Singapore Confidential

We sit down with Singapore's most controversial (or as he puts it, courageous?) political commentator Calvin Cheng to discuss racism, salaries, and facing the online mob. Was the SIA-Air India deal politicised? How did online comments turn racist so quickly? The trio spar on Singapore’s Ministerial Salaries, whether top leaders should be paid like private-sector CEOs, and suggest a different way of calculating the pay adjustment. Plus, Calvin shares his unfiltered takes on handling online outrage, why social media feeds on anger, and the clash between GCBs, golf courses, and Singapore's housing needs. Chapters:(00:00) Intro(00:42) Kenneth Tiong’s comments on SIA’s Air India deal: discussions turned racist(03:24) Parliamentary scrutiny vs. politicising state investments(17:20) Debating ministerial salaries: overpaid or necessary?(46:24) How Calvin Cheng handles backlash and "cancel culture"(50:26) Absurd internet: conspiracy theory of Hillary Clinton running a child sex-trafficking ring in a pizza restaurant(56:03) Maju forest vs. GCBs: prioritising housing or green spaces?(1:00:55) Is inequality criticism the "politics of envy"?🔎 Follow us for exclusive updates: 🔴 YouTube: @majulahpresents🟢 Spotify: @majulahpresents 🟣 Apple Podcast: @majulahpresents    🎥 TikTok: @majulahpresents 📷 Instagram: @majulahpresent

In this episode, the boys are recording live from the heart of Maju Forest, now at the centre of a heated debate over development, nature and how Singapore handles difficult trade-offs.But what happens when everyone gets a say?Chapters:(00:00) Intro(00:27) Maju Forest(04:21) The backlash and public consultation(07:30) Housing, GCBs and the trade offs(11:13) Golf courses and the politics of envy(14:35) National Day Rally(18:36) Childcare and young families(24:40) PM Wong and the question of trust(27:42) Singapore’s fiscal position(30:37) The changing global security landscape(32:47) Immigration and Singaporean identity(34:31) Young families and the future of Singapore 🔎 Follow us for exclusive updates: 🔴 YouTube: @majulahpresents🟢 Spotify: @majulahpresents 🟣 Apple Podcast: @majulahpresents    🎥 TikTok: @majulahpresents 📷 Instagram: @majulahpresent

Parliament spent NINE HOURS this week debating the future path of Singapore’s economy. And what did they end up with? Why were MPs quibbling over the words of the motion they were going to pass?Singapore Confidential’s two micro-SME owners come together to discuss that, Salvador Dali, the art of surviving retrenchments, whether Singapore can rely on domestic demand to replace exports, and how inspiration, not grievance, should be the marker for politics in Singapore.Chapters:(00:00) Intro(01:49) Why did the WP MPs vote against the motion they raised?(03:42) Is the government only supporting MNCs?(08:09) Salvador Dali, and the art of surviving retrenchments(14:24) Retrenchment insurance slows down economic growth?(18:02) How many people did they canvas for their opinions(19:27) Can domestic demand really replace our exports(26:03) Who’s the one real entrepreneur in Parliament(28:57) Inspiration, not grievance.🔎 Follow us for exclusive updates: 🔴 YouTube: @majulahpresents🟢 Spotify: @majulahpresents 🟣 Apple Podcast: @majulahpresents    🎥 TikTok: @majulahpresents 📷 Instagram: @majulahpresent

People are up in arms about forests in Singapore being cut down for affordable housing. Meanwhile, Bloomberg just lost a defamation suit. And a beloved Minister just tended a shock resignation in Singapore.Chapters:(00:00) Intro(01:29) “Minister got no time to watch” - Was Singapore overreacting?(06:07) Should Maju forest be cut down?(08:54) Singapore's Housing Crunch: The real numbers(14:28) Are satellite cities the solution?(15:32) Is IRAS coming for flower joints?(19:21) Bloomberg loses defamation case (22:54) Debunking the money laundering claims(31:00) Breaking News: Singapore Minister Resigns!🔎 Follow us for exclusive updates: 🔴 YouTube: @majulahpresents🟢 Spotify: @majulahpresents 🟣 Apple Podcast: @majulahpresents    🎥 TikTok: @majulahpresents 📷 Instagram: @majulahpresent

Two chiak-kentang Chinese guys in Little India enjoying prata and Teh Tarik, and grumbling about the latest local drama. What could be more Singaporean?Marcus Lim and Benjamin Chiang weigh in on the movie that has local audiences scrambling for tickets and the government sweating. The Teochew-dialect version of the China mega-hit Dear You (给阿嬷的情书) has been consistently selling out screenings across the island. But what started as a cinematic nostalgia trip has quickly spiralled into a major talking point about propaganda, thanks to a local newspaper article. Are we being overly sensitive, or are there wider geopolitical implications at play? Could a seemingly innocent, emotional movie about a grandmother actually be a soft-power tool targeting the overseas Chinese diaspora? And if so, how is this any different from Hollywood pumping out Pentagon-backed blockbusters like Top Gun: Maverick to promote the US military? Should we be funding our own soft-power films? And should the government finally lift the decades-old restrictions on dialect films in cinema?Chapters:00:00 Intro01:33 "Dear You" Movie 给阿嬷的情书 (A Massive Spoiler)02:50 Dialect Debate: Stephen Chow Movies In Mandarin?04:20 Did A Tiny $1.5m Sleeper Hit Become a Soft Power Tool?06:27 They Said Singaporeans Lack Critical Thinking!09:00 The Real Reason Singaporean Dialects Are Dying12:25 “Senator, I'm Singaporean” - Ancestry Vs Nationality17:08 Iron Man 3 Had A Whole Other China-Only Sequence?! 19:06 Top Gun Maverick Vs Dear You: What’s The Difference Between Hollywood & Beijing Propaganda?22:07 How Singapore Fights Foreign Interference🔎 Follow us for exclusive updates: 🔴 YouTube: @majulahpresents🟢 Spotify: @majulahpresents 🟣 Apple Podcast: @majulahpresents   🎥 TikTok: @majulahpresents 📷 Instagram: @majulahpresent