and accountability in Singapore
- Why Singapore’s Lee Family Feud Isn’t Just a Private Siblings’ Squabble by Kirsten Han
- “I Cannot Apologise for a Crime I Did Not Commit” – an interview with Li Shengwu
- The Show with PJ Thum, episode 7 (The Oxley Road feud, and what it tells us about transparency and accountability in Singapore)
2. Destructive Politics
Why does the PAP government have such hostility towards honest criticism? How do we have respectful, constructive conversations/actions when the PAP censors/bans everything they disagree with? Why do they treat us like infants?
- The Show with PJ Thum, episode 4 (How the PAP Nanny State creates Dependence and Controls Citizens)
- The Show with PJ Thum, episode 5 (How the PAP government abuses “Rule of Law” to control Singapore)
Citizenship participation, and how it is discouraged or suppressed
- Growing a Movement in Activism-Averse Singapore by Kirsten Han and Joy Ho
- The Limits of Singaporean Activism? by Kirsten Han and Joy Ho
- In the #MeToo Era, Student Activism Makes a Comeback in Singapore by Suraendher Kumarr and Daryl Yang
- Political Agenda: Singapore’s First Climate Strikers with J-Min and Minh
- Political Agenda: Youth (and) Activism with Kristian-Marc James Paul (SG Climate Rally), Mandy Chng (Sayoni), and Rocky Howe (Cassia Resettlement Team)
- Political Agenda: Protest, Activism, and Social Change with Tan Tee Seng and Jolovan Wham
- Political Agenda: In Conversation with Tan Wah Piow by Thum Ping Tjin
- The Use of Humiliation as a Political Tool by Thum Ping Tjin
- Political Agenda: The Spectre Haunting Singapore’s People’s Action Party by Thum Ping Tjin
- Remembering Coldstore: Former detainees speak by Kirsten Han, Tom White, and Thum Ping Tjin
3. and 4. Inequality, Cost of Living & Poverty, and Social Welfare
How do we end the systemic and structural discrimination that has led to drastically increased inequality? How do we create a fair society that gives opportunity to all – Minimum wage? Social welfare? Universal income/healthcare? What should be done to address the rising cost of living. How do we eliminate poverty and homelessness in Singapore? Why are rents/housing costs so high? How is it we are such a rich country and yet there are so many poor people?
- Capitalism, Inequality, and Ideology in Singapore by Garry Rodan
- Increasing Welfare, Containing Entitlement by Garry Rodan
- Moral Accountability Challenged by Garry Rodan
- Consensus Representation Upkeep by Garry Rodan
- Singapore: The Technocratic Limits to Healthcare by Michael Barr
- Poor in the Land of Crazy Rich Asians by Zubaidah Jalil
- Poor People Don’t Like Oats Either by Teo You Yenn
- Myths and Facts: Migrant Workers in Singapore by Charan Bal
- Political Agenda: Singapore’s Invisible Population with Stephanie Chok (HOME) and Debbie Fordyce (TWC2)
- Political Agenda: Are Singapore’s Hawker Centres Dying Out? with hawkers Jialiang, Yu Ting and Uncle Arthur.
- The Show with PJ Thum, episode 6 (Singapore’s Economic Quandary)
5. Discrimination
How do we end all systemic and casual discrimination in Singapore? How do we protect of rights all minorities (including race, national origin, language, ancestry, citizenship, religion, creed, SOGIESC (sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics), marital status, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, etc.)? Does CMIO & other official discrimination make things worse?
Gender Discrimination
- An End to Marital Immunity for Rape in Singapore by Jolene Tan, Mark Wong, Wong Pei Chi, and Nadhir Nor
- How Discrimination Kills Gay Men in Singapore by John Lee
- LGBT Discrimination in Singapore by Sayoni
- Singapore’s Pink Dot Turns 10 by Kirsten Han
- “A National Coming Out”: 10 Years Since Repeal 377A by Kirsten Han and Otto Fong
- Political Agenda: #Ready4Repeal and the fight for LGBT equality with Johannes Hadi (Ready4Repeal co-author), Clement Tan (Pink Dot), and academic Pamela Devan
Racial Discrimination
- Regardless of Race, Language, or Religion by Kirsten Han
- Rethinking Race: Beyond the CMIO Categorisations by Laavanya Kathiravelu
- Racism and Xenophobia Amid a New Epidemic by Ruby Thiagarajan
- Singapore’s Malay Privileged: Affluence, Alienation and Anxieties by Faris Joraimi
- Brownface and Racism in Singapore by Ruby Thiagarajan
- Maze and Minefield: Reflections on Multiculturalism in Singapore by Lai Ah Eng
- Political Agenda: Representation, Inequality and Crazy Rich Asians with Ruby Thiagarajan (Mynah Magazine), Aisyah Amir (The Local Rebel) and Yale-NUS undergraduate Faris Joraimi
- The Show with PJ Thum, episode 1 (The Elected Presidency and the Political Economy of Race in Singapore, or why CMIO makes racism worse)
Religious Discrimination
- Religion, Singapore, and a Cancelled Metal Show by Daniel Peters
- Evangelicalism Rising in Secular Singapore by Simon Vincent
Age Discrimination
- Political Agenda: Singapore’s Gloriously Ageing Population with Kanwaljit Soin (Women’s Initiative for Ageing Successfully) and Fong Hoe Fang (Ethos Books).
The Continuing Impact of Colonialism
- Justifying Colonial Rule in Post-Colonial Singapore by Thum Ping Tjin
- If you Talk Like a Coloniser and Eat Like a Coloniser… by Gregory Ng Yong He
- Political Agenda: What’s Up With The SG Bicentennial? with Nurul Fadiah Johari, Farhan Idris, and Bani Haykal
- Political Agenda: The Spectre Haunting Singapore’s People’s Action Party by Thum Ping Tjin
- Political Agenda: Independence: The Highest Stage of Colonialism in Singapore? by Thum Ping Tjin
6. The Environment, Climate Change, and Natural Resources
How do we deal with the impending climate crisis? How do we decarbonise? How do we end our role in the oil and gas industry? How do we meet the Paris goals? Why are we reclaiming so much land? How do we increase recyclability?
- Where the Carbon Flows: Singapore’s Emissions in a Global Context by Meerabelle Jesuthasan
- Red Hot Red Dot: The Climate Crisis and Singapore by Anngee Neo and Meerabelle Jesuthasan
- Explainer: The Environment in Singapore by Meerabelle Jesuthasan
Other Relevant Articles
- Tan Cheng Bok: A Vision of Singapore’s Future, or a Throwback to the Past? by Sudhir Vadaketh
