2021/05/07 |
Don’t Scold Tea-Leaves Readers. Singapore’s Government is the Problem.
An editorial in The Straits Times warned Singaporeans that “it’s not the time to read tea leaves.” It misses the point.
2021/03/12 |
What’s up With Singapore’s Response To the Myanmar Coup?
The Singaporean government has denounced Myanmar’s armed forces for using lethal weapons against protesters, but it is unlikely to take action against the military leaders.
2021/01/27 |
From Victims To Villains: Singapore’s War on Drugs
Singapore’s War on Drugs posture has lasted for decades. It’s time for a different approach.
2020/12/24 |
Singapore’s Government Wants a Conversation on ‘Women Development.’ Here’s What They Don’t Want to Talk About.
It’s one thing to boost “women development” — a term with echoes of a “lean in” mentality that places the onus on women to work even harder to succeed in environments predominantly catering to men — but quite another to truly challenge the patriarchy and live up to feminist principles.
2020/09/30 |
Will an Anti-Death Penalty Movement Take Root in Singapore?
Two recent near-executions have, in a small way, rekindled efforts to abolish the death penalty in Singapore.
2020/09/01 |
Who Controls Singapore's 'Safe Spaces'?
Safe spaces can’t be provided or dictated by the powerful.
2020/07/07 |
OPINION: Singapore's Crisis Election Is About Mudslinging, Not Real Issues
Singapore was supposed to have a public deliberation over its post-Covid-19 future. Instead the ruling party has cracked down on the opposition.
2020/05/22 |
Will Singapore Search for Its Soul After Covid-19?
Covid-19 has given us many reasons to be pessimistic that Singapore will change, but there's hope.
2020/04/08 |
Coronavirus: How Effective Is Singapore’s Anti-Fake News Law?
The so-called anti-fake news law in Singapore — POFMA — doesn't stop all misinformation, while leaving in place a powerful mechanism that can be abused when the crisis is over.
2018/01/18 |
Does Singapore Really Need a 'Fake News' Law?
There are plenty of constraints on free expression in Singapore and fake news appears yet to be a problem.
2017/11/29 |
Singapore further Squeezes Freedoms with Jolovan Wham Trials
Kirsten Hans spells out the innocuity of Jolovan Wham's allegedly illegal activities and the risk a creeping crackdown on freedoms poses to the future of Singapore.
2017/07/05 |
To Sue or Not to Sue: Defamation and Double Standards in Singapore’s Family Feud
'The prime minister has indicated that he might still sue his siblings, depending on what they continue to say in public. It's now become an exercise in seeing how far the siblings can go before they reach his limit, but would it really be to our benefit to see a lawsuit?'
2017/06/27 |
Singapore’s Establishment Tries to Wrest Back Control of Lee Family Feud
Serious questions of misuse of power, favoritism and the role of the PM's wife remain unanswered despite Singapore’s political elite and mainstream media falling in line behind the prime minister.
2017/06/26 |
Singapore's Family Feud: A 'Secret Committee' and the Problem of Due Process
'What we’re seeing now is not regular due process; instead, we have a ministerial committee placed between a rock and a hard place, plagued with considerations and intricacies they should never have had to deal with, and a senior official within the Ministry of Law making statements and arguments related to what is essentially a personal matter for the family to sort out, all while the actual Minister of Law is a member of the committee.'
2017/06/15 |
Is the First Family Finally Waking from Singapore’s Orwellian Nightmare?
Lee Hsien Loong has continued to erode civil liberties on the island. Like his father, he’s sued political opponents, journalists and dissidents. Are his siblings starting to wake up?
2017/05/31 |
Pink Dot, Speakers' Corner and the Death of Singapore's Only Space for Dissent
The Singapore government is barring foreigners from assembling at Hong Lim Park in support of LGBT rights.
2017/05/25 |
Singapore, It Is Time for Answers on Operation Spectrum
[OPINION] It’s high time that documents related to Operation Spectrum were declassified, and an independent Commission of Inquiry held, argues Kirsten Han.
2017/05/23 |
Waiting for Answers after 30 Years: Singapore’s Operation Spectrum
Operation Spectrum’s impact was immediate, writes Kirsten Han. Fear and paranoia spread across Singapore’s tiny civil society.