Simon Tay

The coming culture contest

By Simon Tay -

09 April

Signs are that questions of culture are returning to Singapore, albeit differently.

What makes a S’porean? A debate returns

By Simon Tay -

08 April

Debate has returned, for both the Government and citizens, about what it means to be Singaporean.

Does Sabah merit ASEAN’s attention?

By Simon Tay, Yap Kwong Weng -

18 March

The ongoing conflict in Sabah at first seemed something of a farce when followers of the Sultan of Sulu landed with claims to the territory. But the situation has quickly...

Reframe the Great Population Conversation

By Simon Tay -

21 February

Controversy followed the Government’s White Paper on Population, from its introduction to the last day of Parliamentary debate, when Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong addressed...

What Asians hope Abe will say to Obama

By Simon Tay -

14 February

Japan’s newly elected Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made his first overseas visit to South-east Asian countries. Very soon he will make the more usual pilgrimage from Tokyo to...

Legal process, political mess?

By Simon Tay -

28 January

The legal process begun by the Philippines to challenge claims by China to the South China Sea surprised the region. International arbitration is allowed under the United...

View with caution: Abe’s pivot to South-east Asia

By Simon Tay -

21 January

Everyone is pivoting to Asia — even Asians.

Seek not more, but better growth

By Simon Tay, Nicholas Fang -

10 January

High rates of growth used to be a key pillar in the Singapore story. Today, the world economy is in a parlous state and the country’s outlook for this year has been trimmed to a...