TOC Fireside Chat – 2014 News Review

2014 saw many social-political events happening in Singapore, and TOC was at the forefront covering many of them.
We thought it would be apt for us to end the year by bringing together a few members of civil society to discuss some of the articles that have garnered the highest hits among our readers.
The foreigner issue remains one of the top concerns, with the commentary on the Philippines Independence Day issue alone garnering more than 120,000 views and 34,000 Facebook shares. Panelists also share their thoughts on PM Lee Hsien Loong’s remarks on the “Singapore family” (68,000 views) and what it means for the politics of discourse in Singapore.
Oddly, the photograph that Education Minister Heng Swee Keat posted about former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s birthday party received as much fanfare online (119,000 views), but panelists decided that it was probably due to interest in Mr Lee himself, rather than any real political issue.
Concerns about CPF remain on the minds of Singaporeans, while the National Library Board banning And Tango Makes Three also received a fair hearing. Panelists also keenly discussed author Catherine Lim’s open letter to PM Lee about a crisis of trust (84,000 views) and how the political reaction signals the type and tone of public engagement on Singapore politics and policies.
And in the firm belief that the views don’t end with us, we ended the discussion by asking our panelists to share their views on what they felt was the story that mattered most to them, and why.
Watch our recording below to hear the discussion in full. We thank, Ariffin, Hoe Fang, Braema, Jolovan, Vanessa and Jolene for taking part gamely in this Fireside Chat.
[vimeo id=”115692498″ align=”center” mode=”normal”] What do you think was the story of the year, whether or not it was covered by TOC? Let us know in the comments below.