Deep Dive

It isn’t just the number of road rage incidents that make the news, it is the type of angry encounters that go viral on social media – punching, kicking, climbing on bonnets or ripping out licence plates. What is behind the intensity of feelings when it comes to these road incidents? Otelli Edwards finds out from Pearlene Lim, senior clinical psychologist at Promises Healthcare, and Clarence Lee, driver and cyclist at 05AM Cycling Club.

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The announcement that the Singapore Turf Club will cease operations next year dropped like a bombshell, say horse trainer Jason Ong and apprentice jockey Jerlyn Seow. Now, there are staff and horses caught in bind with an uncertain future. Steven Chia gets their accounts and Low Peck Kem from the Singapore Human Resource Institute weighs in on what reskilling for this industry will look like.

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Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam has announced he intends to run for the presidency which will be held within the next three months. What exactly is the role of the President, why is the bar set so high in Singapore, and what do voters want from candidates in an open election? Steven Chia gets answers from Eugene Tan, associate professor of law at the Singapore Management University, Felix Tan, associate lecturer at the Nanyang Technological University and Nur Ridhuan, a business analyst who will be voting for the first time.

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Singapore's adoption rate of cashless payments is one of the highest in Asia. But there are pockets of the population who still struggle to adapt. And there's the ever present threat of scams and payment service breakdowns. What can the government, merchants and the public do? Steven Chia has a chat with Faye Sai, a third-generation hawker, Lawrence Chan, group CEO of NETS and Lim May-Ann, director of the Fair Tech Institute at Access Partnership.

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The humiliating 7-0 defeat of the Young Lions to Malaysia at the recent SEA Games has renewed calls for the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) to get to the bottom of what ails the sport. Is it the coaching, the lack of talent, or even parents who pick academics over sports? Steven Chia has a no-holds barred conversation with acting president of FAS Bernard Tan, SPRG general manager Edwin Yeo and sports journalist Philip Goh.

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Recent statistics released by the Central Narcotics Bureau show a clear trend - over 60 per cent of those caught with cannabis use are under 30. Some perceptions of cannabis among the young are hard to scrub out - that it's not as harmful as other drugs, celebrities use it, other countries legalise it and it is used for medical reasons. Steven Chia plays moderator as 27-year-old copywriter Kimberley Jeremiah puts the burning questions to Dr Melvyn Zhang, a consultant with the National Addictions Management Service at the Institute of Mental Health and Firdaus Daud, from the National Council Against Drug Abuse.

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In a bid to curb the cost of cancer treatment, the Singapore government announced an approved drug list where the most cost-effective drugs can be claimed by the national insurance schemes. Yet, the cost of treatment can spiral - in part thanks to rising insurance premiums. Are people paying too much? How has this new drug list shifted things and should you worry if you don't have insurance? Steven Chia speaks to Associate Professor Ravindran Kanesvaran, chairperson of Singapore Cancer Society's Cancer Treatment Fund Committee, Evelyn Goh deputy CEO and chief advisory officer of Providend and Gina Ho, a 43-year-old general manager and cancer survivor.

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In the latest round of property cooling measures announced on Apr 26, what stood out was the 60 per cent additional buyer's stamp duty (ABSD) for foreigners looking to buy in Singapore. While they form only a small fraction of the entire group of buyers, how big of an impact do they have on the general market? Why are these moves considered pre-emptive  and will it stop foreigners from sinking their roots in Singapore? Steven Chia speaks to Dr Lee Nai Jia, head of real estate intelligence, data and software solutions at PropertyGuru Group and Aric Lim, a real estate consultant at Huttons Asia.

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The options confronting parents of special needs children after they complete formal schooling in Singapore can be dismal - leading some to stay home and the burden on caregivers to increase. What are the gaps in the system and what more needs to be done? Steven Chia sits down with Bernard Chew, St Andrew’s Autism Centre CEO, Clement Phua Neo, father of a 47-year-old son with an intellectual disability and Jean Loo, Deputy Director, Advocacy and Community Engagement, Rainbow Center.

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To kick off Season 4, Heart of the Matter host Steven Chia gets to the heart of what it takes to be a Singapore citizen. Does being proficient in English matter? If not, what other markers should matter? His guests are Yorlin Ng, chief operating officer of Momentum Works who is applying for citizenship and Dr Gwee Li Sui, poet, graphic artist and literary critic.

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