Society and Identity

Society and Identity in Singapore is as amorphous as it is ambiguous in our context, yet has possibly the biggest impact on our future. How do we maintain the Singapore Dream as a purposeful aspiration for all Singaporeans amidst the plurality of, at times, competing ambitions? Three issues will be discussed – firstly, the strengthening of a cohesive diversity which underpins the Singaporean Identity; secondly, improving social mobility and a culture of egalitarianism; thirdly, embracing a more collaborative style of governance as we transition into the next fifty years of our independence.

0:10 mins - Speaker: Mr Ho Kwon Ping, 2014/15 IPS Nathan Fellow

51:26 mins - Q&A chaired by Mr Janadas Devan, Director, Institute of Policy Studies

Date: 9 April 2015

Time: 6.00 pm - 7.45pm

Venue: Theatre, University Cultural Centre

Demography and Family

Security is discussed through the four dimensions of external, internal, civil and societal security, and policies are examined in terms of their sustainability for the next 50 years of Singapore’s development. Questions asked include: what demographic constraints underpin the challenge of the Singapore Armed Forces, and what implications does this spell for its future? In light of the threat of domestic terrorism and the need for greater internal vigilance, what measures can we take to balance the protection of individual rights versus the needs of state security? To what extent is judicial corporal punishment justified by simply its deterrent effect as we aspire to become an increasingly humane and civilised society? And in the interests of societal cohesion, what possible policy initiatives might be considered?

00:10 mins - Speaker: Mr Ho Kwon Ping, 2014/15 IPS Nathan Fellow

50:19 mins - Q&A chaired by Ms Dawn Yip, Founder and Principal Consultant, Soulbreath Consulting

Date: 4 March 2015

Time: 6.00 pm - 7.45pm

Venue: Auditorium, Shaw Foundation Alumni House

Security and Sustainability

Security is discussed through the four dimensions of external, internal, civil and societal security, and policies are examined in terms of their sustainability for the next 50 years of Singapore’s development. Questions asked include: what demographic constraints underpin the challenge of the Singapore Armed Forces, and what implications does this spell for its future? In light of the threat of domestic terrorism and the need for greater internal vigilance, what measures can we take to balance the protection of individual rights versus the needs of state security? To what extent is judicial corporal punishment justified by simply its deterrent effect as we aspire to become an increasingly humane and civilised society? And in the interests of societal cohesion, what possible policy initiatives might be considered?

00:10 mins - Speaker: Mr Ho Kwon Ping, 2014/15 IPS Nathan Fellow

45:28 mins - Q&A chaired by Amb Ong Keng Yong, Executive Deputy Chairman, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies

Date: 5 February 2015

Time: 6.00 pm - 7.45pm

Venue: Auditorium, Shaw Foundation Alumni House

Economy and Business

No economic forecasting can cover both the known unknowns and unknown unknowns for the next 50 years. We return to fundamentals and question whether the basic strategy for Singapore’s success in the past – leveraging off the Three L’s of Location, Land, and Labour – are still valid, especially the role of manufacturing when other city-states have moved entirely into services provision. Then, a few sacred cows or below-the-radar issues which will impact on the very long term future of business and the economy are examined in more detail. These include the need for a more integrated immigration and foreign worker policy, changes to the education, land and housing policies, the need for new indices of economic well-being, and the creation of an innovation-attracting social environment.

00:10 mins - Speaker: Mr Ho Kwon Ping, 2014/15 IPS Nathan Fellow

1:05:42 mins - Q&A chaired by Mr Lee Tzu Yang, Member, Academic Panel, Institute of Policy Studies

Date: 12 November 2014

Time: 6.00 pm - 7.45pm

Venue: Auditorium, Shaw Foundation Alumni House

Politics and Governance

The first lecture in the series is titled Politics and Governance and ponders the next decades of political administration in Singapore. It discusses the prospects of the People’s Action Party in the age of social media, and broadly sets out the historical trends that other dominant political systems have undergone. How should governance evolve as our democracy matures? Can our current model of governance benefit from any reforms? And what of our political system? Simply put, will there even be a PAP in 50 years time?

