The Usual Place

Will the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link sound the death knell for smaller, home-grown businesses when it opens in a few months?

A new study, which was released on July 16, highlighted how Singaporeans are slated to spend $1.05 billion more across the Causeway in 2027. But visitors from the other side aren’t expected to send as much business our way. JB visitors are projected to spend about $756 million more.

The Singapore Business Federation (SBF), the Restaurant Association of Singapore and the Singapore Retailers Association jointly commissioned the study to look at how the RTS Link could reshape consumer spending, tourism flows and business competitiveness in Singapore’s retail and food and beverage sectors.

Can local retail and F&B businesses, which are already struggling with rent and manpower costs, cope with the added pressure?

In this episode, I speak with:

• Musa Fazal, the chief policy and operating officer at the SBF, and

• Ang Yuit, president of the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, who moved to JB 18 months ago.

We discuss whether expanding the eligibility and amount of the CDC Vouchers Scheme is just a Band-Aid, and if the Government will step in to control rents.

Highlights (click/tap above):

2:35 Are SG businesses excited about the RTS Link?

6:28 How will S’pore’s consumer spending change?

10:34 Is it too late for retail, F&B?

17:24 You can’t risk making a mistake here: Yuit

19:42 CDC vouchers: A band-aid but still useful

23:15 Topline statistics might not give us the actual picture

27:05 Can we move events to the heartlands?

28:41 Why hasn’t the west built its own Katong?

32:43 Why we need spaces for businesses to try - and fail cheaply

39:53 Why S’pore needs a “nighttime mayor”

Host: Natasha Ann Zachariah ([email protected])

Read Natasha’s articles: https://str.sg/iSXm

Follow The Usual Place podcast on IG: https://str.sg/8KNT

Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN

Filmed by: Studio+65

Edited by: Eden Soh & Natasha Liew

Executive producer: Danson Cheong

Producers: Natasha Ann Zachariah, Elizabeth Law & Zachary Lim

Follow The Usual Place Podcast and get notified for new episode drops every Thursday:

Channel: https://str.sg/5nfm

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/9ijX

Spotify: https://str.sg/cd2P

YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast

Feedback to: [email protected]

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It has been quite a week in Singapore politics, with adjustments to the Cabinet line-up and the surprise resignation of Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Faishal Ibrahim.

In this episode, Natasha takes a deep dive into the implications of blooding younger politicians such as Jasmin Lau into the Cabinet and junior ministerial roles now, and if the PAP’s high moral standards will cost them future talent.

Singapore Management University law professor Eugene Tan and independent political observer Dr Felix Tan weigh in on the diversity of the new Cabinet and why politics is not priesthood.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:26 Was the new Cabinet line-up surprising?

5:45 Newbie politician Jasmin Lau’s fast rise

9:00 Is the 5G leadership team taking shape?

13:05 Does politics need politicians with private-sector experience?

16:38 Know how to communicate ideas, says Felix

19:16 Is Ng Chee Meng out of the “political wilderness”?

23:39 What’s the public “obsession” over Ng Chee Meng?

28:25 Who will eventually succeed Shanmugam at MHA?

32:30 Does having different generations in the Cabinet matter?

35:26 Should the Government reveal more about Faishal Ibrahim’s exit?

39:37 Why do conduct breaches keep happening despite the code?

45:47 “Politics is not priesthood.”: Eugene

Host: Natasha Ann Zachariah ([email protected])

Read Natasha’s articles: https://str.sg/iSXm

Follow The Usual Place podcast on IG: https://str.sg/8KNT

Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN

Filmed by: Studio+65

Edited by: Eden Soh & Natasha Liew

Executive producer: Danson Cheong

Producers: Natasha Ann Zachariah, Elizabeth Law & Zachary Lim

Follow The Usual Place Podcast and get notified for new episode drops every Thursday:

Channel: https://str.sg/5nfm

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/9ijX

Spotify: https://str.sg/cd2P

YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast

Feedback to: [email protected]

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Should young job seekers start their careers with contract roles?

With stiff competition for full-time roles, a tight job market and employers being more selective about new permanent hires, perhaps contract roles shouldn’t be off the table.

In Singapore, such roles have become more common over the past few years. What can young people do to build their careers? Also, is contract work truly the ‘lesser cousin’ of permanent work?

In this episode, I speak with:

• Francois Lancon, the regional president of Asia Pacific and Middle East for ManpowerGroup, a global expert on labour market and employment trends,

• Tyrina Toh, a contract content creator for businesses, who left a full time position to work only contract and freelance jobs

•Seth Ng, a fresh university graduate who is currently looking for a job.

