S1E110: Singapore ministerial pay debate: Paying top talent competitive salaries is in the ‘soul of the PAP’
Season 1 · Episode 110
Friday, September 11, 2026 • Duration 51:07
Will the increase in ministerial salaries cost the People’s Action Party (PAP) votes at the next General Election?
On Sept 8, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced that political office-holders will get a one-off pay increase of up to 9 per cent.
This will take effect from Oct 15 - an entry-level grade MR4 minister getting the full adjustment will see his annual pay rise from $1.1 million to $1.2 million.
The changes to salaries come after the Government accepted the recommendations of a committee convened to review political salaries. One of its recommendations is that the MR4 benchmark will also be updated from $1.1 million to $1.8 million.
Existing ministers’ salaries will continue to be adjusted based on performance, and PM Wong expects most MR4 ministers to earn about $1.35 million – the lower end of the new salary range – by the end of this term of government.
In this episode of The Usual Place, Natasha speaks with Straits Times’ senior columnist Bhavan Jaipragas, and Rebecca Grace Tan, a senior lecturer in Political Science at the National University of Singapore.
We discuss whether there is the “right” formula to calculating ministers’ salaries, and whether alternative performance reviews of ministers’ and MPs work is now necessary to account to the public for the pay raises.
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:24 How did PM Wong fare in explaining the salary increases?
5:38 Was the debate “subdued” as compared to 2012?
8:44 Have S’poreans come to accept the million-dollar salaries?
13:45 Why didn’t the Workers’ Party oppose more strongly?
18:00 Growing divide between political elites and the rest of us?
21:09 Is the top 1,000 earners benchmark still fair?
26:20 Money, motive and minimising opportunity costs
S1E109: Lifting of wait out period for private home owners could flood HDB market with cash-rich buyers
Season 1 · Episode 109
Thursday, September 3, 2026 • Duration 50:46
If you own a private condominium unit and are looking to downgrade, or a family considering buying a BTO flat, the two recent housing policy changes would have brought some relief.
In July, the 15-month wait-out period for private residential property owners who want to buy a non-subsidised HDB resale flat was lifted.
In his National Day Rally speech, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced that the income ceiling for BTO flats and new executive condominiums will be raised, and more ballot chances for first-timers with children.
How will these moves affect housing prices, and will there be more million-dollar flats as demand goes up? Also, with more people qualifying for a BTO, will it be harder to get a flat?
Chief researcher and strategist at Realion (Orange Tee & ETC) Group Christine Sun, and chief research officer at Mogul.sg Nicholas Mak, share their views on what moves we could possibly see in the property market.
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:55 Three groups who will benefit
6:40 Will BTO application rates surge?
9:00 Why million-dollar flats still sell
12:55 Did the income ceiling for ECs need to be raised?
17:14 Should the Govt claw back EC subsidies?
25:48 Will BTOs get more expensive?
30:35 Why Nicholas doesn’t see the singles eligibility age dropping
37:36 Will there be an oversupply in ‘ulu’ areas?
41:32 Why so many 2-room flats?
44:53 No 3-room flats is ‘a bit too extreme’: Nicholas
S1E108: Can cash, childcare leave and BTO priority get Singaporeans to have kids? | National Day Rally 2026
Season 1 · Episode 108
Monday, August 24, 2026 • Duration 46:21
If you’ve been thinking about having kids, last night’s National Day Rally might have given you something to rally about.
Parents - and those who are considering having children - were the focus of PM Wong’s address on August 23.
In a nutshell, parents will get more help: more childcare leave and financial support, along with lower pre-school fees and more ballot chances when buying their first BTO flat.
But will this move the needle on our Total Fertility Rate, which now stands at 0.87?
Natasha asks Senior Parliamentary Secretary Goh Hanyan from the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth why the Government shifted its stance to consider every child equally.
Dr Reuben Ng, associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and a father of four, shared his thoughts on when the Government needs to roll out more measures for this reset to count.
Highlights (click/tap above):
2:17 Were the parenthood measures good enough?
6:56 Why tackle the cost concerns first?
12:15 Should mothers get medals for having more kids?
17:24 Why not taking leave is sometimes seen as a “badge of honour”
20:41 Hanyan’s experience juggling political office and being a mother-of-three
25:14 What about colleagues who cover parents on leave?
28:20 Are singles getting the short end of the stick?
33:41 Politically risky to invest so much public funds into parenting?
38:21 How fast does the Government need to roll out the measures?
S1E107: What the Maju Forest and Gillman Barracks debate showed about policy making and consultation
Season 1 · Episode 107
Thursday, August 20, 2026 • Duration 42:56
What kind of involvement do Singaporeans want in policymaking?
The Maju Forest-Gillman Barracks issue has seen Singaporeans making their voices heard, offering counter-proposals, and demanding more transparency from the Government.