00:09 mins - Opening Remarks: Prof Tommy Koh, Special Adviser, Institute of Policy Studies

06:09 mins - Speaker: Mr Ho Kwon Ping, 2014/15 IPS Nathan Fellow

1:06:11 mins - Q&A chaired by Mr Janadas Devan, Director, Institute of Policy Studies

Date: 20 October 2014

Time: 6.00 pm - 7.45pm

Venue: Theatre, University Cultural Centre

Can Singapore Cope?

The fifth lecture will examine the extent to which Singapore’s political system, civil service and population in general are prepared to cope with the more complex post-Cold War environment. In doing so, it draws together the threads of the previous four lectures. It will also offer some tentative suggestions about what needs to be done to rectify shortcomings.

00:10 mins - Speaker: Mr Bilahari Kausikan, 2015/16 IPS Nathan Fellow

54:21 mins - Q&A chaired by Mr Janadas Devan, Director, Institute of Policy Studies

Date: 25 May 2016

Time: 6.00 pm - 7.45 pm

Venue: Guild Hall, NUSS Kent Ridge Guild House

The Myth of Universality: The Geopolitics of Human Rights

The fourth IPS-Nathan Lecture will expose some of the conceptual complexities and complications of the ideas of human rights and democracy and examine their evolving role in international relations. Simplistic views of the concepts and their imprudent application have added to post-Cold War uncertainties.

00:04 mins - Speaker: Mr Bilahari Kausikan, 2015/16 IPS Nathan Fellow

1:09:02 mins - Q&A chaired by Amb Gopinath Pillai, Chairman, Institute of South Asian Studies

Date: 29 April 2016

Time: 6.00 pm - 7.45 pm

Venue: Auditorium, Shaw Foundation Alumni House

Southeast Asia and ASEAN

The third IPS-Nathan Lecture will deal with ASEAN, and US-China competition in Southeast Asia. It will examine ASEAN’s strengths and weaknesses in maintaining order, some of ASEAN’s key concepts of regional security and its attempts to shape a new security architecture for the region. In this context, it will analyse some of the broad underlying factors in the South China Sea disputes, the interests of the US and China that are engaged in the South China Sea and the challenges this poses for ASEAN.

00:10 mins - Speaker: Mr Bilahari Kausikan, 2015/16 IPS Nathan Fellow

1:19:33 mins - Q&A chaired by Amb Ong Keng Yong, Executive Deputy Chairman, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies

Date: 30 March 2016

Time: 6.15 pm - 8.00 pm

Venue: Auditorium 1, Town Plaza Level 1, University Town

The Future: Governance, Unintended Consequences and the Redemption of Hope

The future cannot be predicted. But it is the business of government to prepare for the future. How can governments maximise the chances of good outcomes, and generate optimism for the future? This fourth lecture draws the threads of the previous three lectures, and concludes by providing some pointers for the future

00:00 mins - Lecture by Mr Peter Ho

57:13 mins - Q&A chaired by Ms Chua Mui Hoong, Opinion Editor, The Straits Times

1:02:00 mins - Closing Remarks by Mr Janadas Devan, Director, Institute of Policy Studies

Date: 17 May 2017

Time: 6.00 pm - 7.30pm

Venue: Auditorium, Shaw Foundation Alumni House.

The Paradox of Singapore and the Dialectic of Governance

This lecture will examine the paradox of Singapore’s extreme vulnerability and exceptional performance, and show why maintaining the resulting tension is key to Singapore’s survival. It will also discuss the dialectic of governance in Singapore, where diverse perspectives and ideas are allowed to surface and considered robustly, so as to find balanced and pragmatic solutions to problems encountered.

00:00 mins - Lecture by Mr Peter Ho, 2016/17 IPS Nathan Fellow

54:56 mins - Q&A chaired by Mr Chng Kai Fong, Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, Prime Minister's Office

Date: 3 May 2017

Time: 6.00 pm - 7.30pm

Venue: Auditorium, Shaw Foundation Alumni House