Highlights

In his maiden National Day Rally speech on Sunday (Aug 18), Prime Minister Lawrence Wong unveiled two initiatives that could prove transformative to families and society: Making mandatory four weeks of government-paid paternity leave and introducing a new 10-week shared parental leave scheme. When fully implemented on Apr 1, 2026, parental leave entitlement will total […]

Merely avoiding competition is not enough. What’s needed is active pursuit of win-win solutions and outcomes to achieve a positive-sum society. Singapore’s hypercompetitive society underpinned by zero-sum thinking (your gain is necessarily my loss) cannot be overcome by the government, or policies. A quick recall of our nation’s short history already shows that opportunities have […]

The IPS-MHA Forum on Non-Violent Ethnic Hostilities, held on July 1, brought together some 200 thought leaders, policymakers, and community representatives to discuss the spectrum of non-violent ethnic hostilities, specifically in the Asia Pacific region. Organised by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the forum is part of […]

On 2 July 2024, Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong embarked on his first youth-centric dialogue since his inauguration as Prime Minister. Jointly organised by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), Varsity Voices (VV) and the Singapore Management University (SMU), the event was attended by close to 900 students from various Institutes of […]

Singapore’s fourth Prime Minister, Lawrence Wong who received the leadership mantle on 15 May 2024 from Lee Hsien Loong, is taking neither his position nor that of his party for granted. In an interview with The Economist on May 6, he said that Singaporeans want his People’s Action Party (PAP) to be in power but […]

The golden age of globalisation appears to be giving way to a new era defined by rising geopolitical tensions, technological disruptions and climate risks. These shifts are transforming the trade landscape, marked by trends of decoupling, friend-shoring and the growth of a green economy. Mr Tan Chong Meng delves into how recent developments are influencing […]

Last month, US President Joe Biden signed a Bill that would ban TikTok in the United States unless its China-based owner ByteDance divests from the social media platform. This move stemmed from fears that China could compel the platform to hand over the personal data of its 170 million American users to the Chinese government […]

Fourth Prime Minister (PM) Lawrence Wong issued a strong rallying cry to Singaporeans to work with him and his team to continue to “defy the odds and sustain this miracle called Singapore” in his swearing-in speech on 15 May. PM Wong was clear-eyed about the external conditions our small city-state faces today. He pointed out […]

May 15, 2024, the date Singapore’s fourth prime minister took over the reins of government, will be one for the history books. But what will this mean for Singaporeans? Perhaps nothing momentous, since Singapore’s calling card to the world has been political stability. In fact, our political leadership probably hopes that this handover is as […]

Which country has greater influence in South-east Asia – China or the US? The answer to the question is not as straightforward as the question suggests. If we are to rely on surveys, the answer can hinge on the choice of participants and also the nature of influence we are talking about. Influence is also […]