Singapore denies entry to ‘extremist’ Indonesian preacher
By Ivan Lim, Former AJA President, Contributor to AsiaN SINGAPORE: On May 16, an Indonesian preacher Abdul Somad Batubara travelled from neighbouring Batam island by boat and arrived at Tanah Merah Ferry Point in Singapore. The cleric, who had been known to the authorities for his extremist religious views, was “interviewed” by immigration officials and then […]
Singapore has a Prime-Minister-in-waiting
By Ivan Lim, Former AJA President, Contributor to AsiaN SINGAPORE: He is Finance Minister Lawrence Wong Shyun Tsai. A career civil servant-turned- politician, he has been designated as the new leader of the fourth generation (4G) cohort of the ruling People’s Action Party(PAP). It is a spectacular rise for the unassuming member of a select […]
Upshot of the July 11, 2020 General Election in Singapore
By Ivan Lim, Former AJA President, Contributor to AsiaN SINGAPORE: In 2020, politics in Singapore threw up some surprises. Despite misgivings, the government went ahead, in the midst of Covid-19 pandemic, to hold a general election in which conventional door-to-door campaigning and open-air party rallies had to be replaced by TV broadcasts and online debates […]
An existential issue, says Singapore dubbing foul invasion of Ukraine
By Ivan Lim, Former AJA President, Contributor to AsiaN SINGAPORE: Singapore has stood out among its Asean partners to boldly call out Russia for its invasion of its next-door neighbour Ukraine on Feb 24 that has shaken up the world. The city-state has followed up its condemnation of Moscow with economic sanctions and restrictions that […]
Tripped in race to lead Singapore, but Heng Swee Keat still in limelight
By Ivan Lim Former AJA President, Contributor to AsiaN SINGAPORE: “Good Luck.” That’s what “Heng” means in Singapore’s local dialect. So, once-kampong boy Heng Swee Keat considered it his good fortune that he has had a crack at high office. Not by luck but by the dint of his credentials. Cambridge and Harvard- educated, the […]
Safeguard yourselves against Covid-19, government tells Singaporeans
By Ivan Lim Former AJA President, Contributor to AsiaN SINGAPORE: “YOU are on your own, lookout” That’s the new order of the day as Singapore pushes ahead as one of the first Covidean states to pivot towards living with the Coronavirus. Since late September, the city-state of 5.45 million has gone through a baptism of fire […]
Covid deaths spike, but Singapore stick to re-opening plans
By Ivan Lim Former AJA President, Contributor to AsiaN SINGAPORE: The figures tell a staggering story that smacks of a runaway pandemic. However, the authorities are looking at the bigger picture and taking the explosion of the Delta mutant cases in stride. Since mid-September, new daily caseloads have hovered between 1,000 and 3,000 cases. On […]
Rise of Eco-cities: An Asian model of sustainable development
By Ivan Lim Former AJA President, Contributor to AsiaN SINGAPORE: The search for an Asian eco-culture is in line with the international discourse on a new global ethical agenda for the New Millennium, focusing on religion, language, values and rights of minorities and indigenous people. It is marked by out-of-the-box thinking that embraces both […]
Singapore keeps an eye on Kabul after aiding refugee pull-out
By Ivan Lim Former AJA President, Contributor to AsiaN SINGAPORE: During the last acts of the United States’ precipitous retreat from Afghanistan in mid-August, Singapore got a piece of action -helping in the historic, if chaotic, airlift of thousands of Americans and Afghans fleeing the Taliban forces closing in on the capital, Kabul. US President […]
Funding-surge for blogger in Singapore PM’s defamation case
By Ivan Lim Former AJA President, Contributor to AsiaN SINGAPORE: Critics have decried the outcome of a defamation case in which a political blogger has been found to have impugned the reputation and integrity of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in an article. Mr Terry Xu, chief editor of The Online Citizen (TOC), has […]
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