Singapore Content Package…

SINGAPORE
Characteristics of SG
- Singapore society is highly competitive. It espouses an almost Darwinian meritocratic impulse,
compelling students to spend about 12 hours or more in school…
- Singapore is a prosperous society with a GDP per capita of $50 000 per annum
- Singapore is relatively small compared to many global powers. When compared to global
powerhouses such as the USA, Singapore is a fairly young nation and has a population of only 5.7
million…
- Limited natural resources, limited land space → more open to trade
- Singapore is a fast paced & highly stressful
- Many Singaporeans are seen as workaholics
- The hunt for material comfort and wealth has kept many working endless hours
- Singapore is becoming a pressure-cooker society
- As a pragmatic society, we largely base our decisions on empirical evidence, that is, things that
happened in the past. The government, who is driven by competitiveness, wants to be well-
prepared to handle future generations
- Academic elitism is a very real thing in Singapore: Individuals from premier educational
institutes (such as RI or Hwa Chong) are widely seen as superior to those coming from non-
branded schools
- Technologically advanced (SMART nation)
- Singapore has a high internet and mobile device penetration rate → can link to high-pressure
school & work cultures → over-reliance on electronic gaming for stress relief
- The mentality of being a "kiasu" (scared to lose) and "kiasi" (scared to die) is still largely
entrenched among Singaporeans
- Being a melting pot of cultures, most of us have a strong identity as Singaporeans
- Safe → Based on our analysis of official data issued by the Singapore Traffic Police and statistics
compiled by the World Health Organization, we found that Singapore had the 6th least number of
road accident-caused fatalities per capita out of the 178 countries assessed for the year of 2019
- More focused on innovation → upgrading people’s skills (due to the small population)
- Ageing population + falling birth rate → greater need for immigration
- Limited freedom of speech

Singapore Culture
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 ● Race and Culture
○ Racial Harmony Day that is celebrated every 21 July that commemorates the 1964
communal racial riots and emphasises the importance of racial harmony to Singaporeans
○ 19-year-old student from Temasek Polytechnic arrested after posting insensitive
comments, threats against religious community on Instagram
○ Survey from Institute of Policy Studies: 6 in 10 Singaporeans have heard racist
comments
○ Culture heritage:
i. The government also plays an important role in preserving the heritage, their
efforts include preserving Chinese-medium schools such as Hwa Chong
Institution. These schools are also known as Special Assistance Plan (SAP) schools
and put equal emphasis on both Chinese and English. These schools receive
additional funding to ensure that the Chinese culture learning environment is
preserved.
ii. Some traditional trades are also dying out due to the lack of demand and high
difficulty. Such as the Nyonya beaded shoes, where the low demand and high
cost of production due to factories closing down result in many makers not being
able to make ends meet. Lesser Peranakans are willing to spend up to $2500 on a
pair of beaded shoes resulting in not only shops closing down but also fewer
people willing to learn the trade..
● Singaporean Identity
○ Do Singaporeans feel a sense of national identity?
i. YES: Singaporeans do feel a sense of national identity as an online survey by
IPSOS shows that 85% of respondents are proud to be a Singapore Citizen/PR.
ii. National Day in Singapore is one of the occasions that are celebrated by people
from all walks of life. Everyone puts aside their differences and comes together as
Singaporeans to celebrate the independence of their country. This day helps instil
national identity and patriotism among many Singaporeans, their different races
and religions are being put aside for a moment as everyone wears a common
coloured-outfit, red and white, raises their Singapore flag and sings the national
anthem together. This sense of togetherness is crucial in a multicultural country
like Singapore as strengthening national identity provides people with a sense of
belonging and thus contributes to social cohesion.
iii. NO: Singaporeans do not feel a sense of national identity as in today’s
interconnected world, the Singapore society is no longer as homogenous as it
used to be in the past, where mindsets were more similar even though they were
culturally different.
iv. Firstly, the influx of foreigners also dilutes the national identity. According to
Statista, the immigrant population of Singapore made up about 40% of the total
population of the country in 2018.
v. Secondly, the prevalence of the internet and social media has caused the
influence of other cultures that may not be aligned with Singapore's. One
example would be the LGBTQ+ community where the influence of western
countries made younger Singaporeans more open to issues that are considered
taboo in Singapore, such as same sex marriage.
● The arts in Singapore
○ How vibrant is the local arts scene (e.g. traditional arts, music, literary arts, etc.)?
i. YES: The local arts scene is vibrant because of events such as the Singapore
International Festival of Arts (SIFA) and the Singapore Youth Festival (SYF). The
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 SIFA is an annual event that exhibits theatre, dance, music and visual arts in a
series of performances in different venues around Singapore. In 2019, within one
hour of the announcement of the Festival programme and the commencement of
ticket sales on 25 February, all tickets sold out to one of the Festival’s most
popular events: Ryuichi Sakamoto – Fragments. The Singapore Youth Festival
(SYF) celebrates youth achievement in co-curricular activities such as performing
arts and sports. More than 30,000 students participate in the performances and
activities in the SYF, as well as events leading up to it.
ii. NO: The local arts scene is not vibrant because there is controversy on
performance art. In 1994, a series of performance was created as a protest
following the arrest of twelve men for homosexual solicitation. The twelve men
were charged and punished with three strokes of the cane, arousing Josef Ng, a
performance artist, to create his work titled Brother Cane to comment on the
injustice faced. After that, the government condemned the work and a ban on
funded Performance Art was enacted in Singapore. The ban was eventually lifted
in 2003, under consent that performance artists obtain a licence to prior and
adhere to a set of regulations. But performance arts still remain highly regulated
in Singapore which limits performance artists and their expression through this
art form.

