Podcast cover art photo by Andrea Ang on Unsplash

Episode #16 – Singapore’s “silly season” is upon us: Veteran journalist Bertha Henson on election reporting (A “Our Class Notes” and socialservice.sg collaboration)

Today, we speak to veteran journalist Bertha Henson, currently an Associate Professor of Practice at the National University of Singapore and formerly with the Singapore Press Holdings stable of newspapers. She’s covered seven general elections, four by-elections, and two contested presidential elections, and hence I asked her about her experience of reporting an election, the issues to which she is paying attention during the upcoming general election in Singapore, as well as how the ruling party would approach the election.

Podcast cover art photo by Andrea Ang on Unsplash

Episode #15 – The clarity of election and electoral regulations (A “Our Class Notes” and socialservice.sg collaboration)

Today, we focus on the clarity of election and electoral regulations by speaking to Christalle Tay and Ethan Tay, both recent graduates of the National University of Singapore. They tell us more about the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee and the Parliamentary Elections (COVID-19 Special Arrangements) Bill, the discourse surrounding online and postal voting, as well as the election experience of Israel and South Korea. In terms of what else Singaporeans need to know about the elections, Christalle also makes the interesting observation that this will be the first time that parties will campaign in a Pofma environment.

Podcast cover art photo by Andrea Ang on Unsplash

(Episode #14 – COVID19 Community Chronicles) The community of overseas Singaporeans in the Bay Area: “Wherever you go, you can create a family”

Community initiatives emerged spontaneously – even before the pandemic – to build connections among overseas Singaporeans. We hear from two overseas Singaporeans who have been running independent initiatives during the pandemic, in the San Francisco Bay Area. Jasmin Young has been organising weekly community forums as part of the volunteer-run Singapore organisation, SingaporeConnect, while Wilson Khoo has been spearheading food delivery efforts to help F&B businesses in the area.

Podcast cover art photo by Andrea Ang on Unsplash

(Episode #13 – COVID19 Community Chronicles) “Of the margins of the margins”: COVID19, marginalisation, and the role of academia (A conversation with Prof. Mohan Dutta)

The coronavirus pandemic has been described by some as “the great equaliser”, yet we now know the disproportionate impact of the virus. Individuals from low-income households and communities of colour are at higher risk of infection, serious illness, and death. And in this vein, the pandemic has revealed the persistent inequalities in our societies, including in Singapore.