socialservice.sg presents: "Before the Ballot"

Jin Yao Kwan

"Before the Ballot" is a podcast series focused on Singapore's next general election, co-hosted by Isaac Neo and Jin Yao Kwan. socialservice.sg is a website, podcast, and newsletter dedicated to social service research, practice, and policies in Singapore. Cover art photo by Kelli McClintock on Unsplash.

  1. Climate and environmental issues as election issues (with Bertrand Seah)

    21/10/2024

    Climate and environmental issues as election issues (with Bertrand Seah)

    With environmental consultant Bertrand Seah, we discuss the progress made in environmental policies since GE2020 and what gaps still exist. We also talk about the state of climate advocacy in Singapore, how environmental issues have impacted politics in other countries, and discuss whether environmental issues will still be an important election issue in Singapore’s next general election. The feature photos are by Ng Shi Wen (episode) and Kelli McClintock on Unsplash (cover).

    52 min
  2. “Are unelected voices still necessary in parliament?” (with former NMP Anthea Ong)

    20/09/2024

    “Are unelected voices still necessary in parliament?” (with former NMP Anthea Ong)

    Following our earlier conversation with former nominated member of parliament Anthea Ong on the current state of mental health and well-being in Singapore, we invited her back to chat about her stint in parliament. In particular, we discussed a 2022 book she edited, which gathered the perspectives and personal reflections of 20 past and present NMPs. We previously hosted Anthea on this podcast in 2020 and 2021: Mental health: Awareness, acceptance, and action (A conversation with NMP Anthea Ong) “Are we listening?”: Coalescing around downstream and upstream mental health action (Anthea Ong; COVID-19, one year on) #AreWeOkay and the proposal for a Mental Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Office in Singapore The feature photos are by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Ng Shi Wen⁠⁠⁠⁠ (episode) and Kelli McClintock on Unsplash (cover).

    57 min
  3. Parliamentary vacancies and parliamentary representation (with PhD student Joel Yew)

    18/08/2024

    Parliamentary vacancies and parliamentary representation (with PhD student Joel Yew)

    With PhD student Joel Yew (The University of Texas at Austin), we discuss the record number of vacancies in parliament as well as his research on the parliamentary representation of marginalised communities in Singapore. We also briefly explore the political and electoral aftermath of the government's repeal of Section 377A of the penal code. Joel was previously on this podcast in 2020, sharing about CAPE, or the Community for Advocacy and Political Education. Resources referenced in the episode: Critical actors in a dominant-party parliament? Representing marginalised communities in Singapore (Parliamentary Affairs). Queer politics in post-repeal Singapore (Jom). The feature photos are by ⁠⁠⁠Ng Shi Wen⁠⁠⁠ (episode) and Kelli McClintock on Unsplash (cover).

    33 min
  4. Singapore, first? Issues of migration, citizenship, multiculturalism, and nationalism in Singapore (with Dr. Rebecca Tan) - Part 2

    18/07/2024

    Singapore, first? Issues of migration, citizenship, multiculturalism, and nationalism in Singapore (with Dr. Rebecca Tan) - Part 2

    Issues of migration, citizenship, multiculturalism, and nationalism have featured prominently in both our politics and elections. Across two episodes with Dr. Rebecca Tan of the National University of Singapore, we take a deep dive into these issues. Fundamentally, she asks, what is fair and what is right? And how do we treat individuals more equitably? In this second episode, we zoom into five key events in Singapore’s past decade: First, GE2011; second, the 2013 Population White Paper; third, the 2013 Little India Riot; fourth, the focus on the 10-million population figure during and after GE2020; and fifth, COVID-19 and the plight of migrant workers. After analysing these events, Dr. Tan highlights data challenges and how all the issues – cumulatively – could feature in the next general election. LISTEN TO THE FIRST EPISODE. The feature photos are by ⁠Ng Shi Wen⁠ (episode) and Kelli McClintock on Unsplash (cover).

    54 min
  5. Singapore, first? Issues of migration, citizenship, multiculturalism, and nationalism in Singapore (with Dr. Rebecca Tan) - Part 1

    08/07/2024

    Singapore, first? Issues of migration, citizenship, multiculturalism, and nationalism in Singapore (with Dr. Rebecca Tan) - Part 1

    Issues of migration, citizenship, multiculturalism, and nationalism have featured prominently in both our politics and elections. Across two episodes with Dr. Rebecca Tan of the National University of Singapore, we take a deep dive into these issues. Fundamentally, she asks, what is fair and what is right? And how do we treat individuals more equitably? In this first episode, we learn about her research with “grassroots volunteers” and Integration and Naturalisation Champions, in terms of helping newly naturalised Singaporean citizens integrate into the country. Dr. Tan then explains global migration and political trends, including their theoretical applicability to our local context, especially on the themes of deservedness and belongingness. LISTEN TO THE SECOND EPISODE. The feature photos are by ⁠⁠Ng Shi Wen⁠⁠ (episode) and Kelli McClintock on Unsplash (cover).