Social Issues in Singapore

● Prejudice and discrimination
○ What are some specific areas in which prejudice and discrimination is seen in
Singapore?
i. Certain employers sack their elderly employees due to their reduced
productivity
ii. A study conducted by the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) found that
more than one third of Singaporeans would not employ people with disabilities
○ What are our solutions for these problems, and how effective have these solutions
been?
i. Under the Employment Act, dismissal of an employee because of discrimination
(e.g against the employee’s age, race, gender, religion, marital status and family
responsibilities, or disability) is prohibited
ii. Government has been encouraging firms to hire intellectually disabled by
reducing corporate tax for these firms → MOS Burger has been recruiting more
people with mental disabilities
iii. MOM introduced the Retirement and Re-employment Act to encourage the
employers to hire older workers.
● Inequality
○ What are some specific types of inequality (e.g. income, gender, educational
outcomes, etc.) experienced in Singapore?
i. Income inequality → According to Statista, SG’s 2020 Gini coefficient is 0.35 (it
has been decreasing from 2012)
ii. Unequal employment opportunities for the disabled
iii. Gender inequality → In 2018, MOM reported that women on average, were
earning 6% less than a man with the same job in the same industry, and of the
same age and education qualifications
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 iv. Gender inequality → AWARE’s sexual assault care centre had seen around 800
cases on average annually for the last two years.
v. Student groups, such as Girl, Talk at NTU and Students for a Safer NUS, were
formed as a result of the spate of sexual crimes → Both groups hope to empower
women to respond to campus sexual harassment.
○ What are our solutions for these, and how effective are they?
i. Income inequality:
1. MediShield Life provides coverage of medical treatments so that the
lower income groups can have greater access to medical treatment.
2. The ComCare scheme offers assistance to help low-income
Singaporeans tide over difficult periods.
3. Courage fund schemes (SARS & Covid-19) was first established in 2003
when Singapore was hit by the SARS outbreak, fellow Singaporeans
donated generously to the Fund to support those who were affected by
the outbreak.
ii. Gender inequality:
1. The Women’s Charter has given women in Singapore the right to
property and to be treated fairly. In 2015, women made up more than 50
percent of the students enrolled in universities in Singapore.
● Minority rights
○ What are some minorities (e.g. foreign construction workers, foreign domestic
workers, ‘sexual minorities’, etc.) in Singapore that have been marginalised?
i. Ethnic: malays, indians, eurasians
ii. Migrant workers, foreign domestic workers, single parent families, LGBTQ+
community
○ What has been done to protect the interests of these minorities?
i. Single mothers: AWARE has set up #asinglelove, a subsidiary of their
organization aimed to help single mothers, providing financial assistance as well
as helping them to get jobs or extend emotional support for these women who
are struggling to find a place in society.
ii. Foreign domestic workers: In a bid to step up its monitoring of the well-being
of foreign domestic workers, MOM announced in 2021 that it has begun
conducting random house visits to check on their working and living
environments. The ministry intends to carry out 200 random house visits per
month.
● Animal rights
○ How are animal rights violated in Singapore?
i. The authority has received 270 cases of feedback on alleged animal cruelty
from January to October 2017, a slight increase from the 260 during the same
period last year.
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 ○ What laws and support systems are in place to protect the rights of animals?
i. The Animal and Birds Act was amended in 2014 to impose harsher penalties for
animal abusers.
ii. Section 428 of Singapore’s Penal Code also makes it an offence to kill, maim,
poison, or render useless any animal.

