Singapore second last in Asia democracy index

The survey was conducted in 2005, but I've only just seen the book. This article fills you in on some of the details. Full essay.

Race, religion and Negarakuku

A controversy in Malaysia over a Youtube music video raises a number of questions which Singaporeans too should think about. Full essay.

2 by 6

A couple was caught for absent-mindedly bringing in pornographic VCDs through the Tuas checkpoint. The VCDs weren't just seized. They had to spend a night in a police lock-up. Guest essay by Mitch Oldman.

Police declare joggers an "illegal assembly"

The Pink Run had to be cancelled because the police turned out in force, declaring it a crime under the law. Full essay.

Time travel via our roads

What's a landmark to one may mean nothing to another. We read our city in different ways. Full essay.

Spirits from our past

For some people, observing the religious customs of the Seventh Month is important. Meanwhile, Royston Tan's new film '881' celebrates the getai culture. Full essay.

Pity the heliconias

We speak of a 'Garden City' yet sacrifice our plants and flowers for a temporary night market. We speak of a 'City of Possibilities' while banning this and that. Full essay.

Death by numbers, part 2

The Straits Times required a letter-writer to eviscerate her letter before they would publish it, showing disrespect to accuracy and research citations. Full essay.

Death by numbers

Alan Chin once more goes on his crusade against the "gay lifestyle" with pseudo-scientific aplomb. Full essay.

Picking on a picnic

A "member of the public" alerted the Botanic Gardens to an 'insurrection' likely to erupt among its orchids, and a gay picnic was banned. Full essay.

Public transport model needs a rethink

The Public Transport Council will require the bus companies to increase frequencies during peak hours. But instead of imposing new demands on existing operators, what about inviting new ones in? Full essay.

Bark and crumble

The government banned the lecture I was organising for Prof Douglas Sanders on the topic of "Sexual orientation in international law: the case of Asia". But the real story is nothing at all like what their press release says. Full essay.

Letter to the people of Singapore

A gay Singaporean explains why he left. He also takes issue with the way the Methodist Church obsesses with homosexuality. Guest essay by John Toh.

My kissing project, part 4

News of the ban went into the International Herald Tribune 2 days in a row and travelled around the world. Full essay.

Lee Low Tar

Another work has been banned by the Media Development Authority. Lee Low Tar is a fictional metatextual romp by young writer Ng Yi-Sheng about an unnamed country's gerontophilia (the love of old men). Read it here.

Where to draw the line on marriage?

William B Kelley critiques the article by Tan Seow Hon in the Straits Times (30 July 2007). If the State permitted same-sex marriage, would it be imposing a certain morality on its citizens, or just being morally neutral? Guest essay.

My kissing project, part 3

48 hours before the photo exhibition is scheduled to start, the Media Development Authority finally responds - by banning it. Come anyway. Full essay.

Ian McKellen supports Indignation

Actor Ian McKellen leaves a video message for the gay community of Singapore, in which he expresses support for Indignation. Full transcript.

My kissing project, part 2

A photo exhibition needs a licence from the MDA. After 5 weeks, I still haven't heard from them, and the exhibition is due to start next week. Full essay.

Homosexuality and the moral imperative

There is an important distinction to be made between morality and moralism, and one side of the debate is the moral one. Full essay.

A more complex history of 'Malay'

Which was the first Malay kingdom? There were multiple Malay or quasi-Malay states a thousand years ago, and earlier still, Malay peoples could have covered most of Indochina. Guest article by Dreamhunter.

Entertainment news: Ian McKellen

We follow him around as he spends his free time in Singapore, but the details aren't just drivel. It's a case study of how bad press about Singapore is generated. Full essay.

Racial Harmony day

Racial harmony is important, but do we know how to foster it? Aren't we reinforcing ethnic identity and separateness in so many other things that we do? Full essay.

$2,500 to rent a 3-room flat?