This isn’t the first time Singaporeans have made their views known - remember issues including the Dear You bilingual policy debate, the SimplyGo roll out, and the scrapped NTUC Income-Allianz deal.
Are we in a new era of civic participation, and does the way the Government engages Singaporeans need to change? Also, would too much consultation hamper policymaking?
In this episode of The Usual Place, I speak with:
Assistant Professor of Sociology George Wong, who researches grassroots organisations in urban governance and politics in Asia at Singapore Management University, and
Jonathan Ng, an independent consultant with more than 20 years of experience in policy advocacy and regulation, and a former civil servant. He also creates social media content about how government and businesses work.
Highlights (click/tap above):
2:17 Reactions to S’poreans speaking up about Maju Forest
6:33 Has the Government responded well?
9:38 Citizens must trust that their voices matter: Jonathan
11:00 S’poreans want to “see how the sausage is being made”: George
13:54 Should policies satisfy every stakeholder?
16:18 Presenting trade-offs without being defensive
18:54 No more “Trust me bro!”
24:09 How does the Government choose whom to listen to?
28:18 Is active citizenry fuelled by social media?
31:43 Do name-calling, political labels hurt engagement?
S1E106: Will the new National Library Board campaign get more people to read books?
Season 1 · Episode 106
Thursday, August 13, 2026 • Duration 38:53
Would you read regularly if you were paid to do so?
The National Library Board (NLB) is hoping that people will develop a consistent reading habit by giving readers virtual coins that can eventually be exchanged for cash. They need to spend at least 15 minutes on the activity each day.
But why does the library have to incentivise us to read for fun? What do we lose when we no longer read, especially if we’re choosing to doomscroll instead?
In this episode of The Usual Place, I speak with:
Associate Professor Loh Chin Ee from the National Institute of Education, who researches people’s reading habits, and
Chris Koh, the programme director of the National Reading Movement
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:47 How was ReadSG conceptualised
3:41 Why do we have to be paid to read?
7:41 Is reading for 15 mins actually realistic?
10:45 Does reading daily create a habit?
19:16 Why we should stop calling kids “non-readers”
21:10 Will book clubs get people reading?
27:39 What do we lose when we don’t read?
32:19 S’pore’s most borrowed library book?
33:34 Book recommendations from Chris, Chin Ee and Natasha
Books recommended in this episode:
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb
S1E105: 2 out of 3 suicide deaths are men, a psychiatrist explains why
Season 1 · Episode 105
Thursday, August 6, 2026 • Duration 43:20
Millennials are the generation that changed the conversation around mental health. They normalised mental health talk, encouraged self-care and made going to therapy less taboo.
So what caused the 50 per cent jump in suicide deaths among adults in their 30s in 2024?
Recently released data from the annual report on registration of births and deaths by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority showed there were 441 suicide deaths in Singapore in 2024.
Suicide among adults aged between 30 and 39 increased from 66 cases in 2023 to 99 in 2024.
In this episode, Natasha speaks with Dr Jared Ng, a psychiatrist and medical director at Connections MindHealth, and Anthea Ong, co-lead for a white paper for national suicide prevention strategy Project Hayat, about what’s affecting this group.
We also talk about why men are still reluctant to seek help, and whether AI chatbots are valid sources of mental health support.
Watch the previous TUP episode on how to help someone having suicidal thoughts: https://str.sg/3KHRV
Highlights (click/tap above):
2:28 Why did millennial suicide deaths spike by 50 per cent in a year?
6:14 “I failed at something.” vs “I’m a failure.”
11:08 The challenges of living in a pressure-cooker society
34:32 Where AI chatbots can help, and where they don’t
S1E104: JB-Singapore RTS Link: Singaporeans will spend $1bn more in JB
Season 1 · Episode 104
Thursday, July 30, 2026 • Duration 44:14
Will the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link sound the death knell for smaller, home-grown businesses when it opens in a few months?
A new study, which was released on July 16, highlighted how Singaporeans are slated to spend $1.05 billion more across the Causeway in 2027. But visitors from the other side aren’t expected to send as much business our way. JB visitors are projected to spend about $756 million more.
The Singapore Business Federation (SBF), the Restaurant Association of Singapore and the Singapore Retailers Association jointly commissioned the study to look at how the RTS Link could reshape consumer spending, tourism flows and business competitiveness in Singapore’s retail and food and beverage sectors.
Can local retail and F&B businesses, which are already struggling with rent and manpower costs, cope with the added pressure?
In this episode, I speak with:
• Musa Fazal, the chief policy and operating officer at the SBF, and
• Ang Yuit, president of the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, who moved to JB 18 months ago.
We discuss whether expanding the eligibility and amount of the CDC Vouchers Scheme is just a Band-Aid, and if the Government will step in to control rents.