Singapore Politics, Governance, and Law &

Order
● Singapore politics
○ Who are the main players/parties in Singapore politics?
i. The Government in Singapore has a system of representative democracy with
3 separate branches: the Legislature (which comprises the President and
Parliament), the Executive (which comprises Cabinet Ministers and office-
holders, and is led by the Prime Minister) and the Judiciary.
ii. The main parties in SG: People’s Action Party (PAP), Worker’s Party (WP),
Progress Singapore Party (PSP)
○ Why is Singapore often criticised as being undemocratic?
i. By definition, Singapore has a democratic political system however there have
been criticisms that the system is flawed and hence, undemocratic.
ii. Examples of unfair elections:
1. Denial of permits to hold campaign rallies
2. Shutting down printing facilities used by opposition parties
3. Increasing the candidate registration fee
4. Decreasing the nomination period, and other bureaucratic hurdles
○ Is it true that Singaporeans are politically apathetic? What are some of the issues that
Singaporeans are increasingly passionate about?
i. Younger Singaporeans appear increasingly unafraid to express assertively
more radical solutions to the country’s socio-economic problems. Furthermore,
under-30s appear willing to talk publicly about institutional racism, a subject
long been pushed aside by the PAP government.
● Governance
○ Why is Singapore known as a paternalistic nanny state?
i. Paternalism is an action that limits a person's or group's liberty or autonomy
and is intended to promote their own good. Paternalism can also imply that the
behavior is against or regardless of the will of a person, or also that the
behavior expresses an attitude of superiority.
ii. The Singapore government is known as a paternalistic nanny state as it has
been very careful with issues regarding race and religion. For example,
multiculturalism has to be protected by government policies such as ethnic
quotas in housing, guaranteed minority-group representation in parliament and
limits on free speech.
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 iii. Additionally, the government also helps Singaporeans to save up for their
retirement. All Singaporeans and Permanent Residents are forced to save a part
of their earnings in the Central Provident Fund (CPF).
○ There is much talk about Singapore’s ‘social compact’. What is this social compact, and
how has it been changing in recent times?
i. A social compact, or social contract is an implicit agreement among the
members of a society to cooperate for social benefits
ii. In the past, SG’s social contract was founded based on individual
responsibility, state-driven economic growth & a social security system. This
enabled SG to achieve inclusive and rapid economic growth
iii. Today, the SG government introduced the progressive tax system → these
taxes are redistributed to lower-income families as subsidies to reduce income-
inequality. Efforts are in place to encourage lifelong learning → workers can
continue to upskill admit the rapidly changing economy
iv. However, these efforts do not address the structural factors hindering social
mobility. Critics point to the reforming of education policies, where in spite of
reduction of school-based assessments and changes in admission systems, the
early streaming system has remained.
v. AWARE also said about the Merdeka Generation Package that ‘in continuing
to extend benefits on a generational basis… the government missed a real
opportunity to assure all Singaporeans of a secure future when they are the
elderly’.
○ How well does the Singapore government fare in terms of providing public
infrastructure (e.g. public transportation, telecommunications, water supply, flood
management, etc.) and social goods (e.g. education, healthcare, etc.)?
i. SG topped consulting firm Mercer’s list of cities in Asia offering the highest
quality of life, and its infrastructure was deemed the best in the world
ii. TRANSPORTATION: The Land Transport Authority (LTA), in partnership with
Public Transport Operators (PTOs) SBS Transit and SMRT, rolled out new
measures to significantly increase bus capacity and bus service levels.
iii. $1.1 billion Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP): 1000 new buses
and 80 new bus routes were added. By the time it was completed in 2017, the
BSEP has boosted the capacity of about 70% of bus services through
deployment of higher-capacity buses and more frequent bus trips
iv. EDUCATION: MOE provides Financial Assistance Schemes, which are direct
funding to students from low-income families
● Law & Order
○ Singapore is jokingly called a ‘fine’ city. It is also often described as having ‘draconian’
laws. What explains this reputation, and do you think this reputation is deserved?
i. Walking around your own house naked can result in a penalty of up to 3
months in prison or $2000 fine
ii. Connecting to someone else's wifi can result in up to 3 years in prison and/or
a $10 000 fine
iii. During the Covid-19 pandemic, non-Singaporeans who were caught not
obeying the safe distancing measures such as wearing a mask, were deported
out of the country
iv. The reputation is deserved as the government imposes harsh penalties on
the people for trivial matters.
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 ○ What are some of the laws in Singapore that are routinely criticised (especially by
human rights groups)? (Make sure to give concrete examples.) And do Singaporeans
generally support these laws? Why or why not?
i. Some laws which have been routinely criticised are those which have been
known to challenge human rights.
ii. As more Singaporeans, especially the young populace become more
accepting and tolerant to sensitive issues such as LGBT, the Singapore society is
slowly starting to accept same-sexual relationships.
iii. E.g. conservative laws such as Section 377A of the Penal Code which is a
Singaporean law criminalising sex between consenting male adults is meeting
with growing public opposition.
iv. An annual LGBT awareness event called Pink Dot saw a record 28,000-strong
turnout in June. Along with attendance, corporate sponsorship was up as well,
with social media company Twitter, media giant Bloomberg, and Singapore-
based movie exhibitor Cathay Organisation joining early supporters such as
Google, JP Morgan, and Barclays.
○ What are some major ways in which individual freedoms are curtailed for the sake of
maintaining law and order? (Make sure to give concrete examples.)
i. Singapore's POFMA seeks to prevent the electronic communication of
falsehoods (i.e. false statements of fact or misleading information), as well as to
safeguard against the use of online platforms for the communication of such
falsehoods.
ii. E.g. Singapore said the fringe site States Times Review had broken a newly
introduced "fake news" law and repeatedly conveyed "falsehoods". Authorities
said the States Times Review (STR) had in January 2020 up a Facebook post
which "falsely claimed that Singapore had run out of face masks" → Facebook
has blocked access to the State Times Review’s (STR) page in Singapore, after it
was instructed to do so on Monday (17 Feb 2020) by the office overseeing the
POFMA.

Singapore’s Security
● Crisis management
○ What are some examples of Singapore dealing with crises?
i. On 23 January 2020, the first case of Covid 19 was recorded → since then,
the authorities are vigilant and have put into place many measures, one of
which being the 2020 circuit breaker
ii. The 2020 Singapore circuit breaker measures was a stay-at-home order and
cordon sanitaire implemented as a preventive measure by the Government of
Singapore in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country on 7 April
2020.
iii. A 16-year-old Singaporean student has been detained under the Internal
Security Act (ISA) for planning to attack two mosques and kill worshippers in
Singapore on 15 March 2021 (2nd anniversary of the Christchurch terror
attacks) → To prepare himself for the knifing attack, the youth had watched
YouTube videos, and was confident that he would be able to hit the arteries of
his targets by randomly slashing at the neck and chest areas.
● Social harmony
○ What are some major threats to Singapore’s social harmony, and how are they
managed?
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 i. The 2013 Little India riot took place on 8 December 2013 after a fatal accident
in Little India, the 400 foreign workers involved attacked the private bus (that
caused a foreign worker to die) and emergency vehicles that had by then
arrived at the location
ii. rioters were seen pushing police cars on their sides and setting an ambulance
on fire
iii. The riot eventually led to the implementation of a new law, the Liquor
Control (Supply and Consumption) Act in 2015 banning consumption of alcohol
in all public places from 10:30 pm to 7 am.
● National Service
○ What is the justification for National Service?
i. Defence Minister Goh Keng Swee justified the government’s decision to
introduce compulsory conscription of male youths on the grounds of
establishing a credible defence force and nation-building for Singapore.
ii. NS was also seen as the best way to quickly build up Singapore’s defence
forces without placing a heavy burden on the country’s financial and
manpower resources
○ What are some of the recent debates surrounding National Service?
i. Safety measures of NS training in Singapore are still not able to fully protect
NS men perfectly → e.g. popular actor Aloysius Pang died in 2019, four days
after sustaining injuries to his chest and abdominal areas while carrying out
repair works inside a self-propelled howitzer with two other personnel at the
Waiouru Training Area
ii. Unfair discrimination of Malays in National Service: Malays were not given
scholarships and they were not recruited in senior positions in the SAF →
detriment to social cohesion as it discourages and excludes a large pool of
malay candidates of promising careers in the military