Such a transaction was cited by the Straits Times in its report, 'HDB rents at 10-year high'. But does it look credible? Full essay.

Hong Kong court finds public sodomy law discriminatory

The territory's highest court struck down the law because it only applied to homosexual men. Sounds like our Section 377A doesn't it? For that one, our government has promised they wouldn't "pro-actively" enforce it. But how would our legal system wrangle with such a promise? Full essay.

This month, the Christian rightwing finds 3 more villains

The gay issue rumbles on as more people speak out for repeal, stirring up the rightwing again and again. They may well win their pyrrhic victory. Full essay.

Invisible histories of our city

Tan Pin Pin's latest film, Invisible City, takes a peek at people who struggle against the odds to document parts of our collective history. They are up against many different obstacles but what they do makes us wonder about what we think we know. Full essay.

Unintended consequences

Singapore is obsessive about planning, but sometimes, the planning is faulty or things just don't go according to plan. For better or worse, it adds a bit of chaos to this city. Full essay.

A world without objective, impartial newspapers

The government says that it is critically important for Singapore to have mainstream media that report the facts impartially. That's why the mainstream media are regulated more tightly than cyberspace. But is it sustainable? Do blogs have historical parallels than can help illuminate what the future may hold? Full essay.

The peace faction has got it wrong

They all sound the same - these articles that say Islam is a religion of peace. How convincing can they be? How effective in the battle against extremism? Full essay.

Changing the information landscape

With a Freedom of Information Act, we can know how a government decision was made, but it still does not give us any way to correct its behaviour. Or does it? Full essay.

Teacher unaccountably terminated

When pressed for a reason, the Ministry of Education provided a mouthful of gibberish. Opacity in government hides mistakes, abuses and even corruption. Power must be balanced by accountability. That's why we need a Freedom of Information Act. Full essay.

Creationism - a dangerous beast

Believing in creationism is not just stubbornly illogical, its propagation is also a threat to the public good. But does it not have the immunities we grant to religion? Full essay.

Lina Joy case holds lessons for Singapore

Look carefully at this celebrated Malaysian case and you'll see legal questions that resonate with our own experience of law and bureaucracy in Singapore too. Full essay.

My kissing project, part 1

I am embarking on a project taking photographs, with the aim of putting them up in a small exhibition. But something tells me this is going to run into censorship problems wth the state. Full essay.

Watch out for the big men

Veteran opposition politician J B Jeyaretnam wants to form a new party to push for reforming Singapore's political system. Are his chances of success good? Full essay.

Why Section 377A is redundant

Looking at the cases unearthed by Mohan Gopalan showing how Section 377A has been used in the past, two things stand out: some should not have been prosecuted, while others could have been prosecuted under other laws. We never needed 377A. Full essay.

Heftier list of s.377A cases

A law student contributed this huge table listing the prosecutions made under Section 377A of the Penal Code (gross indecency between males) during the last 15 - 16 years. Guest contribution.

UNSW follows Warwick University out

"One of the things we'd learnt... is that geography is really important," said Fred Hilmer, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of New South Wales. What kind of geography? Full essay.

Harmless traits can be criminalised, says minister

Minister of State for Education Lui Tuck Yew told students that even if homosexual orientation is inborn, even if it causes no harm to others, it is still legitimate to criminalise its expression, since "a major segment of society is [not] ready to move." Dislike is enough to overturn equality and civil rights - goes his argument. Full essay.

God, morality and Haidt

Chua Mui Hoong said that while religion can inform one's beliefs, God should not be brought in to the public debate about morals. But it hasn't, has it? Full essay.

Mediacorp's survey on decriminalisation

62 percent of Singaporean "heartlanders" want to keep homosexuality illegal. Of those under 30, "four in ten" feel the same way. Full essay.

From City Hall to the Gaza Strip and back

A committee chairman resists stepping aside even when others have pointed out potential conflict of interest. The slippery slope to corruption begins with such lack of rectitude. Full essay.

