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Opinion

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Students seeking more financial aid from NTU say foreign students are not the enemy

Opinion: A member of NTU Financial Aid Friends disputes the argument that aid to foreign students prevents locals from affording education. She argue that the issues lie in structural inadequacies like insufficient financial aid and inflexible grant conditions. The group is striving to expose these issues, and ensure all students, regardless of nationality, can access affordable education.

PAP in a crisis of a generation — Has the “Men in White” gone black?

Opinion: Amidst various scandals plaguing the People’s Action Party (PAP), Joseph Nathan questions the integrity of Singapore’s politics and suggests that the only honorable action for PM Lee is to step down, thereby preserving Lee Kuan Yew’s legacy.

How does the Speaker’s F-bomb compare with the MP’s “don’t talk cock”?

Opinion: Augustine Low criticizes the Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin’s use of an expletive, arguing it’s worse than an MP’s inappropriate remark in 1995. Low suggests that the Speaker, who should enforce orderly conduct, deserves formal censure or even dismissal.

Singaporeans should not be forced into exile

Teo Soh Lung: It’s disheartening when Singaporeans are compelled to leave their birth country and can’t return for their parents’ funerals, reflecting poorly on a government that makes exiles of its citizens.

Can Tan Chuan-Jin be expected to serve as an unbiased Speaker of Parliament?

After Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin apologized for an offensive remark about Assoc Prof Jamus Lim, it raises uncertainty about his ability to maintain impartiality towards all MPs, as his role requires.

While the people share a shrinking pie, they want to have their cake and eat it

Opinion: Ministers’ high salaries were justified as compensation for sacrifices made, but controversies like the Ridout saga reveal unresolved issues of income, sacrifice, and entitlement in Singaporean politics.

Shanmugam singled out Goh Keng Swee and Hon Sui Sen for living in black-and-white bungalows too

In his piece, Augustine Low challenges Law Minister K Shanmugam’s comparison of modern ministers’ accommodation to those of Singapore’s past, questioning its relevance given the stark changes in ministers’ salaries and perks.

Former NMP Laurence Lien chooses not to live an extravagant lifestyle

Opinion: Former NMP Laurence Lien’s choice of modest living starkly contrasts with Ministers K Shanmugam and Vivian Balakrishnan’s personal use of state bungalows, despite coming from a very wealthy family in Singapore

The untold power of public image amidst Ridout Road controversy

Opinion: Rudy Irawan Kadjairi contends that despite a ‘done-by-the-book’ approach, the perception of privilege remains. He argues that perceptions, often unswayed by evidence, significantly influence how incidents are understood, suggesting that a code of conduct was breached in the recent Ridout saga.