Singapore’s Economy
● The Singapore Economic Miracle
○ What were the circumstances and economic policies that enabled Singapore to
achieve the massive economic growth it has enjoyed since its independence?
i. The country has achieved this remarkable growth through embracing
globalization, free market capitalism, emphasising the importance of education,
and following strict pragmatic government policies. In order to attract
investors, Singapore has had to create an environment that was safe,
corruption-free, low in taxation, and unimpeded by unions.
ii. One of the lowest corporate tax rates: attract foreign investments (FDI) to SG
iii. Free trade agreement (FTA): given SG’s limited natural resources, SG
depends heavily on exports and imports
● The current economic state
○ What are Singapore’s strategies for lasting through the Covid-induced economic
recession?
i. In addition to a Unity Budget that supported various schemes during the first
phase, the government approved the Resilience and Solidary Budget of
approximately SGD59.9 billion in total to provide financial relief to businesses
and workers affected by the crisis
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 ii. Supply-side policies:
1. Extend SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package (Jobs Growth Incentive,
SGUnited Skills, SGUnited Traineeships, and SGUnited Mid-Career
Pathways Programmes)
2. Enhance salaries of healthcare workers
3. Innovation & Enterprise Fellowship Programme
iii. The GST rate hike that was supposed to take place in 2021 from 7% to 9%
will be delayed
○ How is Singapore addressing the issue of economic inequality, and how successful has
it been in doing so?
i. Singapore has been ranked among the bottom 10 countries with respect to
tackling inequality by Oxfam International. It has been ranked as having the
third highest Gini coefficient in the world, after the United States (US) and the
United Kingdom (UK).
ii. Education:
1. The Ministry of Education (MOE) has made significant moves to
address this by taking into account the skills and abilities of individual
students and going beyond grades and paper qualifications.
2. For instance, it changed the PSLE scoring system and moved beyond
streaming to full subject-based banding in schools.
3. It is also providing more pathways in higher education by expanding
the percentage of aptitude-based admissions in institutes of higher
education.
4. The UPLIFT scholarship was introduced to provide an S$800 annual
cash award to students from lower-income families who have performed
well to be admitted into independent schools
iii. Individuals and households
1. Budget 2021: Household Support Package → e.g. Lower-income
families who are quality for the GST Voucher will receive an additional
payment of $200 in June 2021
2. Budget 2021: Covid-19 recovery grant, Covid-19 Driver Relief Fund →
eligible taxi and private car drivers to get $750 per vehicle per month
● Policies in SG that address market failure
○ Education
i. Subsidies: MOE heavily subsidies the education of Singaporeans from primary
to tertiary level
ii. Rules & regulations: Under the Compulsory Education Act passed in 2000, it
is required that children receive at least 6 years of education
iii. Government provision: Bursaries and scholarships are available for students
who perform well academically (meritocracy)
○ Healthcare
i. Subsidies:
1. Means-test subsidy → lower-income groups enjoy higher subsidies for
hospital stays (means-testing is the official process of measuring how
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 much income a person has in order to decide if they should receive
money from the government).
2. Medifund helps needy Singaporeans who are unable to pay for their
medical expenses
ii. Rules & regulations:
1. Medisave → national medical savings scheme that helps individuals set
aside part of their income to pay for their personal or approved
dependents' hospitalisation, day surgery and certain outpatient
expenses, as well as their healthcare needs in old age
2. Medishield → a basic health insurance plan, administered by the
Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board, which helps to pay for large hospital
bills and selected costly outpatient treatments
3. Compulsory immunisation → e.g. Hepatitis B Immunisation
Programme for children under 12 years old
○ Smoking
i. Rules & regulations:
1. No sale of cigarettes to youths under 18 years and sellers caught selling
cigarettes to underaged youth will be fined
2. Prohibition on smoking in certain places act: prohibits smoking in
public places such as air-conditioned work places
ii. Provision of information:
1. Public education by Health Promotion Board (HPB)
2. Health warning and graphic images on the outsides of cigarette
packages since 1 Aug 2004
iii. Taxation: Tobacco Excise Taxation
○ Road usage
i. Taxation
1. Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) → per-use tax on road usage during peak
hours
2. Road tax → tax on using roads where cars of the same engine capacity
pays the same amount of specific tax
3. Additional Registration Fee (ARF) → tax on ownership, imposed upon
registration of the vehicle
ii. Rules & regulations
1. Certificate of Entitlement (COE) → anyone who wishes to register for a
new vehicle in SG must first obtain a COE. It is a quota system limiting the
number of new vehicles allowed to be registered in SG.
2. Vehicle inspections → to ensure that they are roadworthy and adhere
to emission standards
iii. Promoting alternative transport
1. Improvement of public transport → introduction of bus lanes to
increase speed of public buses. Development of the North-East line &
Circle line for improved train travel.
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 2. Green Vehicle Rebate → ARF rebate of 40% for green vehicles (electric
cars) that emits less pollution
3. Investment in infrastructure → more roads built to help alleviate road
congestion (e.g. Building of North-South Expressway from 2013)