Lost in a fog of fear

Amid the noise made by the fundamentalist fringe, has anyone noticed that the heartlander Chinese majority don't seem to care very much whether the anti-gay law stays or goes?

Go to the main Yawning Bread site (www.yawningbread.org) to read the full essay. There seems to be something wrong with Google-blogger - I'm unable to put in a hyperlink from here.

Singing, voting and the unknowables

It's arguably the greatest voting exercise on earth, a huge experiment in popular democracy. But data about people's behaviour is scarce.

Go to the main Yawning Bread site (www.yawningbread.org) for the full essay. Google-blogger is wonky; I can't create a hyperlink from here directly to the article.

Rebutting Yvonne Lee, part 3

Caleb Yong writes in response to Yvonne Lee's May 4th article in the Straits Times: "It is unfortunate that she does not consider the citizenship of homosexuals".

Go to the main Yawning Bread site (www.yawningbread.org) for the full letter. Google-blogger somehow does not allow me to create a hyperlink from here.

The battle of St James - rebutting Istyana

Koh Jie Kai points out the even bigger flaws in Istyana Putri Ibrahim's letter published in the Straits Times on 3 May 2007, headlined 'Gay acts harm no one' argument flawed'.

Go to the main Yawning Bread site (www.yawningbread.org) for the full guest article. Google-blogger is currently, well, flawed - I can't create a hyperlink from here.

Rebutting Yvonne Lee, part 2

Ooi Jian Yong gives a rebuttal from legal perspectives to Yvonne Lee's article 'Decriminalising homosexual acts would be an error' which appeared in the Straits Times on 4 May 2007.

Go the main Yawning Bread site (www.yawningbread.org) to see the full piece. Google-Blogger is currently wonky and I cannot create a hyperlink from here.

Rebutting Yvonne Lee, part 1

Jireh Tan tried to engage Yvonne Lee in correspondence after the latter's article 'Decriminalising homosexual acts would be an error' appeared in the Straits Times, 4 May 2007.

Go to the main Yawning Bread site (www.yawningbread.org) for this guest contribution. Google-blogger seems to be wonky and I can't create a hyperlink from here!

New scare tactic: religious strife

I noticed that the fundamentalist lobby is beginning to use the scare tactic of racial and religious conflict to argue their case for keeping the anti-gay law. Such nonsense must be nipped in the bud. Full essay.

Queen to K6

A law lecturer steps into the fray. mouthing the usual long-discredited arguments against decriminalisation of gay sex, in an article in the Straits Times. Full essay.

Fall of the BP chief, parts 1 and 2

The Straits Times headline said "BP chief quits over gay affair". Ooh scandalous. Upright corporate titans shouldn't be gay, if caught out they must quit, right? But that headline notwithstanding, was that really why he quit? Plus further thoughts on freedom of speech, prostitution, etc. Full essay.

Rage in safe Singapore

One man dead, another in a coma. A teenager in hospital with his face nearly unrecogniseable. Violence is a symptom of social breakdown. Are we paying attention? Full essay.

Indiana billboard vandalised

The billboard had said, "Jesus affirmed a gay couple". Hmmm... is that really so? I asked myself. Guest essay.

Digging into foundations is mischief

The excavations at Sanxingdui are raising subversive questions about the linear narrative that tends to dominate Chinese history. Singapore too promotes a linear narrative. Anyone doing excavations of Singapore's political history? Full essay.

Highly paid moral weasels

Lee Kuan Yew told Reuters that "eventually" the anti-gay law will have to be changed. Why "eventually"? Full essay.

The oracle from St James

Lee Kuan Yew talks about homosexaulity and the "inevitable force of time and circumstance", but what exactly is he saying? Full essay.

Some get married, others get raped

Gay news from around the globe in the last 2 months includes the first gay civil union solemnised in Mexico City, but also kidnap and torture from the Third World. Full essay.

Gobsmacking days

We are all prone to foolish associations and categorisations, but it's less forgiveable when corporations don't realise it, resulting in culturally biased questions. Full essay.