Highlights (click/tap above):

2:34 Should the GovTech retrenchments be a cause for concern?

3:43 Why the surge in contract roles?

6:42 Tyrina’s first contract role at 16

10:26 Is contract work financially feasible?

12:01 Contract work a “launchpad” to full-time role: Seth

15:56 Do contract roles make you look like a job hopper?

19:10 Taking charge of your professional growth

23:26 Is contract work exploitative?

29:01 What happens when a contract role gets cut unexpectedly?

33:12 Should you do many internships to land a permanent role?

Host: Natasha Ann Zachariah ([email protected])

Read Natasha’s articles: https://str.sg/iSXm

Follow The Usual Place podcast on IG: https://str.sg/8KNT

Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN

Filmed by: Studio+65

Edited by: Eden Soh & Natasha Liew

Executive producer: Danson Cheong

Producers: Natasha Ann Zachariah, Elizabeth Law & Zachary Lim

Follow The Usual Place Podcast and get notified for new episode drops every Thursday:

Channel: https://str.sg/5nfm

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/9ijX

Spotify: https://str.sg/cd2P

YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast

Feedback to: [email protected]

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Follow more ST podcast channels:

All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7

Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

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Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX

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Are Singapore’s lawyers doing ok?

The Legal Profession Sustainability Study, which was released on June 23, suggests that lawyers were leaving the profession because of toxic bosses, inflexible court timelines, punishing deadlines and the constant need to be available 24/7.

These are just some of the grievances aired in the study, which had 31 in-depth interviews with former judges, legal academics and lawyers from diverse types of firms. There was also a survey done with 855 practising and former lawyers.

What is the cost of becoming a lawyer in Singapore, and is it worth it any more? If these issues have been raised for more than 30 years, will this study change anything?

In this episode, I speak with:

• Zhang Yu Fu, a junior lawyer at Dentons Rodyk, who was called to the bar in April 2026 and took part in the study, and

• Wong Yi, the General Counsel for construction company Lum Chang Holdings, and previously worked for one of Singapore’s Big Four law firms. He was also the chairman of the Young Lawyers Committee for The Law Society of Singapore from 2014 to 2019.

Highlights (click/tap above):

2:23 A decades-old problem that hasn’t changed

4:50 “What’s so wrong with being a strawberry?”: Yu Fu

10:28 Trained through “sheer obedience”

15:08 How young lawyers navigate bad bosses

17:06 Any incentive for senior lawyers to change?

21:13 Generational gap between older and younger lawyers

28:34 Judge wants lawyers to drink from a straw

32:55 “Role models” for working through childbirth

34:44 No real consequences for workplace bullying

37:18 Why lawyers leaving the profession matters

40:40 “Why can’t we do better?”: Yu Fu

Host: Natasha Ann Zachariah ([email protected])

Read Natasha’s articles: https://str.sg/iSXm

Follow The Usual Place podcast on IG: https://str.sg/8KNT

Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN

Filmed by: Studio+65

Edited by: Eden Soh & Natasha Liew

Executive producer: Danson Cheong

Producers: Natasha Ann Zachariah, Elizabeth Law & Zachary Lim

Follow The Usual Place Podcast and get notified for new episode drops every Thursday:

Channel: https://str.sg/5nfm

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/9ijX

Spotify: https://str.sg/cd2P

YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast

Feedback to: [email protected]

---

Follow more ST podcast channels:

All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7

Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

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Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:

The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB

Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX

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Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh fobbed off talk that he would face a challenge to his position at the party’s proceedings on June 28.

The results from the party’s internal meetings showed that most party members are still very much behind him.

What does this mean for the WP, and has the party turned the page on the saga involving Raeesah Khan?

In this episode, I chat with Tham Yuen-C, senior political correspondent at The Straits Times who has covered WP for about a decade, and Dr Teo Kay Key, a senior research fellow at IPS Social Lab at the Institute of Policy Studies, who studies public opinion, and political and social attitudes.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:54 Is Pritam Singh invincible?

5:50 Who are the unhappy cadres?

8:27 What the “supermajority” vote says

10:46 Cult of personality around Pritam Singh?

16:10 Party stability comes first

20:15 “Pretty much business as usual.”

23:57 End of Raeesah-gate?

Host: Natasha Ann Zachariah ([email protected])

Read Natasha’s articles: https://str.sg/iSXm

Follow The Usual Place podcast on IG: https://str.sg/8KNT

Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN

Filmed by: Studio+65

Edited by: Eden Soh & Natasha Liew

Executive producer: Danson Cheong

Producers: Natasha Ann Zachariah, Elizabeth Law & Zachary Lim

Follow The Usual Place Podcast and get notified for new episode drops every Thursday:

Channel: https://str.sg/5nfm

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/9ijX

Spotify: https://str.sg/cd2P

YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast

Feedback to: [email protected]

---

Follow more ST podcast channels:

All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7

Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

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Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:

The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB

Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX

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The Chinese film Dear You, shot almost entirely in Teochew, is not only a box office hit - it has ignited intense debate among Chinese Singaporeans.

