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

 

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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


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


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

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