Singapore and the Environment

● Environmental issues
○ What environmental problems does Singapore face?
i. As a densely populated, low-lying island state, Singapore is "extremely
vulnerable" to sea level rise and coastal erosion. Now, we have a 1m buffer
when there's heavy rain + high tide, but future mean sea levels will rise 1m,
then the buffer will be gone → flooding.
ii. Flooding at Pasir Ris-Tampines junction on 20 August 2021→ 1 person was
taken to the hospital
iii. Plastic waste: about 900 million kg of plastic wastes is discarded every year
→ only 4% is recycled
iv. Food waste: According to the National Environmental Agency (NEA), ‘food
waste accounts for about 10% of the total waste generated in Singapore, but
83% of it ends up incinerated
○ What environmental efforts has Singapore taken, and are they enough?
i. Rising sea levels: National Day Rally 2019 → Cost about $100 billion to
protect SG against rising sea levels + second pump house built at the opposite
end of Marina Barrage
ii. Plastic waste:
1. Zero Waste SG’s “Bring Your Own” (BYO) movement → encouraging
Singaporeans to use reusable bags at supermarkets.
2. Over 270 F&B outlets won't give out plastic straws from 1 July 2019 →
estimated 2.2 million straws are used every day in Singapore.
3. Straw Free Singapore is a youth-driven campaign by Ang Zyn Yee to
reduce the number of plastic straws used in Singapore through
partnerships with F&B establishments and institutions → she has
convinced more than 20 F&B establishments to go straw-lite
iii. Food waste:
1. NEA launched a Food Waste Reduction (FWR) outreach programme in
November 2015 to encourage the adoption of smart food purchase,
storage and preparation habits that help consumers save money while
reducing food wastage at source. The outreach programme features
educational materials publicised on both print and social media platforms
(e.g. newspapers, television, websites) and community-led initiatives,
which included an educational skit.
2. Love Your Food @ Schools project encourages students and staff to
reduce the amount of food waste they generate and to garner the
participation of students, staff and canteen stall holders to segregate
their food waste for treatment using on-site food waste digesters.
○ Are Singaporeans environmentally-conscious?
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 i. YES: A survey by Mediacorp has found that the vast majority of Singapore
millennials (90%) are concerned about the impact of climate change and want
to do their part to address the problem.
ii. E.g. In 2019, more than 1700 youths took part in Singapore’s first climate
rally at Hong Lim Park as they were inspired by Greta Thunberg’s “School Strike
for Climate” campaign → Singapore youths want their opinions to be heard and
they believe that the government should take more preventive measures rather
than adaptive ones
● Urban planning
○ Why does Singapore have a reputation for being the garden city? And what does
Singapore’s aspiration to be the world’s greenest city mean?
i. The “garden city” vision was introduced by then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew
on 11 May 1967 to transform Singapore into a city with abundant lush greenery
and a clean environment in order to make life more pleasant for the people.
ii. In Marina Bay, all developments comply with a 100 percent greenery
replacement policy.
iii. The Pinnacle@Duxton, the tallest public housing development in the world,
has seven 50-story buildings connected by gardens on the 26th and 50th floors.
iv. Throughout the city, there are many green buildings such as the CapitaGreen
office tower, the PARKROYAL on Pickering hotel and the Tree House condo near
Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.
v. One of Singapore’s largest and most visible eco-friendly initiatives is Gardens
by the Bay. The main attraction of the gardens is the Supertree Grove. The
Supertrees are towering vertical gardens ranging in height from 25 to 50
metres. These vertical gardens and the whole of Gardens by the Bay are self-
sustainable based on the ecosystem created from the lake, the Supertrees and
the conservation domes.
○ What kind of city does Singapore envision itself for the future?
i. Car-Lite Singapore: aims to reduce Singaporeans’ reliance on cars and
promote the use of sustainable alternatives
1. First, by improving and expanding public transport systems. Second, by
providing alternative modes of transport. Third, by managing the private
vehicle population and its usage.
2. Policies such as expanding the ERP, revising vehicle growth rate to
neutral, phasing out internal combustion engines, increasing the capacity
of the MRT and bus systems, and expanding cycling infrastructure
3. Yet, despite these longstanding efforts, private vehicle ownership rates
remain significant. Among the registered vehicles in 2019, 54% were
private vehicles → reason: Car ownership in Singapore meets more than
the mobility needs, often signifying one’s relative affluence and social
standing. Thus, the ambition and attitude towards car ownership pose a
hurdle to becoming car-lite.
ii. Smart Nation Singapore:
1. E.g. LifeSG app (developed by the Government Technology Agency) is a
Smart Nation initiative that helps citizens access Government services
and information conveniently on a single platform.
2. E.g. E-payments such as PayNow are initiatives adopted to move SG
into a cashless environment
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 3. E.g. National Digital Identity such as SingPass Mobile allows citizens
and businesses to transact conveniently and securely online
○ What are some of the challenges facing urban planners in Singapore, and how are we
seeking to overcome them?
i. Challenges:
1. Impact of climate change → flash floods and extremity of the weather
2. Limited land and energy resources
ii. Solutions: The Government will set aside $150 million for The Cities of
Tomorrow R&D Programme → the programme focuses on 4 key R&D areas:
1. Construction: To have a more productive and technologically-advanced
construction sector, for instance through automation and the use of
robots
2. Infrastructure: Using research to minimise issues such as building
defects, and enhance inspection methods, leading to increased reliability
but lower costs.
3. Space: Find ways to free up more space for community activities, such
as by moving certain functions, such as storage facilities, underground.
4. Living environment: Enhance the energy and resource efficiency of
towns, and create a more pleasant living environment through, for
instance, reducing ambient noise.

Fake news / cyber threats examples

● According to a REACH poll, more than 70% of Singaporeans have come across fake news online
● During the pandemic outbreak, a Singaporean man posted false information on Covid-19 circuit
breaker measures on a Facebook group called “Taxiuncle”, saying that he had “intel” that SG
would purportedly impose extended measures on April 18.
● An alternative news site All Singapore Stuff published an article that the roof of Punggol
Waterway Terraces had collapsed → When Channel NewsAsia visited the scene on Friday
afternoon, police and Singapore Civil Defence Force officers had set up a cordon, but the incident
was confirmed to be a false alarm.
● Authorities said the States Times Review (STR) had a Facebook post which "falsely claimed that
Singapore had run out of face masks" → Facebook has blocked access to the State Times Review’s
(STR) page in Singapore, after it was instructed to do so on Monday (17 Feb 2020) by the office
overseeing the POFMA.
● MOH issued a POFMA correction to Facebook over a post circulating online claiming that a 3-
year-old had died of Covid-19 at the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
● Contact tracing conundrum: In early June 2020, cyber researchers uncovered fake COVID-19
contact tracing apps that imitated the Android versions of 12 official government-issued apps,
including Singapore’s TraceTogether.
● The anti-vaccination YouTube videos by the Healing the Divide group, which were posted on the
channel of its founder Iris Koh, have been removed
○ contained false claims warning people about the dangers of vaccination
● 2018 Singhealth data breach: hackers have stolen the personal particulars of 1.5 million
patients. Of these, 160,000 people, including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and a few ministers,
had their outpatient prescriptions stolen as well
:
 ● In 2019, the Straits Times reported that a female IT manager was scammed via an online dating
site by a potential love interest who claimed to be a diamond dealer working in the US
○ Over the course of their interaction, the diamond dealer gained her trust and asked
her to pay S$7,000 for "customs fees to deliver his diamonds to a client".
○ She made the transaction without hesitation but later grew suspicious when the man
asked her to transfer the money again as he claimed to have not received it
○ In the first half of 2019, there were 306 such cases reported to the police.

