In Your Opinion

Synopsis: The Straits Times' opinion editor Grace Ho takes a hard look at political and social issues of the day with her expert guests. Happiness and wellbeing are big and nebulous concepts, but it goes without saying that everyone wants to be happy. Helping to unpack these concepts and offer tips on staying upbeat, are Sherman Ho and Simon Leow, the co-founders of the Happiness Initiative.  Highlights (click/tap above): 1:00 Is Singapore a happy country?  3:24 Taking a preventive approach to mental wellbeing 5:34 Quick tips on practising gratitude and kindness 7:10 What youths in Singapore are concerned about and why they fall prey to social comparison 8:30 How can people join community well-being circles? Read the article here: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/the-serious-business-of-national-happiness-0 Produced by: Grace Ho (graceho@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis and Hadyu Rahim Edited by: Hadyu Rahim Follow In Your Opinion Podcast each month here: Channel: https://str.sg/w7Qt Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wukb Spotify: https://str.sg/w7sV SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/ Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg  Grace Ho's articles: https://str.sg/w7sr Read ST's Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH --- Discover ST's special edition podcasts: Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wuJa The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: https://str.sg/wuZ2 Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wuZB Invisible Asia: https://str.sg/wuZn --- Discover more ST podcast series: Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7 Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m SG Extra: https://str.sg/wukR #PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE Bookmark This!: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover ST Podcasts: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts! #inyouropinionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Synopsis: The Straits Times' opinion editor Grace Ho takes a hard look at political and social issues of the day with her expert guests. In this episode, she looks at why stable housing matters especially for single parents, and the impact it has on their careers, income and family well-being. In the studio to explain what steps have been taken, and what the remaining gaps are, is Shailey Hingorani, Head of Advocacy, Research, and Communications at the Association of Women for Action and Research or AWARE. Mdm Radiah, who participated in AWARE’s Support, Housing and Enablement (S.H.E.) Project, also gives her take on how the support she received gave her the confidence to start a new life with her children. Highlights (click/tap above): 01:28: Single unwed parents face additional challenges 04:07: Housing access remains a major issue that single unwed parents and their children face; how AWARE's Support, Housing and Enablement (SHE) project helped them find stable housing 08:45  Radiah's experience of the SHE project  12:30 Remaining gaps in public housing policy for single parents 14:45 How Radiah took the next step forward in her life Produced by: Grace Ho (graceho@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis and Hadyu Rahim Edited by: Hadyu Rahim Follow In Your Opinion Podcast each month here: Channel: https://str.sg/w7Qt Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wukb Spotify: https://str.sg/w7sV SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/ Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg  Grace Ho's articles: https://str.sg/w7sr Read ST's Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH --- Discover ST's special edition podcasts: Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wuJa The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: https://str.sg/wuZ2 Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wuZB Invisible Asia: https://str.sg/wuZn --- Discover more ST podcast series: Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7 Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m SG Extra: https://str.sg/wukR #PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE Bookmark This!: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover ST Podcasts: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts! #inyouropinionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Synopsis: The Straits Times' opinion editor Grace Ho takes a hard look at political and social issues of the day with her expert guests. In this second-parter, she looks at what the recent Budget and other policy changes have done to boost wages and alleviate cost pressures, and what more can be done for children and single parent households. In the studio to explain how policies have evolved as well as the remaining gaps, are Associate Professor Teo You Yenn of the School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University; and Dr Ng Kok Hoe, Senior Research Fellow and head of the Case Study Unit at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.  Highlights (click/tap above): 02:03 This is a big year for wage interventions including the Progressive Wage Model 06:34 Keep an eye on the cost of public services, as these affect how much wages households need 08:34 Are transfers and subsidies for children enough?  12:45 The gendered nature of burden on single parents; women's earning capacity to meet basic needs is lower than men 18:00 Housing penalty faced by single never-married parents compared to married ones 20:02 Wish lists for a fair and inclusive Singapore  Read the article here: https://str.sg/wBJ3 Produced by: Grace Ho (graceho@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis and Teo Tong Kai Edited by: Hadyu Rahim Follow In Your Opinion Podcast each month here: Channel: https://str.sg/w7Qt Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wukb Spotify: https://str.sg/w7sV SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/ Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg  Grace Ho's articles: https://str.sg/w7sr Read ST's Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH --- Discover ST's special edition podcasts: Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wuJa The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: https://str.sg/wuZ2 Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wuZB Invisible Asia: https://str.sg/wuZn --- Discover more ST podcast series: Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7 Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m SG Extra: https://str.sg/wukR #PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE Bookmark This!: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover ST Podcasts: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts! #inyouropinionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Synopsis: The Straits Times' opinion editor Grace Ho takes a hard look at political and social issues of the day with her expert guests.  In this episode, the first of two parts, she looks at whether a family of four in Singapore needs $6,426 a month for a basic standard of living.  In the studio to explain the study and its methodology are Associate Professor Teo You Yenn, associate professor at the School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University; and Dr Ng Kok Hoe, Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Case Study Unit at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.  Highlights (click/tap above): 00:41: Is there a household budget that captures the lived realities of Singaporeans? What is the Minimum Income Standard? 