He’s an internationally-renowned infectious diseases expert who became an opposition politician with the Singapore Democratic Party. In this candid conversation, Dr Paul Tambyah joins YLB to talk about the public healthcare system, his motivation for staying in opposition politics, and why Singapore’s response to the the global pandemic was surprising in many ways. Walking us through his days of activism to party politics to international COVID-19 crisis meetings, Dr Tambyah shares his unfiltered view of why politics is nothing but medicine writ large.

(00:00) Intro
(01:08) Infectious Disease Research
(04:16) Political Involvement and Healthcare
(06:53) SDP and Political Journey
(13:59) Healthcare System Insights
(25:04) Public Policy on Healthcare and Education
(28:08) Healthcare Debate and Opposition Challenges
(33:27) Challenges in Healthcare System
(36:02) CPF and Trust in Government
(39:45) COVID-19 Pandemic Response
(43:00) Vaccine Skepticism and Social Media Impact
(44:47) Aligning with Opposition Parties
(54:45) Singapore's Housing Policies
(55:06) Ethnic Integration Program
(56:25) Socioeconomic Disparities in Education
(58:54) Public vs. Private Healthcare
(59:21) Political Criticisms of the SDP
(01:01:06) SDP's Policy Stance and Reforms
(01:02:41) Cultural and Political Polarizations
(01:08:42) Current Singapore Political Landscape
(01:10:23) Diversity and Representation
(01:13:12) COVID-19 Experiences and Insights
(01:20:51) Message to Singaporean Voters

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Edited and mixed by Tristen Yeak

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