Race / religions / culture threats examples

● Woman was filmed interrupting her neighbour's Hindu prayers by clanging a gong repeatedly
○ Facebook user Livanesh Ramu can be seen ringing a prayer bell outside his home when
his neighbour, a woman, appears behind him with a small gong that she begins hitting
loudly and repeatedly.
● Ngee Ann Polytechnic has suspended a senior lecturer the the School of Engineering who made
racist remarks to an inter-ethnic couple (the video on social media went viral)
● Curry dispute: a chinese family (from China) complained about the smell of curry coming from
their Singapore Indian neighbour
○ Out of consideration to the Chinese family’s aversion to the curry smell, the Indian
family would shut their doors and windows whenever they cooked curry. However, the
Chinese family deemed this measure insufficient, and entreated their neighbours to
refrain from cooking the dish altogether.
○ It started the the “Cook and Share a Pot of Curry” event via social media platform
Facebook
● Women in Singapore allegedly, influenced by church friends, takes ivermectin for Covid-19 and
ends up in A&E
○ Her friends from church also convinced her that mRNA vaccines are against their
religion
○ She suffered from six side effects when she was admitted to the hospital, all of which
are the result of consuming ivermectin
○ The victim's daughter has registered her mother for the Sinopharm vaccine, which is
an approved vaccine that is not mRNA based. However, her mother's friends allegedly
claimed that doing so was also taboo, and that her mother will not go to heaven after
taking the second jab.
● Local musician Subhas Nair was on Monday (Nov 1) charged for promoting feelings of ill will
between different religious and ethnic groups
○ produced and published a racially charged rap video online, the clip is said to have
attempted to promote feelings of ill will between Chinese people and other races.
○ Nair allegedly tried to promote feelings of ill will between Chinese and Indians during
an indoor stage performance on 11 March 2021

Miscellaneous examples
● Teen may face probation for beating up foreign workers
○ 18-year-old Daryl Lim Jun Liang picked foreign workers who were shorter and smaller,
to beat them up with his friends. Between September and October last year, he was
involved in four such incidents.
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 ○ There was a clear premeditated intent to pick on and assault a specific group with a
certain build - "foreign workers who were deemed by the group as physically weak and
unlikely to fight back".
● In Kisi's 2020 study, Singapore is the 2nd most overworked out of the 50 cities. More than 25%
of our population is overworked, with Singaporeans spending an average of 51 hours a week
working
● According to a survey by Cigna in 2019, nearly 92% of Singaporeans surveyed were stressed
from work
● 2003 SARS: 238 people were infected and 33 got killed in SG
○ Learning from the SARS outbreak, SG introduced several key measures to strengthen
its pandemic management capabilities by establishing the Disease Outbreak Response
System Condition framework.
○ In 2020, the Covid-19 outbreak was effectively handled by the committee which was
first establish during the SARS outbreak
● In Jan 2016, a charity started SG's first inclusive preschool → Kindle Garden, run by AWWA →
children with disabilities learn and play alongside other kids in the same classroom → 30% of
children have disabilities (autism & Down's syndrome)
● More than 200,000 police cameras will be installed islandwide in Singapore by 2030. This is up
from the 90,000 already in place.
○ Since their installation began in 2012, the use of the devices has helped officers to
solve more than 5,000 cases. (The Straits Times)
● About 100,000 healthcare workers will receive a Covid-19 Healthcare Award of $4,000 each.
○ Staff of public healthcare institutions and community care organisations that deliver
frontline healthcare services will receive the award. Public Health Preparedness Clinics
will receive a grant of $10,000 that is to be shared among their staff.

Volunteering work
● Youth Corps Singapore (YCS) was set up in 2014 as a national institution of youth volunteerism
to support youth keen to serve the community
○ It offers ad hoc, regular and project-based volunteering opportunities, and its ongoing
Yolden Programme, where they befriend seniors in nursing homes.
● Volunteers from Covid-19 Migrant Support Coalition (CMSC) distributed 10 000 apples to
migrant workers on national day through the WeFruits Campaign

Kindness
● CSR - Grab and GoJek
GrabProtect:
- Both the driver and passengers must wear masks at all time
Before the shift, the drivers must complete hygiene and health declaration
Cashless payment is recommended
Passengers no longer allowed to ride in front seat
Drivers are advised to disinfect their hands and vehicles frequently

Grab launches career portal and training programmes to support drivers

- drivers will be able to get career coaching and training certification for the jobs they wish to
pursue, in addition to job placement and networking opportunities.
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 - new driver training programme featuring two courses - Customer Service and Quality as well as
Vehicle Safety and Maintenance.
- grab drivers will not have to pay for the courses, as SkillsFuture Singapore will cover up to 90%
course fees under the Enhanced Training Support Package for P2P Drivers, and grab subsidising
the remaining amount
- the courses will be available to all taxi and private-hire drivers in Singapore

● CSR - Singapore
32 companies have decided to return the Government’s Job Support Scheme (JSS) payments while others
are donating to charity. One company which has decided to give up its JSS payout is German
pharmaceutical group Boehringer Ingelheim. It will instead donate $500,000 to five causes that its
employees voted for → Migrant Workers' Assistance Fund, Sayang Sayang Fund, Invictus Fund, Singapore
Red Cross and Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA)

MOM decided to take action against 66 firms over Covid-19 breaches → most common violation of safe
management measures at workplaces is failing to ensure that employees who are able to work from
home do so → First-time offenders can be fined up to $1,000 and repeat offenders up to $2,000

● Acts of Kindness
Since the outbreak, the shortage of masks worldwide has left many vulnerable. Students Sheryl Goh, 18
and Vaishnavi Devan, 19, have been offering free masks on online marketplace Carousell and social media
platform Reddit over the past three days. They forked out $200 to buy the masks from lifestyle retail
stores like Kimoj and Green Party. The response to their gesture has been overwhelming, she adds. They
have so far sent around 20 packages to people in Singapore, Poland, Germany and the United States. They
have about 50 masks left.

