What is "Operation Coldstore"––the 1963 arrest and detention without trial of over 112 opposition politicians, trade unionists, and political activists on grounds of a communist conspiracy––for its role in Malayan history, how it has shaped Singapore's governance, and why it matters to the ruling party. The lecture then examines the current political economy of control in Singapore and what these controversies reveal about the nature of People's Action Party governance today.

It's been about a year since Singapore's Select Committee on Deliberate Online Falsehoods held its open hearings. Although no Bills have yet been tabled, Singapore is expecting legislation to deal with "fake news" and foreign interference. But what would their impact be?

Thum Ping Tjin sits down with James Minchin, author of "No Man Is An Island: A Portrait of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew", to talk about his life in Singapore, his experience writing the book, his ban from Singapore, and his reflections on Singapore’s politics today.

Joko Widodo dan Prabowo Subianto bertarung dalam debat capres kedua pada tanggal 17 Februari 2019. Wakil Editor Bahasa Indonesia di New Naratif, Aisyah Llewellyn membahas dengan Konsultan Editor untuk Kalimantan Nita Roshita, Konsultan Editor untuk Sulawesi Ian Morse, dan kontributor Max Regus tentang debat tersebut dan isu energi, pangan, infrastruktur, dan sumber daya alam di Indonesia.

Indonesia is heading to the polls on 17 April. Incumbent president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is fighting for a second term with his new vice-presidential pick Ma’ruf Amin, an influential Muslim cleric. They're facing off against former army general Prabowo Subianto and former deputy governor of Jakarta Sandiaga Uno. New Naratif’s Indonesian team sit down to discuss the candidates, the hot-button issues, and their predictions.

In its 60 years in power, the People's Action Party has used three, very starkly different, official historical narratives. In this lecture, PJ Thum explains this historiography and how the current narrative aims to legitimise the continued subjugation of Singaporeans, weaponise nationalism, and perpetuate colonial mindsets.

Protests are often seen as disruptive and destructive, and are generally frowned upon in Singapore. Activists and performance artists have been arrested and charged under the Public Order Act in recent years, even for indoor forums and solo outdoor performances. In this episode, we sit down to talk to former student activist Tan Tee Seng and civil rights activist Jolovan Wham about activism, social change, and the rule of law in Singapore.

New Naratif's Managing Director PJ Thum and Editor-in-Chief Kirsten Han sit down to talk about recent developments in Singapore, from the 4G leadership, to the Singapore-Malaysia maritime dispute, and the upcoming bicentennial of Raffles' landing on the island.

Singapore has an ageing population. It's a situation often described in anxious, alarmist tones, with the growing number of senior citizens framed as dependent on a shrinking pool of able-bodied working adults. Yet the country is doing well in terms of health life expectancies, indicating that Singapore's elderly aren't as helpless or infirm as they are often portrayed as being. Is it time for a fundamental overhaul of the way we think about ageing?

A lecture that our Managing Director PJ Thum delivered at Stanford University in October. He discusses Singapore's political development and evolution under the ruling People's Action Party, how this history has shaped and constrained the current government and politics in Singapore, and how this fits into contemporary Southeast Asia.