How a traffic jam began

All because a bus driver wouldn't take responsibility for taking a detour that circumstances called for. The "cover-your arse" syndrome at work. Full essay.

Beware being caught out when the tide turns

Opposition parties risk being left behind as public opinion on Section 377A of the Penal Code (the part criminalising gay sex) changes, writes Charles Tan. Guest essay.

Defending the national scripture

Another of Martyn See's films is banned. In the latest one, an ex-political detainee, Said Zahari, protested that he had not been a communist in 1963 when he was arrested, but why must a historical question be subject to bans? Full essay.

Cinema: Two stories from the slums

The blossoming of Maximo Oliveros by Aureus Solito from the Philippines is an accessible family drama that warms the heart. I don't want to sleep alone by Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-liang is his usual bleak and spare art film, with a surprisingly tender core. Full essay.

Ministers get pensions too

... in addition to their high salaries, and in a way that may well be "uniquely Singapore". Full essay.

Lights, action..... and cut

More examples of petty censorship in action by MDA as well as self-censorship by Mediacorp. Some clauses in the MDA's Free-to-air TV Program Code you might not have noticed. Full essay.

Singapore government promotes obscenity

How else would one describe the proposal to raise already high ministerial salaries by a further 55 percent? Full essay.

Compensating for a frustrating neighbourhood

Asean's going nowhere. The barrier-free common market remains a distant dream. Can Singapore remain a prosperous place in an unco-operative neighbourhood? Full essay.

Bye bye, musical fountain

Sentosa's musical fountain has to make way for a casino and integrated resort. Some pictures before it goes into history. Photo essay.

Don't infect the state with religion

Gregory Paul, in a 2005 study, suggested a correlation between a society's religiosity and social ills. Looking at our Malay community. How secular should a 'secular state' be? Full essay.

Life in construction

Uncaring supervisors at construction sites put workers in danger. But sometimes, supervisors get laid off too. Full essay.

The good ol' days of jail and caning for immorality

We forget easily. It wasn't that long ago when the police routinely went out to entrap gay men. Three news stories from 1990 - 1993. Full essay.

Will ours be an overcrowded city?

Many people are concerned about overcrowding should Singapore's population hit 6.5 million. Should they be? What can be done to mitigate any reduction in the quality of life? Full essay.

Sandstorm masks politics of diversion

Indonesia has banned the export of sand to Singapore, dealing a blow to our construction industry. Was it really for environmental reasons, or, as some officials have said, to pressure us over the extradition treaty? Full essay.

Criminalise lesbianism, say Church leaders

The National Council of Churches wants the government to be consistent. Since homosexual acts are "sinful and abhorrent" according to their faith, so not only gay males sex but lesbian sex too should be a crime. Anal sex by heterosexuals is OK, though. Full essay.

Forgotten markers of history

Various periods of our past have left marks on the land from big holes in the ground to statues above ground. Here are five, each telling a little story about Singapore's history. Photo essay.

Race, religion and the sinicisation of Singlish

Singlish as a used language evolves all the time, but the more recent changes are often influenced by Chinese, not Malay. To discuss this leads to a discussion about race. But why should race (and religion) be taboo subjects, as some figures in authority suggest? Full essay.

Gays should support censorship, says Andy Ho

The Straits Times writer strains to make a case why gay men should support the ban on Leslie Kee's book SuperStars. Full essay.

Incredible wife makes disappearing act

Oscar winner Melissa Etheridge's words were edited out by Mediacorp's Channel 5. Perhaps they were too 'global' for our provincial minds? Full essay.

6.5 million will make a different Singapore

Expecting 2 million more immigrants, should Singaporeans be fearful for their jobs? Are Singaporeans able to adapt to the social changes to come? Full essay.

Breeding intolerance

Between law and religion, people find cause to behave badly. Full essay.