Even as the industry is being battered by the pandemic, some food and beverage outlets have banded
together to deliver free meals and coffee to several hospitals, including the National Centre for Infectious
Diseases and National University Hospital.
Since the beginning of March, Labyrinth, located at the Esplanade, has contributed $20 per dinner
customer, $40 for every full bottle of wine sold, and $80 per bottle of corkage charged at their restaurant,
to the fund.

The GoodHood.SG app was developed by entrepreneur Nigel Teo to “bring back the kampung spirit”.
Users are provided help with the delivery of groceries and meals when one is under home quarantine.
Also, the app has a "share a mask" function which allows users to request for or donate their extra
surgical masks. The app has been downloaded more than 200 times since it was made available on the
App and Google Play Stores on March 22.

● Charity Scandals
Shi Ming Yi (Founder and Former Chief Executive of Ren Ci Hospital) has been found guilty of fraud,
falsifying documents, misappropriating funds and giving false information to the Commissioner of
Charities. His former personal assistant, Raymond Yeung, has also been found guilty of conspiring to
falsify a Ren Ci payment voucher and giving false information to the Commissioner of Charities.
Ren Ci's books had recorded a payment of $50,000 to Mandala Buddist & Cultural Centre in May 2004,
but this had not been reflected in Mandala's accounts. It was later found that the money was meant for
Yeung’s personal use.
- The donations are supposed to go to the Ren Ci Hospital patients, but it went to Ming Yi instead
→ corrupt, dishonest
- He is not only stealing money from rich people and also from those who need it most → ruins
the trust of the public

National Kidney Foundation (NKF) scandal

The NKF was the largest charity organisation in Singapore. It provided dialysis treatments for people who
cannot afford it, and they were popular among Singaporeans who donated millions of dollars to them
every year. At one point of time, an article by the Singapore Press Holdings(SPH) claimed that a contractor
had “lost it” when he was asked to install “a glass-panelled shower, a pricey German toilet bowl and a
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 (S$1,000) gold-plated tap” in Durai’s office. After a thorough cross-examination, it was revealed that Durai
collected a monthly salary of $25,000 and collected a 10-month bonus in 2002 and a 12-month bonus in
both 2003 and 2004, for a total of $1.8 million over three years. He had access to a fleet of eight
chauffeured cars and the NKF paid the taxes and maintenance costs of his personal Mercedes-Benz. In
2003, only ten cents out of every dollar raised were used for dialysis costs.

● Foreign Aid
Singapore to contribute $28 million to International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help low-income countries
tackle Covid-19 pandemic → Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said the money will come from its
official foreign reserves

Singapore sends two planeloads of oxygen cylinders to India to aid its Covid-19 response → strong
bilateral relations → to show the close collaboration and partnership across multiple agencies on both
sides

Urbanisation
● Citizen Engagement
Public participation in urban planning
To plan spaces in a manner that is actually inclusive for all users of the city, the focus needs to shift from
infrastructure to the needs of citizens
Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC) Tangible Interactive Modelling: worked with MIT to create an interactive
urban planning tool, whereby planners can move around LEGO blocks that represent different amenities
and structures → allowing members of the public to use this tool, different desirable city designs can be
analysed
Participate in Design (P!D) community engagement schemes: aims to get people involved in the process
of finding solutions instead of merely complaining about problems, thereby fostering community
empowerment → by conversing with residents and holding community design workshops for in-depth
discussions on urban design

● Cross-Island Line

- Direct alignment option: building an MRT line that would cut through the Central Catchment
Nature Reserve
:
 - Many nature groups criticised the govt that it would result in the loss of habitat for critically
endangered wildlife
- The govt then suggested an alternative route: skirting alignment option → however, it would
cost an additional S$2 billion and increased travelling time
- In the end, the government decided to go with the direct alignment option

● Public Transport Fares

Public transport fares did not rise in 2020 to help commuters amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Under normal
circumstances, fares could have increased by up to 4.4 per cent based on the current fare review exercise
formula, the Public Transport Council (PTC) said in its annual fare revision announcement

(2021) Public transport fares to rise by 3 to 4 cents for adults and by 1 cent for seniors, students, people
with disabilities and low-wage workers → some are disappointed at the timing as a lot of adults have
either lost their jobs or received pay cuts during the Covid-19 pandemic

● Socio-diversity
“Cook and Share a Pot of Curry” campaign
A Chinese family from China, could not tolerate the smell that wafted over from their Singaporean Indian
neighbours whenever they cooked curry. Out of consideration to the Chinese family’s aversion to the
curry smell, the Indian family would shut their doors and windows whenever they cooked curry. However,
the Chinese family deemed this measure insufficient, and entreated their neighbours to refrain from
cooking the dish altogether.
The public were angered by the perceived intolerance that the Chinese family had displayed towards the
cultural practices of another ethnic group → unacceptable behaviour that was contrary to SG’s multiracial
society
On 11 August 2011, freelance writer Florence Leow, together with some friends, announced the “Cook
and Share a Pot of Curry” event via social media platform Facebook. The event encouraged Singaporeans
to cook curry at home on 21 August 2011 and invited foreigners to share in the repast as a way “to
celebrate curries as part of our way of life and to share this celebration with those who are new to our
shores” → More than 60,000 residents in Singapore indicated their support and participation in the
event.
Government’s response → the Ministry of Law, issued a press release on 11 August 2011 stating that the
newspaper article had inaccurately reported the mediator’s involvement in the dispute settlement +
Minister for Law K. Shanmugam held a press conference on 16 August 2011 to clarify the true course of
events regarding the incident. He explained that the dispute had occurred six to seven years prior to the
publication of the Today news report on 8 August 2011 and that the terms of settlement resulting from
the mediation had been entirely volitional between the two parties involved.

