TOC Team

The Online Citizen team

The Online Citizen (TOC) team is made up of the following members.

The Editorial Team

Choo Zheng Xi
Chief Editor

Zheng Xi is currently a second year student at the NUS Law Faculty. He is a freelance writer and contributor for The Straits Times Youthink and business magazine The Executive. He has also written for The Straits Times, Today and Malaysiakini.

Andrew Loh
Deputy Editor

Andrew founded TOC in 2006. Current affairs has always been his interest. It is his hope that theonlinecitizen can bring public discourse to another level among Singaporeans. Andrew believes that “being Singaporean means loving the country – for better or for worse – whichever side of the spectrum you’re on.” Andrew resigned from The Workers’ Party on April 2, 2008 to focus fully on TOC.

Gerald Giam
Deputy Editor

Gerald is an IT consultant. He previously served as a foreign service officer in Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Gerald developed his interest in current affairs and public policy during his undergraduate days in California. His writing interests include social and political development issues in Singapore and around the world. Gerald blogs at Singapore Patriot.

Ephraim Loy
Deputy Editor

Ephraim is a member of the Young PAP, Bedok Reservoir-Punggol Branch. He is an active grassroots leader in the Bedok Reservoir-Punggol Constituency. Ephraim is a contributor for The Straits Times YouthINK and has written for several magazines such as Playworks, Eat! and Teenage. He was one of the contributors for the book People at the Peak (3rd Edition).

Ephraim also writes in his own blog here.

Yeo Toon Joo
Deputy Editor

Toon Joo is the ex-news editor of the Straits Times, ex-assistant editor of New Nation, ex-secretary general, Singapore National Union of Journalists and the former owner of a public relations company and broadcast PR firm. He is also an Honorary Fellow at the Institute of Public Relations of Singapore.

Selene Cheng
Sub-editor

Selene is currently an editor at an oil and gas consulting firm. She previously worked in a small firm as a copywriter, writer, editor and proofreader all in one. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in English Literature from NUS. The issues closest to her heart are the environment, consumer rights, employment standards and service excellence in Singapore.

Selene also has a personal blog here.

Senior Writers

Leong Sze Hian

Sze Hian has 5 degrees and 13 professional qualifications. A Wharton Fellow, alumnus of Harvard University and the United Nations University International Leadership Academy, he has served as Honorary Consul of Jamaica, President of the Society of Financial Service Professionals, Representative of the Inter-American Economic Council, Chairman of the Institute of Administrative Management, and founding Advisor to the Financial Planning Association of Indonesia. He has been invited to speak more than 100 times in over 15 countries on 5 continents, authored 3 books and quoted over 700 times in the media.

Sze Hian has a website here.

Benjamin Cheah

Benjamin is an eighteen-year-old full-time National Serviceman and entrepreneur. He maintains an interest in politics and philosophy, and is willing to discuss just about anything with anybody. He runs his blog at The Lionheart.

Eddie Choo

Eddie, 20, served as a Field Engineer Pioneer during his National Service days. He is waiting to study Chemistry at NUS.

Koh Jie Kai

Jie Kai is a third year law student in Oxford, and helps run a current affairs discussion group called the Young Republic.

Tan Kin Lian

Kin Lian qualified as an actuary in 1975. He served as chief executive of NTUC Income for 30 years prior to his retirement on 28 February 2008. During his tenure, he served on various board and committees in Singapore and was, for 5 years, the chairman of an international federation representing cooperative and mutual insurers around the world.

Kin Lian now works as a consultant. He spends his spare time writing on his blog, www.tankinlian.blogspot.com to educate consumers about insurance and investments. He also writes about social issues in his blog and for The Online Citizen.

Writers

Kamal Mamat is currently pursuing a PhD in Politics at Queen’s University in Belfast. Kamal describes himself as “your typical brudder, typical Mat, typical Singaporean. Also a son, husband, father and a student of politics.” Kamal has a blog here.

Ned Stark is a blogger who runs his own blog Winter is Coming.

Ng Sook Zhen is a law undergrad at the National University of Singapore currently. Previously, she worked at Singapore Press Holdings on an internship. Her first contribution to TOC was a report on PM Lee’s forum at the NUS. (link)

Andrew Ong describes himself as a true-blue Singapore heartlander. He is presently working in the Research & Corporate Communicatons division of an NGO which represents the manufacturing sector in Singapore. Other than his work, he enjoys serving others through his church and community work. In his free time, he fuels his passion for writing through his personal blog.

Joel Tan is currently an under-undergraduate, awaiting matriculation at NUS to enjoy the intellectual buffet of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences where he hopes to develop his interest in understanding the world and its related baggage from what academics have had to say on the matter. He can be found pontificating at The Daily Backtrack.

Chong Kai Xiong is a programmer by trade and hobby. His interests are largely centered on computing, particularly theoretical computer science, gaming and digital rights. He is a human rights and a FOSS (free / open source software) advocate. He has also participated in last year’s Freedom Walk, SDP’s May Day march, the black protest at CentrePoint and the recent 16 Sep march. Kai Xiong is not a member of any party nor does he have any intention to be one.

Lee Weijia is an undergraduate at the NUS Faculty of Law. He’s proud to be a Singaporean. His passion is music, he enjoys reading all sorts of books, and he loves to drink beer at the local coffee shop. He dreams of writing a novel one day. Oh and he studies in his spare time.

Zee Yeo is determined not to be one of those elusive, politically apathetic youths of Singapore. With no affiliations, he’s open-minded and interested in discovering the multitudinous attitudes on eclectic issues. Nesting a particular interest in the Arts, Zee is constantly fascinated by the power of the omnifarious disciplines to transforming society and the individual.

Kelly Chen swears at TV news when she isn’t editing videos or watching dogs, strolling, mimicking some pole-dancers, writing, cooking or baking. Her past time is blogging at MyQute.com.

Low Jing Yan is a law undergraduate at the National University of Singapore currently. Previously, he did some contract teaching in between army and university. He dabbles haphazardly in a series of hobbies, the latest being home-brewing, and enjoys quiet contemplation. Several pertinent issues of interest include the relationship between religion and government, along with choice areas of economics.

Rachel Zeng is currently a teacher with a local child care centre. Besides being involved in the early childhood industry and trying not to skin ungrateful parents alive, she paints during her free time and rants over at her blog. Photography, music, art and design, picking up new languages, people watching and playing computer games and cats excite her to no end. Other than that, she just cannot sit still!

Wilfred Ling (Information pending)

Lim Chih Yang is a Financial Advisor. He was previously a Project Manager in the corporate world where he regularly clocks 14-hour-day-work in the office. He is passionate about current affairs, international politics, social concerns and loves to write on issues close to Singaporeans’ heart. Chih-Yang is also active in sports and serving in his church. When he is not catching up on the latest news he will be following the fortunes of his beloved Newcastle United Football Club.

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