This post was initially motivated by the question: Just how dangerous is Mas Selamat and what is the threat posed by his escape? Re-reading the Jemaah Islamiyah White Paper (released 7 Jan 2003) for the official threat assessment, I was then reminded that Mas Selamat had previously managed to flee before the Internal Security Department's Dec 2001 dragnet. It seems that he …

Political change beckons up north after the earthquake of an election that is reconfiguring Malaysia in more ways than one. Many would laud it as democratization; I hope it is. But here, I …

Nuclear power is considered a non-starter and a radioactive-hot potato for Singapore. Official and popular thinking about nuclear power seems to conform the precepts of Normal Accident Theory, that is, it is such a complex technology that an accident is almost inevitable and the consequences will be devastating. On the other hand, the attitude of the authorities and populus …

What a swinging week. My anticipation and expectation of a good budget debate session petered out on weak murmurings, predictable dialogues and the usual red herrings. The anti-climax is due either to the declining quality of grey matter among the PAP Commons or the solid, watertight character of a good and wise budget. It is both. That's why you see the Workers' Party …

Dr Cherian George has argued that the PAP government needs to invest in the credibility of the press. He pointed out that the government model of 'mass attention-on-demand through the mass media' is outdated and that its insistence on a 'crippled press' shows 'short term rationality', something that has 'hardened into dogma'. George insists that it is in Singapore's long term …

A shorter and sharper version of this article can be found at TODAYonlineOne of the changes in the Singapore's higher education system the past year that has generated a lot of buzz and interest is the proposed fourth university in the form of the liberal arts college. While there have been high levels of enthusiasm for the project, there appears to be fundamental …

The author and her articles can be found at the blog "The Rot Within". The reader is reminded that all opinions expressed in this article is expressed by the author alone and remain the sole responsibility of the author.Time and again, we are told that A*Star's scholarship schemes serve to nurture a base of scientific talent for local research institutes. We should make …

Ever so often, we hear the charge that Singaporeans are apathetic (do a google search with key words "apathetic" and "Singaporeans" and you'll see what I mean). Others insist that it is a myth. To tell you the truth, I'm a little apathetic about such claims--mostly because I'm busy enough, as it is, with so many things both at work and at home that I care deeply about. (Isn't …

Two weeks ago Dato Seri Syed Hamid Albar spoke on '40 Years of ASEAN: Its Evolution and its challenges today' at the LSE. Although Albar listed seven weaknesses of ASEAN [(1) Lack of coordination; (2) Overlapping jurisdiction between ministerial and sectoral agencies; (3) Proliferation of ASEAN bodies and meetings that perpetuate the 'talk shop' image; (4) Securing compliance …

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has stated on numerous occasions that finding and grooming his successor - the fourth PM of Singapore - is imperative. He did explicitly state that he would like to have a younger PM succeeding him, but beyond that, PM Lee does not discuss the specific qualities for the next PM. I would like to take a stab in thinking broadly about the …