    27 min
  6. “Are we OK with the price of not being OK?”: The mental health and well-being of Singaporeans (with former NMP Anthea Ong)

    23/06/2024

    “Are we OK with the price of not being OK?”: The mental health and well-being of Singaporeans (with former NMP Anthea Ong)

    The links between mental health and well-being and Singapore’s general elections may not be immediately clear. Yet, in GE2020, during a pandemic election which also placed emphasis on how Singaporeans were doing psychologically, many electoral candidates and political parties campaigned on related platforms. With former nominated member of parliament Anthea Ong, we first asked her to assess the current state of mental health and well-being in Singapore. Then, we discuss how these issues may feature in the next general election, after examining recent parliamentary amendments which were made and passed in the Law Enforcement and Other Matters Bill. We previously hosted Anthea on this podcast in 2020 and 2021: Mental health: Awareness, acceptance, and action (A conversation with NMP Anthea Ong) “Are we listening?”: Coalescing around downstream and upstream mental health action (Anthea Ong; COVID-19, one year on) #AreWeOkay and the proposal for a Mental Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Office in Singapore The feature photos are by ⁠⁠Ng Shi Wen⁠⁠ (episode) and Kelli McClintock on Unsplash (cover).

    44 min
  7. Looking back and looking ahead: Dr. Kenneth Paul Tan on PAP’s governing principles, PM Lawrence Wong, and the next general election - Part 2

    13/06/2024

    Looking back and looking ahead: Dr. Kenneth Paul Tan on PAP’s governing principles, PM Lawrence Wong, and the next general election - Part 2

    On May 15, 2024, at the Istana, Singapore's fourth prime minister Lawrence Wong took his oath of office and was officially sworn in, taking over from prime minister Lee Hsien Loong. This political transition is significant for a host of different reasons, and so, across two episodes, we take a deeper dive with Dr. Kenneth Paul Tan of Hong Kong Baptist University. We look back, and we look ahead. We look back, across Singapore's first three prime ministers or three generations of leadership. We then look ahead to three potential electoral scenarios for Mr. Wong and his ruling People's Action Party or PAP. In this second episode, we focus on the next general election. Fundamentally, we ask Dr. Tan, is it the PAP’s election to lose, or the opposition parties’ election to win? LISTEN TO THE FIRST EPISODE. We previously hosted Dr. Tan on this podcast in 2020, in ⁠an episode focused primarily on our collective, growing reliance on migrant labour in neo-authoritarian Singapore⁠. The feature photos are by ⁠⁠Ng Shi Wen⁠⁠ (episode) and Kelli McClintock on Unsplash (cover).

    42 min
  8. Looking back and looking ahead: Dr. Kenneth Paul Tan on PAP’s governing principles, PM Lawrence Wong, and the next general election - Part 1

    06/06/2024

    Looking back and looking ahead: Dr. Kenneth Paul Tan on PAP’s governing principles, PM Lawrence Wong, and the next general election - Part 1

    On May 15, 2024, at the Istana, Singapore's fourth prime minister Lawrence Wong took his oath of office and was officially sworn in, taking over from prime minister Lee Hsien Loong. This political transition is significant for a host of different reasons, and so, across two episodes, we take a deeper dive with Dr. Kenneth Paul Tan of Hong Kong Baptist University. We look back, and we look ahead. We look back, across Singapore's first three prime ministers or three generations of leadership. We then look ahead to three potential electoral scenarios for Mr. Wong and his ruling People's Action Party or PAP. In this first episode, we ask Dr. Tan: Across Lee Kuan Yew, Goh Chok Tong, and Lee Hsien Loong, how has the ruling PAP consistently approached Singapore’s governance since we became a self-governing state? We then explore those three electoral scenarios for Mr. Wong, in terms of the PAP doing better than they did in GE2020, the party doing about the same, or if they come close to losing or even loses its parliamentary supermajority. LISTEN TO THE SECOND EPISODE. We previously hosted Dr. Tan on this podcast in 2020, in an episode focused primarily on our collective, growing reliance on migrant labour in neo-authoritarian Singapore. The feature photos are by ⁠⁠Ng Shi Wen⁠⁠ (episode) and Kelli McClintock on Unsplash (cover).

    38 min
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5
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9 Ratings

About

"Before the Ballot" is a podcast series focused on Singapore's next general election, co-hosted by Isaac Neo and Jin Yao Kwan. socialservice.sg is a website, podcast, and newsletter dedicated to social service research, practice, and policies in Singapore. Cover art photo by Kelli McClintock on Unsplash.

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