Research controversy risks Singapore's credibility

Biomedical research has to be a long term investment. To change course so soon after persuading scientists to relocate here, and even before our own PhD candidates sent abroad have returned, will signal an unacceptable degree of fickleness. Full essay.

Mismeasuring the press

Kishore Mahbubani said even in the West, there are OB markers and limits to press freedom, thus suggesting that press freedom rankings are meaningless. Full essay.

Workers' Party shies away from the gay issue

At a forum on 3 February, the Chairperson of the party was asked what its stand was regarding the retention of Section 377A in the Penal Code. Full essay.

Love Airways flies nowhere, Shortbus may not arrive

A locally-produced magazine that is sold within a plastic wrap turns out to be incredibly tame. On sex censorship, Singapore is so behind. Full essay.

Perspectival shift and capital punishment

Recently, quite a few bloggers have laid out their arguments for and against capital punishment, and the appropriate extent of its deployment, but to what degree do logical arguments move people to form/change their opinions? Full essay.

Après nous, les militaires

It's been suggested that should the People's Action Party rot from within and fail to provide good government, the most likely outcome would be a military coup. Is this a better prospect than having an opposition party take over? Full essay.

The republic of endless malls

Jon Harris spent 6 weeks in Singapore late 2006. Here are his chief impressions of our city-state. Guest essay.

Performing law

The conveyor belt takes Tochi to the noose. Is the claim that the death penalty is a deterrent meaningful? Full essay.

Renckens' wrenching idea

A Catholic priest in Singapore wrote an article suggesting a rethink of the Church's position on homosexuality. A flood of negative responses ensued. What do they show about the respondents' state of mind? Full essay.

Catholic adoption agencies demand exemption from serving gay couples

The head of the Roman Catholic Church in the UK wrote to PM Tony Blair over the Equality Act, threatening to close Catholic adoption agencies rather than serve gay couples as required by the non-discrimination provisions of the new law. Full essay.

Half of younger Singaporeans consider homosexuality "acceptable"

From their survey of 800 people under 30 years of age, the Singapore Polytechnic found that 50% said homosexuality was acceptable. How did it get that way? Full essay.

Saint Jack slays two myths

This 1978 film is valuable to us, adding to Singapore's cultural capital. The saga of this film is also instructive. Full essay.

The youthful and the idealistic: The University of Malaya Socialist Club in history

In this guest article, Loh Kah Seng recounts the significance of an example of student activism in Singapore. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Socialist Club played an invaluable role in raising political consciousness, at a time when Singapore's political future was in flux. Guest essay.

Sir, may I have the can please?

Economists at a recent conference pointed out that Singapore seems to have a dual economy, with the domestic sector much more sluggish than the globally-oriented one. They warned of social instability to come. Two recent encounters with the destitute suggest that society may already be fraying at the edges. Full essay.

Why non-violence is not mischief

Charles Tan looks at the way others have used non-violent civil action to press their points of view, and wonders why Singaporeans dismiss this strategy. Guest essay.

Temasek Holdings stews in familiar juice

Temasek Holdings appears to be caught in difficulties arising from Thailand having a law that wasn't enforced for convenience until politics changed the game, but the Singapore government has no right to complain as it is just as keen on such fudges. Full essay.

The eye that popped up from nowhere

Virtually out of the blue, a giant ferris wheel was set up and inaugurated in Kuala Lumpur, giving Malaysia a headstart over the Singapore Flyer. Full essay.

Man at faregate refutes creationism

Three incidents relating to metro transport illustrate how humans think. Unfortunately, the process sometimes does not yield workable results. Full essay.

We are all collaborators now

There is a common link between the relatively tiny problem of how to enforce a smoking ban on eating places and a key mechanism of totalitarianism, which is to get ordinary citizens to exercise control over each other on behalf of the government. Full essay.

New Year fireworks

Fireworks are always an enjoyable challenge to photography enthusiasts. Last year's attempt didn't turn out well. This year? Photo essay.