04:55: Addressing criticisms of the study and its methodology 10:00 How is the Minimum Income Standard applied in the United Kingdom, and how does the UK decide what is a living wage? Read the article here: https://str.sg/wBJ3 Produced by: Grace Ho (graceho@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis and Teo Tong Kai Edited by: Hadyu Rahim Follow In Your Opinion Podcast each month here: Channel: https://str.sg/w7Qt Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wukb Spotify: https://str.sg/w7sV SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/ Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg  Grace Ho's articles: https://str.sg/w7sr Read ST's Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH --- Discover ST's special edition podcasts: Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wuJa The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: https://str.sg/wuZ2 Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wuZB Invisible Asia: https://str.sg/wuZn --- Discover more ST podcast series: Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7 Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m SG Extra: https://str.sg/wukR #PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE Bookmark This!: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover ST Podcasts: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts! #inyouropinionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Synopsis: The Straits Times' opinion editor Grace Ho takes a hard look at political and social issues of the day with her expert guests.  In this episode, she and her guest - ST's associate editor Chua Mui Hoong - look at Singapore's fourth generation (4G) leadership renewal with Finance Minister Lawrence Wong at the helm, what the 4G's refresh of the social compact could look like, and who could lead the charge in the next general election. Highlights (click/tap above): 01:10 How is this 4G political succession the same as, and different from, previous political successions 05:00 When the next general election is likely to be held, and whether Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong or Mr Lawrence Wong will lead the election 09:00 The 4G's key policy priorities including renewing Singapore's social compact 11:24 How the PAP and the opposition can co-exist in an era of greater political contestation 14:55 How much does personality matter in politics, and will it be a different Singapore under Mr Wong Read Chua Mui Hoong's article on 4G refresh of the social compact: https://str.sg/w8VZ Produced by: Grace Ho (graceho@sph.com.sg), and Ernest Luis Edited by: Hadyu Rahim Follow In Your Opinion Podcast each month here: Channel: https://str.sg/w7Qt Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wukb Spotify: https://str.sg/w7sV SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/ Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg  Grace Ho's articles: https://str.sg/w7sr Read ST's Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH --- Discover ST's special edition podcasts: Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wuJa The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: https://str.sg/wuZ2 Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wuZB Invisible Asia: https://str.sg/wuZn --- Discover more ST podcast series: Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7 Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m SG Extra: https://str.sg/wukR #PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE Bookmark This!: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts! #inyouropinionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Synopsis: The Straits Times' opinion editor Grace Ho takes a hard look at political and social issues of the day with her expert guests.  In this episode, she looks at active mobility, including accidents among drivers, cyclists and pedestrians; Singapore's active mobility infrastructure; and how to get more Singaporeans to cycle to work. Coming along for the ride is The Straits Times associate editor Chua Mui Hoong. Highlights (click/tap above): 02:10 The three key cycling "tribes" in Singapore 04:55 Mui Hoong is herself a leisure cyclist but tries cycling for work once; describing it as an "obstacle course" of an experience 07:36 Is active mobility infrastructure in Singapore enough? Can Workers' Party MP Jamus Lim's bicycle lane proposal be piloted at the municipal level? 10:25 How to encourage or enforce better behaviour, after recent spate of accidents involving pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers 15:46 What other countries such as the United Kingdom have done to improve cyclist-driver interactions  Read Chua Mui Hoong's article on the National Cycling Plan in Singapore here: https://str.sg/w8Td Produced by: Grace Ho (graceho@sph.com.sg), and Ernest Luis  Edited by: Hadyu Rahim Follow In Your Opinion Podcast each month here: Channel: https://str.sg/w7Qt Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wukb Spotify: https://str.sg/w7sV SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/ Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg  Grace Ho's articles: https://str.sg/w7sr Read ST's Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH --- Discover ST's special edition podcasts: Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wuJa The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: https://str.sg/wuZ2 Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wuZB Invisible Asia: https://str.sg/wuZn --- Discover more ST podcast series: Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7 Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m SG Extra: https://str.sg/wukR #PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE Bookmark This!: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts! #inyouropinionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Synopsis: The Straits Times' opinion editor Grace Ho takes a hard look at political and social issues of the day with her expert guests.  In this first episode, she looks at the sentiments of pro-China Singaporeans, especially against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Ukraine. Helping her make sense of this small but increasingly vocal group of Singaporeans, as well as the many narratives surrounding the conflict, is Political Science Associate Professor Ian Chong from the National University of Singapore. Highlights (click/tap above): 03:23 On the claim that Singapore is "following" the Western posture instead of a supposedly "Asian" or "Asean" one: Why such "easy labels" cannot be easily applied in complex geopolitical and cultural debates? 06:24 How much of this is due to misinformation, or disinformation or propaganda by pro-China or pro-Russia camps? 10:58 Beyond what is happening in Ukraine, why are some Singaporeans are so strongly supportive of China? Is it just ties of ethnicity or plain business? 16:05 Why it is simplistic to attribute such sentiments purely to ethnicity 17:30 Prof Chong on the role the media can play, when even within mainstream media and vernacular media, this tension is being played out in the coverage of the Ukraine crisis 19:40 Has national education suffered, partly because there is not much publicly available information about detailed considerations and sensitive closed-door negotiations Produced by: Grace Ho (graceho@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis and Teo Tong Kai Edited by: Hadyu Rahim Watch China calling - The growing allure of a rising power here: https://str.sg/w7Q4 Follow In Your Opinion Podcast each month here: Channel: https://str.sg/w7Qt Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wukb Spotify: https://str.sg/w7sV SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/ Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg  Grace Ho's articles: https://str.sg/w7sr Read ST's Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH --- Discover ST's special edition podcasts: Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wuJa The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: https://str.sg/wuZ2 Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wuZB Invisible Asia: https://str.sg/wuZn --- Discover more ST podcast series: Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7 Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m SG Extra: https://str.sg/wukR #PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE Bookmark This!: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts! #inyouropinionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.