From film-makers to politicians, many people have weighed in on the authorities’ decision to limit screenings of the Teochew version, and instead have a wider general release for the Mandarin-dubbed version.

The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said that this move supports the bilingual policy which aims to promote Mandarin as the main language among Chinese Singaporeans.

But the strict policing of dialects, when other foreign language films have been allowed to be screened, has the local audience asking: is it time to relook how we treat dialects?

Highlights (click/tap above):

2:08 Why strong reaction to limited Teochew screenings?

6:22 Is it a film that touches only Teochews?

9:27 What's lost in dubbed movies?

13:11 Is the outrage fair?

15:27 Time to relook policy on dialects in film?

20:40 Has the Speak Mandarin Campaign been too successful?

23:48 Can Chinese dialects and Mandarin coexist?

29:08 “We’re not comparing like for like.”

31:34 Are dialects less valuable than Mandarin?

35:45 Who’s learning dialects now?

38:17 Beyond the uproar, what happens next?

Host: Natasha Ann Zachariah ([email protected])

Read Natasha’s articles: https://str.sg/iSXm

Follow The Usual Place podcast on IG: https://str.sg/8KNT

Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN

Filmed by: Studio+65

Edited by: Eden Soh & Natasha Liew

Executive producer: Danson Cheong

Producers: Natasha Ann Zachariah, Elizabeth Law & Zachary Lim

Follow The Usual Place Podcast and get notified for new episode drops every Thursday:

Channel: https://str.sg/5nfm

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/9ijX

Spotify: https://str.sg/cd2P

YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast

Feedback to: [email protected]

---

Follow more ST podcast channels:

All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7

Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

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Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:

The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB

Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX

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Independent content creators in China are making online posts disparaging Singapore, its politicians and minorities.

The latter, in particular, has made the authorities here concerned enough to block access to 14 online posts earlier in June, which targeted the Indian community and contained inflammatory narratives about Singapore’s cultural diversity.

If the content isn’t state-sanctioned, what’s driving Chinese content creators to make such posts, and why did it find an audience here?

In this episode, I chat with:

• Benjamin Ang, the head of the Centre of Excellence for National Security, Future Issues and Technology at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. He researches cybersecurity, digital security and disinformation, and

• Straits Times senior columnist Tan Dawn Wei, who writes about China and its relations with the rest of the world. She was in Beijing for seven years from 2018 as ST’s China bureau chief, covering all aspects of the country, from its domestic politics to its economy.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:58 Difference between state-directed vs organic disinformation

3:56 Clicks for “outrageous” content

9:05 All about the clicks

10:23 "We just happen to be a hot topic.”

13:06 Why did the content focus on race?

18:05 Does the racist content reflect how some Singaporeans think?

21:21 How polarisation can happen

26:10 Why doesn’t the Chinese government take down such content?

Host: Natasha Ann Zachariah ([email protected])

Read Natasha’s articles: https://str.sg/iSXm

Follow The Usual Place podcast on IG: https://str.sg/8KNT

Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN

Filmed by: Studio+65

Edited by: Eden Soh & Natasha Liew

Executive producer: Danson Cheong

Producers: Natasha Ann Zachariah, Elizabeth Law & Zachary Lim

Follow The Usual Place Podcast and get notified for new episode drops every Thursday:

Channel: https://str.sg/5nfm

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/9ijX

Spotify: https://str.sg/cd2P

YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast

Feedback to: [email protected]

---

Follow more ST podcast channels:

All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7

Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

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Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:

The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB

Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX

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A recent Straits Times survey of 1,000 unmarried people explained why the dating scene is so bleak: it’s hard to meet new people, dating can be expensive and there are unrealistic expectations of love and relationships.

In this episode, Natasha chats with:

• Liu Zhiqun, co-founder of Kopi Date, a dating platform that curates one-on-one coffee dates, and

• Dr Kenneth Tan, an assistant professor of psychology at Singapore Management University, who studies relationships from end-to-end - that is from singlehood to why relationships end.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:53 Has dating become harder?

5:29 21 years old, no dating experience

10:10 The ‘perfect partner’ problem

11:33 Has social media warped our idea of romance

14:21 Dating 101: teaching rejection in schools?

18:29 Why people don’t bring their best self on dates

21:46 “Why do I have to work for love as well?”