● Public Transport Breakdowns

Massive breakdown in the North-South and East-West MRT → It was caused by electrical power trips at
multiple locations in the network. Investigations narrowed the root cause to salt deposits on one of the
third-rail insulators near a tunnel leak between the Tanjong Pagar and Raffles Place stations → SMRT
fined $5.4million

● Urban Inequality
Disparity across neighbourhoods
According to the 2015 Singapore General Household Survey, more than 4 in 10 households (44.4%) in
Bukit Timah earn at least S$20,000 a month, the highest income bracket in the statistical classification.
This proportion is eight times as many compared to households in Woodlands (5.4%) or Yishun (also
5.4%).
There has been a distinct clustering of brand name schools → Rafflesian schools in Bishan, the Anglo-
Chinese Schools in Dover Road, and schools of the Hwa Chong family in Bukit Timah → resale prices of
houses near elite educational schools are higher than the average
Disparity within neighbourhoods
:
 In a study published by the Institute of Policy Studies in December 2017, residential estates with a more
diverse range of dwelling types – which include Marine Parade and Bukit Merah - are correlated with
more petty crime.
Neighbourhoods with more diverse dwelling types (e.g. high-end private housing, as well as HDB flats of
various room sizes) were reported to have more crimes than places that are either equally rich or poor.

Social stratification: Lack of social mixing → lack of empathy and support for those disadvantaged families
→ reluctance to support policies that are aimed to improve the lower-class families
- Lowered ability for people to relate to others
Singaporeans who live in public housing have fewer than one friend who lives in private housing. People
who study in elite schools also tend to be less close to those in non-elite schools.
The IPS study found that even though the vast majority of Singaporeans reside in public housing, private-
home dwellers had more ties with others who live in private homes than with those who lived in public
flats.
In the Jalan Kukoh neighbourhood in Bukit Merah, ground-up initiatives such as ReadAble and Catch Plus
(Children and Teen Community Hub Plus) — which are targeted at students from low-income families —
are often run by volunteers from more privileged backgrounds.

Convenience
● Remote Work
Since circuit breaker measures were implemented in Singapore on Apr 7, many more people have been
working from home. Some of them find themselves working more than 50 hours a week, which exceeds
the 48 hour cap of the Ministry of Manpower’s Employment Act.
Mental health has declined since the Covid-19 pandemic began, with 76% of the respondents here feeling
sad or depressed, and 65% feeling lonely. (The Straits Times)

● Online Voting
Singapore has not allowed online voting for a General Election (GE) because it is difficult to prevent voter
impersonation and ensure voting secrecy → Even if a person were to vote by logging in with SingPass, the
national passcode system for government e-services, there is no way of guaranteeing that the vote is cast
by the person logging in, or by another person assisting him.

● Online Dating
While apps allow people to get out and meet more people, they feel like free-for-all buffets when one
actually prefer a-la-carte dining (basically to sift out the good ones)
According to the online article The Psychology Of Using Dating Apps by Megan McClintock, dating apps
are designed to offer a gamified experience, with cute badges to mark usage or membership status,
frequent alerts reminding you to engage, etc
For women, this virtual ecosystem has a significant impact on their wellbeing → One US study by Pew
Research in 2020 found female users experiencing different levels of harassment. Around 6 in 10 said they
continued to be contacted after they explicitly mentioned not being interested

Gender, religion, noise and food

● Pink Dot
Pink Dot calls for ‘acceptance and equality’ for the LGBTQ community → Since 2009, Pink Dot has been an
annual event held at Hong Lim Park, despite Singapore's stance on homosexuality → Pink Dot plays an
important role in helping to cultivate an inclusive and supportive community

There is growing divergence in views on moral issues based on individuals’ age, religious affiliations and
backgrounds → might lead to a fragmented and polarised society.
Religious groups (Mulims and Christians) still believe that liberalising laws on homosexuality is not good
for society → in 2018, 84.6% of Muslims (aged 55 and above) felt homosexual sex was always or almost
always wrong
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 LGBT advocates have also tried to silence religious conservatives who take a strong stance against
homosexuality (e.g. there are calls to ban church pastor Lawrence Khong from performing a magic show
in IKEA in 2015)

● Wear White
A campaign urging the public to wear white to promote traditional family values will be held and led by
Christian pastor Lawrence Khong, to coincide with the annual Pink Dot rally championing the lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community → hopes to show that the church’s stance on heterosexual
marriage and the “natural family” is in keeping with the social norms of “Singapore’s conservative
majority”.

● Tangs Hijab Incident

A part time sales promoter was asked to remove her hijab (head scarf) while working at a pop-up booth
in Tangs at Tang Plaza. Two female Tangs managers told her that she could not work in the store with a
hijab on, as the company did not allow front-line staff to wear any headgear. The managers then
explained to her that removing her hijab was "for the sake of professionalism".
Tangs then made an immediate change in policy that allows all front-line staff to wear their religious
headgear.
- Singapore is becoming more tolerant of different religious practices
- The public sided with the woman who was not allowed to wear the hijab

● Noise
1 in 6 youths in Singapore at risk of noise induced hearing loss; everyday sounds and their noise levels
There is increasing concern that noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is prevalent in users, especially children
and teenagers.
A recent study by a group of biomedical engineering students from Temasek Polytechnic, published in the
Singapore Medical Journal this year, revealed that at least one in six youths here are at risk of NIHL caused
by high volumes from their portable music players. A total of 1,928 Temasek Polytechnic students
participated in the survey. Out of the group, 16.4 percent listened to PMPs at more than 85dB for eight
hours daily. Gender-wise, male students tended to listen to music at louder volumes than female students

● Food Waste
Food waste is one of the biggest waste streams in Singapore and the amount of food waste generated has
grown by around 20% over the last 10 years. In 2019, Singapore generated around 744 million kg of food
waste. That is equivalent to 2 bowls of rice per person per day, or around 51,000 double decker buses
Increasing amounts of food waste puts pressure on our resources. We will need to build more waste
disposal facilities, such as waste-to-energy plants and landfills for incineration of ash. This is not
sustainable for land-scarce Singapore.
This also increases our carbon footprint, contributing to global warming and climate change.
Initiatives
- Love Your Food @ Schools project at 10 schools to encourage students and staff to reduce the
amount of food waste they generate and to garner the participation of students, staff and
canteen stall holders to segregate their food waste for treatment using on-site food waste
digesters.
- Zero Waste SG → focuses on engaging the public and corporates on the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse and
Recycle)
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