IPS 30th Anniversary: Diversities - New and Old

Singapore has achieved a remarkable standard of living since gaining independence some 53 years ago. The city-state has one of the highest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita in the world, surpassing that of Japan, United Kingdom, and Australia (The World Bank, 2017). On the social front, the multi-racial and multi-religious communities in this country have maintained a largely harmonious relationship for decades, a rare feat in an increasingly fractious sea of identities.

Notwithstanding these accolades, there are nascent signs that the city-state is facing greater and more volatile headwinds in the years to come. What has been particularly noticeable is the proliferation of new schisms arising from different lifestyles, values and wealth. These fault lines are symptoms of a deteriorating sense of “togetherness” in a rapidly evolving world.

For Singapore as a city-state to continue to prosper, there is an imperative to forge a new social compact that is not zero-sum based and to reach a consensus in managing the plurality of differences. The goal of this conference is therefore to discuss the new Singapore polity that will be inclusive for all.

Please view the programme here.

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Dinner - 25 Oct 2018

Welcome Remarks
Mr Janadas Devan
Director
Institute of Policy Studies

Special 30th Anniversary Remarks
Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong




Dialogue with Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies

• Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam dialogue at IPS 30th anniversary event, moderated by Professor Tommy Koh [text]

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Conference - 26 Oct 2018

Opening Remarks
Mr Janadas Devan
Director
Institute of Policy Studies

Panel I: Unequal and Immobile Structures
Chairperson
Mr Manu Bhaskaran
Adjunct Senior Research Fellow
Institute of Policy Studies
and
Partner and Member of the Board
Centennial Group Inc

Speaker
Mrs Josephine Teo
Minister for Manpower
and
Second Minister for Home Affairs

Speaker
Associate Professor Walter Theseira
Head
Master of Management (Urban Transportation) Programme
The School of Business
Singapore University of Social Sciences
and
Nominated Member of Parliament


• Presentation Slides of Associate Professor Walter Theseira
• IPS 30th Anniversary Panel I Report


Panel II: Emerging Forms of Social Identities and Social Formation
Chairperson
Associate Professor Eleanor Wong
Vice Dean
Student Life & Global Relations
and
Director
Legal Skills Programme
Faculty of Law
National University of Singapore

Speaker
Mr Desmond Lee
Minister for Social and Family Development
and
Second Minister for National Development

Speaker
Professor Paulin Straughan
Dean of Students
and
Professor of Sociology (Practice)
School of Social Sciences
Singapore Management University

(This video has been edited.)

• Presentation Slides of Minister for Social and Family Development and Second Minister for National Development Mr Desmond Lee
• Presentation Slides of Professor Paulin Straughan
• IPS 30th Anniversary Panel II Report


Panel III: Politics of Diversity Management
Chairperson
Associate Professor Suzaina Kadir
Vice Dean (Academic Affairs)
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy

Speaker
Dr Janil Puthucheary
Senior Minister of State
Ministry of Transport
and
Ministry of Communications and Information

Speaker
Professor Cherian George
Department of Journalism
and
Director
Centre for Media and Communication Research
Hong Kong Baptist University

• IPS 30th Anniversary Panel III Report


Panel IV: Dialogue
Chairperson
Ms Dawn Tan
Senior Producer
and
Presenter
International News
Channel NewsAsia
Mediacorp

Speaker
Mr Chan Chun Sing
Minister for Trade and Industry

Speaker
Ms Chua Mui Hoong
Opinion Editor
The Straits Times
Singapore Press Holdings Ltd

Speaker
Ms Han Yong May
Editor
NewsHub
Chinese Media Group
Singapore Press Holdings Ltd