27:15 Is school the best place to look for love?

31:20 Fear of being alone leads to settling

32:34 Red flags, icks: are they just excuses?

36:25 Old-school gender rules in a modern dating world

41:52 Can the Government fix our love lives?

Host: Natasha Ann Zachariah ([email protected])

Read Natasha’s articles: https://str.sg/iSXm

Follow The Usual Place podcast on IG: https://str.sg/8KNT

Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN

Filmed by: Studio+65

Edited by: Eden Soh & Natasha Liew

Executive producer: Danson Cheong

Producers: Natasha Ann Zachariah and Elizabeth Law

Follow The Usual Place Podcast and get notified for new episode drops every Thursday:

Channel: https://str.sg/5nfm

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/9ijX

Spotify: https://str.sg/cd2P

YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast

Feedback to: [email protected]

---

Follow more ST podcast channels:

All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7

Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

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Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:

The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB

Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX

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Do fathers in Singapore get a bad reputation for being hands-off?

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah, who chairs the new Marriage and Parenthood Reset Workgroup, drew some flak for speaking about career “detours” as something that should be normalised for mothers - with little mention of a fathers’ role in the parenting journey.

Why do we frame the parenting experience as mainly a woman’s role?

In this episode of the podcast, I put that question to two fathers: new stay-at-home dad Jeggan Rajendram and Kevin Goh, the Group Head of engagement and programmes at the Centre for Fathering.

We discuss who dads benchmark themselves to and whether mothers are preventing fathers from being more hands on.

Highlights (click/tap above):

2:05 Are fathers missing from the parenting conversation?

3:30 “Regret minimisation”: Jeggan’s decision to be a stay-at-home dad

7:10 “People still look at me like I was crazy.”

11:27 Mums get a ‘head start’ on parenting

15:08 What’s holding fathers back from being more hands-on?

17:20 Mums, please involve dads, and let go

21:20 Whose standard is the right one?

24:05 The loss of identity as a stay-at-home parent

30:30 Being the stay-at-home parent doesn’t have to be forever

33:27 Encouraging dads to be more active parents

37:11 When dad’s your personal hairstylist

40:08 Will we have more babies if dads and mums are equals?

Host: Natasha Ann Zachariah ([email protected])

Read Natasha’s articles: https://str.sg/iSXm

Follow The Usual Place podcast on IG: https://str.sg/8KNT

Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN

Filmed by: Studio+65

Edited by: Eden Soh & Hadyu Rahim

Executive producer: Danson Cheong

Producers: Natasha Ann Zachariah and Elizabeth Law

Assistant producer: Stacey Ngiam

Follow The Usual Place Podcast and get notified for new episode drops every Thursday:

Channel: https://str.sg/5nfm

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/9ijX

Spotify: https://str.sg/cd2P

YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast

Feedback to: [email protected]

---

Follow more ST podcast channels:

All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7

Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

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Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:

The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB

Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX

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#tup #tuptrf

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Will a new bystander campaign by the police get more people to speak up for victims for molest and voyeurism?

In this episode of The Usual Place, I chat with Ms Lim Shoon Yin, the executive director of Singapore women’s rights group Aware, about what holds bystanders back and what they can do.

Also on the podcast is Dr Julia Lam, a forensic psychologist, who assesses people who have committed offences like sexual crimes. She studies impulse control disorder and behavioural addiction, among other areas.

She explains why perpetrators cross the line and act on urges, despite knowing it’s a crime.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:51 Are more people reporting sexual assault?

4:20 Why do bystanders freeze?

6:01 Could you become a molester or voyeur?

9:15 Why perpetrators choose to cross the line

10:36 Why take the risk of getting caught in public?

13:42 How bystanders can safely intervene, if unsure

17:33 Perpetrators not deterred by warning announcements, posters

20:22 Do conservative societal attitudes contribute to such behaviour?

26:02 What victims need when they report harassment

Host: Natasha Ann Zachariah ([email protected])

Read Natasha’s articles: https://str.sg/iSXm

Follow The Usual Place podcast on IG: https://str.sg/8KNT

Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN

Filmed by: Studio+65

Edited by: Eden Soh, Hadyu Rahim & Amirul Karim

Executive producer: Danson Cheong

Producers: Natasha Ann Zachariah and Elizabeth Law

Assistant producer: Stacey Ngiam

Follow The Usual Place Podcast and get notified for new episode drops every Thursday:

Channel: https://str.sg/5nfm

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/9ijX

Spotify: https://str.sg/cd2P

YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast

Feedback to: [email protected]

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Follow more ST podcast channels:

All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7

Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

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Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:

The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB

Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX

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#tup #tuptrf

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.