Singapore

Economic diplomacy: Australia Inc’s new world order
Economic diplomacy: Australia Inc’s new world order
Risky business Australia’s sovereign wealth fund – the Future Fund – was established 15 years ago when the rivers of gold from selling iron ore to China were just starting to…
In Singapore, Covid vs privacy is no contest
In Singapore, Covid vs privacy is no contest
Life in Singapore during the pandemic has become about tracking, tracking, tracking. Wherever one goes, one has to scan QR codes that log entry into malls, restaurants, shops and…
Fareed Zakaria on Australia’s “opportunity” between the US and China
Fareed Zakaria on Australia’s “opportunity” between the US and China
Australia could model itself in part on Singapore to ensure it could still thrive in an Asian region increasingly dominated by China, according to Fareed Zakaria, the author and…
Singapore and Sri Lanka: Newfound opportunities amid Covid-19 pandemic
Singapore and Sri Lanka: Newfound opportunities amid Covid-19 pandemic
Photos of empty supermarket shelves became commonplace in the first weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic. The shutting down of borders and decreasing trade have affected many…
The invisible during the pandemic
The invisible during the pandemic
Recently in Singapore, several migrant workers attempted suicide at their dormitories, with at least one death. According to the authorities, some of them did so because they…
Singapore’s election: Why aren’t the winners smiling?
Singapore’s election: Why aren’t the winners smiling?
The People’s Action Party (PAP) has won its 13th consecutive general election since Singapore became an independent country. PAP won 83 out of 93 seats, a spectacular performance…
Singaporeans’ tricky exercise in tactical voting
Singaporeans’ tricky exercise in tactical voting
Singaporeans will go to the polls on 10 July, after a characteristically speedy campaigning period of nine days, along with a “cooling-off day” on which electioneering is banned. …
Covid-19 and the acceleration of state surveillance
Covid-19 and the acceleration of state surveillance
If the 15th-century philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli were alive today, he would surely have recognised the power of surveillance technologies that states such as China, Singapore,…
Covid forces Singapore to confront conditions for its migrant workers
Covid forces Singapore to confront conditions for its migrant workers
In 2015, a small group of migrant workers gave me a tour of their home, a former factory building that had been retrofitted to house construction workers from Bangladesh. About…
Singapore’s vulnerability: A large and growing pool of older people
Singapore’s vulnerability: A large and growing pool of older people
As the coronavirus ravages the globe and smashes supply chains, Singapore has been held up as the gold standard of containment. So far, the virus has only claimed three lives in…