Deep Dive

With its lease not renewed, Raffles Town Club is the latest in a line of private clubs whose land is being repurposed by the government for other uses. Aside from land restraints, is there a future for clubs like these in Singapore where generational aspirations are changing? Steven Chia speaks to Desmond Tay, president of the Club Managers' Association (Singapore), Jean Low, CEO of social club 1880 and chief research officer at Mogul.sg, Nicholas Mak.

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A recent CNA investigation showed that it is easy for kids under 18 to go on dating apps and chat with strangers online, making them more vulnerable to sexual predators. Should there be greater legislation to protect children and what can parents do to prevent their children from becoming victims? Steven Chia speaks to Shem Yao, manager of digital wellness at TOUCH Wellness Group, Jiow Hee Jhee, associate professor and programme leader at the Singapore Institute of Technology and Marilyn Low, a parent coach and mother.

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From groceries to electricity and water prices, many Singaporeans are feeling the pinch as inflation stays stubbornly high. Is the sandwiched generation hit as hard as those in the lower-income group? And how far can government support go? Otelli Edwards gets answers from Ong EeCheng, senior lecturer at NUS, Ava Gao, a parenting coach and mum, and Loh Yong Cheng, lead of the advisory team at Providend.

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In a recent CNA Commentary, Dr William Wan from the Singapore Kindness Movement argued for some regulation in dealing with inconsiderate behaviour on public transport which drew some strong reaction from readers. But why do some people behave badly in a public space? What stops others from confronting them and should more be done? Michelle Tay, director of the Singapore Kindness Movement, and Associate Professor Ho Kong Chong, head of Urban Studies at Yale Nus College are this week's guests.

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According to the Forward SG report, people want more than just material success in life. Has the idea of a good life evolved? What impact will that have on the way the country is governed? Steven Chia gets answers from June Yong, Lead, Insights at Focus on the Family and mother of three, Dr Mathew Mathews, head of IPS social lab and Ho Ching Wee, a 25-year-old software developer.

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The recent DBS and Citibank outage in October left many people unable to pay for their transactions and draw money from the ATMs. What goes on when critical banking infrastructure goes black? How are data centres part of this and should we really revert to carrying cash again? Steven Chia gets answers from Dr Patrick Thng, director of the Master's programme for financial technology and analytics at the Singapore Management University and Ashish Kakar, research director for IDC Financial Insights, Asia Pacific.

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Young people aged 18 to 29 and the elderly over 70 are two groups who are showing the greatest signs of mental health distress in Singapore. What are the triggers, and what is the journey to seek help like? Steven Chia speaks to 23-year-old university student "Rae", 44-year-old father of teenagers Mak Kean Loong and senior clinical psychologist Chris Wong.

This episode of Heart of the Matter discusses suicide ideation. Listener discretion is advised.

Where to get help:

Samaritans of Singapore Hotline: 1767

Institute of Mental Health’s Helpline: 6389 2222

Singapore Association for Mental Health Helpline: 1800 283 7019

You can also find a list of international helplines here. If someone you know is at immediate risk, call 24-hour emergency medical services.

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Nine in 10 Singapore residents exceeded the recommended salt intake and daily calorie intake is also up, according to the latest National Nutrition survey. The findings also show that more people are at risk of obesity and hypertension. Can a food paradise like Singapore deliver delicious food which is less salty? Or are busy lifestyles making it harder for people to eat better? Steven Chia speaks to Dr Kalpana Bhaskaran, president of Singapore Nutrition and Dietetics Association, clinical dietitian at Parkway MediCentre Candy Goh and Terence Koh, a father who lost 35kg in 8 months for his then newborn son.

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In the last decade, child abuse cases involving neglect and physical or sexual abuse have gone up from around 300 in 2012 to 2,141 in 2021. Several high profile cases before the court involved the death of young children. Steven Chia gets answers on how the system works and why some cases slip through with Soh Ying Si, deputy manager at the Melrose Home, Yogeswari Munisamy, senior principal social worker at the Ministry of Social and Family Development and C Amutha, deputy head of Punggol Family Service Centre.

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With premiums on Certificate of Entitlement (COE) soaring to over $140,000 for larger cars, should people simply give up on the idea of owning cars? What about those who need the convenience of having a vehicle to ferry their children and the elderly? What other options do they have? Steven Chia gets answers from Julian Kho, general manager of Sgcarmart, Toh Ting Feng, CEO and founder of GetGo, and Lim Chong Tee, co-founder of a start-up and father of a four-month old baby.

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