Highlights (click/tap above):
2:35 Are SG businesses excited about the RTS Link?
6:28 How will S’pore’s consumer spending change?
10:34 Is it too late for retail, F&B?
17:24 You can’t risk making a mistake here: Yuit
19:42 CDC vouchers: A band-aid but still useful
23:15 Topline statistics might not give us the actual picture
27:05 Can we move events to the heartlands?
28:41 Why hasn’t the west built its own Katong?
S1E103: Faishal Ibrahim’s exit: Are the PAP’s moral standards turning people away from politics?
Season 1 · Episode 103
Thursday, July 23, 2026 • Duration 48:34
It has been quite a week in Singapore politics, with adjustments to the Cabinet line-up and the surprise resignation of Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Faishal Ibrahim.
In this episode, Natasha takes a deep dive into the implications of blooding younger politicians such as Jasmin Lau into the Cabinet and junior ministerial roles now, and if the PAP’s high moral standards will cost them future talent.
Singapore Management University law professor Eugene Tan and independent political observer Dr Felix Tan weigh in on the diversity of the new Cabinet and why politics is not priesthood.
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:26 Was the new Cabinet line-up surprising?
5:45 Newbie politician Jasmin Lau’s fast rise
9:00 Is the 5G leadership team taking shape?
13:05 Does politics need politicians with private-sector experience?
16:38 Know how to communicate ideas, says Felix
19:16 Is Ng Chee Meng out of the “political wilderness”?
23:39 What’s the public “obsession” over Ng Chee Meng?
28:25 Who will eventually succeed Shanmugam at MHA?
32:30 Does having different generations in the Cabinet matter?
35:26 Should the Government reveal more about Faishal Ibrahim’s exit?
39:37 Why do conduct breaches keep happening despite the code?
S1E102: 1 in 3 employers are hiring contract workers. Are contract jobs the new norm for Singapore grads?
Season 1 · Episode 102
Thursday, July 16, 2026 • Duration 40:51
Should young job seekers start their careers with contract roles?
With stiff competition for full-time roles, a tight job market and employers being more selective about new permanent hires, perhaps contract roles shouldn’t be off the table.
In Singapore, such roles have become more common over the past few years. What can young people do to build their careers? Also, is contract work truly the ‘lesser cousin’ of permanent work?
In this episode, I speak with:
• Francois Lancon, the regional president of Asia Pacific and Middle East for ManpowerGroup, a global expert on labour market and employment trends,
• Tyrina Toh, a contract content creator for businesses, who left a full time position to work only contract and freelance jobs
•Seth Ng, a fresh university graduate who is currently looking for a job.
Highlights (click/tap above):
2:34 Should the GovTech retrenchments be a cause for concern?
3:43 Why the surge in contract roles?
6:42 Tyrina’s first contract role at 16
10:26 Is contract work financially feasible?
12:01 Contract work a “launchpad” to full-time role: Seth
15:56 Do contract roles make you look like a job hopper?
19:10 Taking charge of your professional growth
23:26 Is contract work exploitative?
29:01 What happens when a contract role gets cut unexpectedly?
33:12 Should you do many internships to land a permanent role?
S1E101: Singapore lawyers are facing bullying and burnout, why hasn’t anything changed in 30 years?
Season 1 · Episode 101
Thursday, July 9, 2026 • Duration 45:45
Are Singapore’s lawyers doing ok?
The Legal Profession Sustainability Study, which was released on June 23, suggests that lawyers were leaving the profession because of toxic bosses, inflexible court timelines, punishing deadlines and the constant need to be available 24/7.
These are just some of the grievances aired in the study, which had 31 in-depth interviews with former judges, legal academics and lawyers from diverse types of firms. There was also a survey done with 855 practising and former lawyers.
What is the cost of becoming a lawyer in Singapore, and is it worth it any more? If these issues have been raised for more than 30 years, will this study change anything?
In this episode, I speak with:
• Zhang Yu Fu, a junior lawyer at Dentons Rodyk, who was called to the bar in April 2026 and took part in the study, and
• Wong Yi, the General Counsel for construction company Lum Chang Holdings, and previously worked for one of Singapore’s Big Four law firms. He was also the chairman of the Young Lawyers Committee for The Law Society of Singapore from 2014 to 2019.
Highlights (click/tap above):
2:23 A decades-old problem that hasn’t changed
4:50 “What’s so wrong with being a strawberry?”: Yu Fu
10:28 Trained through “sheer obedience”
15:08 How young lawyers navigate bad bosses
17:06 Any incentive for senior lawyers to change?
21:13 Generational gap between older and younger lawyers
28:34 Judge wants lawyers to drink from a straw
32:55 “Role models” for working through childbirth
34:44 No real consequences for workplace bullying
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