• IPS 30th Anniversary Panel IV Report


Media Coverage
• BERITA Mediacorp. 2018. Penting bagi setiap rakyat S'pura capai kemajuan, kata DPM Tharman. 25 October.
• The Straits Times. 2018. ESM Goh calls on think-tanks to advance the special case study of Singapore. 25 October.
• Channel NewsAsia. 2018. ‘How do we define elites?’ Chan Chun Sing discusses class issues, calls for more to help others in Singapore. 26 October.
• Channel NewsAsia. 2018. Implementing minimum wage may lead to lower employment: Josephine Teo. 26 October.
• Channel NewsAsia. 2018. 'Keep the escalator moving up': DPM Tharman urges Singapore to maintain social mobility. 26 October.
• 联合早报. 2018. 尚达曼：须努力确保贫富相对差距不会变大. 10月26日.
• Mothership.sg. 2018. 377A debate “not entirely just purely a rational thing”: Minister Desmond Lee. 26 October.
• Mothership.sg. 2018. Janil Puthucheary explains why two Malay Normal stream students were featured in CNA documentary. 26 October.
• Mothership.sg. 2018. S’pore has to keep ‘escalator’ of social mobility going & moving up: DPM Tharman. 26 October.
• Mothership.sg. 2018. S’pore’s income inequality gap is “problem of success” that is “difficult to overcome”: Josephine Teo. 26 October.
• The New Paper. 2018. To tackle inequality, everyone must progress: Tharman. 26 October.
• The Straits Times. 2018. Embrace excellence, shun selfish elitism, says Chan Chun Sing. 26 October.
• The Straits Times. 2018. Move away from stance that diversity is a weakness for Singapore: Cherian George. 26 October.
• The Straits Times. 2018. 'Our children have to decide' what to do about 377A: Desmond Lee. 26 October.
• The Straits Times. 2018. Singapore has to adapt policies to accommodate more diverse families: Desmond Lee. 26 October.
• The Straits Times. 2018. To tackle inequality, ensure everyone is progressing: Tharman. 26 October.
• TODAY. 2018. From whispers to open discussion, Singapore society has shifted on LGBT issue: Desmond Lee. 26 October.
• TODAY. 2018. Janil Puthucheary and Cherian George spar over claim that Government selectively lets society ‘decide’ on divisive issues. 26 October.
• TODAY. 2018. Keep the ‘escalator’ of social mobility going, or risk anxiety of those in the middle: Tharman. 26 October.
• TODAY. 2018. Slowing down economic growth makes everyone ‘worse off’, won’t reduce inequality: Teo. 26 October.
• Yahoo News Singapore. 2018. Singapore has to keep the 'escalator' of social mobility moving up: DPM Tharman. 26 October.
• Berita Harian. 2018. Chun Sing: Buru kecemerlangan, tolak sikap elitisme pentingkan diri sendiri. 27 October.
• Berita Harian. 2018. Desmond Lee: Sesuaikan dasar bagi jenis keluarga yang bertambah. 27 October.
• Berita Harian. 2018. ESM gesa IPS, Sekolah Dasar Awam LKY bersama tangani isu S'pura. 27 October.
• Berita Harian. 2018. Ulang Tahun Ke-30 Institut Pengajian Dasar (IPS) - Kemajuan untuk semua kunci tangani ketidaksamaan. 27 October.
• 联合早报. 2018. 陈振声：努力取得成就不应被指为精英主义者. 10月27日.
• 联合早报. 2018. 陈振声：我国政治领导团队互相扶持无代际之分. 10月27日.
• Mothership.sg. 2018. Ambassador Tommy Koh says Straits Times coverage of IPS conference biased, S’pore leaders jump in, take sides. 27 October.
• Mothership.sg. 2018. Chan Chun Sing tells us stories about elitism, his “brothers”, Tharman, & being driver to diplomats. 27 October.
• TODAY. 2018. There is a difference between elites and those with elitist attitudes: Chan Chun Sing. 27 October.
• Yahoo News Singapore. 2018. Singapore has yet to fulfill Pledge to build a democratic society: Cherian George. 27 October.
• The Straits Times. 2018. Tommy Koh's post on ST report sparks online debate. 28 October.
• The Straits Times. 2018. Relative poverty, social stratification likely to persist. 31 October.
• The Straits Times. 2018. Singapore system has done better than other countries in improving social mobility: MSF paper. 1 November.
• The Straits Times. 2018. Efforts to lift lower-income group have borne fruit, says MSF report. 2 November.