Policy Streams

Adila Shahrin has recently been elected the President of the Student Organisation, Bridging Gap, which focuses on closing the gender inequality gap. In this episode Adila speaks about her life events which made become an advocate for gender equality, what she aims for Bridging Gap to achieve in the upcoming year, and the state of gender equality in Singapore. This is a fabulous listen! And is the final episode for Policy Streams Season 2. 

Divya Sharma is an American studying sustainable development at the University College London. In this episode Divya and I discuss whether sustainable development is possible in our industrialised world where the 'foot is on the accelerator of capitalism', and Divya makes the case that we as humans need to 'see beyond ourselves'. A terrific listen for those who are passionate for saving our planet.  

Ashwath Dasarathy is a recent graduate of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, where he was a three times Dean's List recipient and winner of the best 2021 Master of Public Policy student award. In this episode Ashwath moves beyond the accolades to speak candidly of the mental health struggles and pressures he faced while studying, and provides sage advice for future masters students. A recommended listen for any student seeking to make the most of out of a postgraduate degree.

Mo Sarah is a leading expert in woke, call out, and cancel cultures. In this episode she discusses how to identify cancel culture, it's effect on Singapore society, and whether there is a role for the government to regulate this activity. A compelling listen on a social issue which is slowly becoming a public policy issue.

Bernard Minn is a third culture kid who recently completed his Master of Public Policy degree in Singapore. In this episode Bernard speaks about coming to terms with his identity, deciding to go back to Myanmar, his motherland, and the effect the Myanmar 2021 February Coup had on him personally. A really moving listen for anyone third culture kid seeking to find their identity. 

Michelle Neo: Singaporean, Christian, solicitor, and public policy student. Michelle and I discuss the death penalty (capital punishment), which is still legal in Singapore. Michelle talks about her Christian faith and how it shaped her views on the death penalty, she also talks about her future and where she wants to make the most impact in the world.

I met Yichun Xu (Rose) while we studied together at the University of Cambridge, and she is now a teacher at a secondary school in Shanghai! At Cambridge, Yichun was the only student from China in the class. In this episode she talks about the experiences both the challenges and opportunities of being a Chinese student in a western country. She captures feelings and sentiments that a lot of Asian students may feel when studying in a foreign land. 

In this episode I talk to Oh Junghee, a South Korean news reporter from Arirang TV News. She is taking time out of her career to pursue a Master of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. Junghee speaks about the pressure and challenges of South Korean society and her new found freedom in Singapore. A story which many people, especially women from Asian nations, can relate to.

Joesph is a proud first-generation US citizen. He recounts his journey of applying to the US marines, his defeat of not being accepted, and how he came to accept that decision. A must listen for anyone on experiencing rejection or even the fear of it.

Joe has written about his experience, "Semper Fidelis: Lessons From A Dream Unfulfilled", here: 

https://tinyurl.com/adreamunfulfilled 

Dylan and Sarah discuss dating - on whether one should be patient or proactive when it comes to dating!

Rachel reflects on her experience of coming out as a queer woman and shares some advice on this journey. She also discusses the setbacks and progress for the LGBTQ community in Singapore. Rachel then shares of the insights from her final year research paper at Yale-NUS which delves into the experiences of another marginalised group in Singapore - ex-offenders.

Learn about Abe's past experience in International Relations and how Ankush's international exposure inspired his pursuit in international relations and policy. Ankush then talks about how he transitioned from India to Singapore and his views on his own identity. The pair then share some insights on soft power in international relations and how Indonesia, among other Southeast Asian countries are exercising soft power as they attempt to extend their influence around the world.

Follow our guest, Abe, on Twitter @aerbe

Find out about how Hari is putting his programming skills to use and the challenges Pooja experienced during her time as an Education Practitioner in rural India. The pair then discuss their perspectives on how to integrate technology into education systems before sharing their own personal experiences of growing up in their respective education systems.

What is it like living in a world that leaves you vulnerable to spy cameras? In this podcast featuring South Korean MPP Candidate Shay, we dive into the spy cam epidemic, perception of feminism in Korean society, policy ideas on curbing the easy supply of spy cameras, and the need to rethink sex education and social norms surrounding the conversation about women

Learn from Duwei on how to tell a Malaysian apart from a Singaporean. Then about the most influential woman in his life and then about his policy research into polygamy legislation in Malaysia.