Politics: The identity fog
Parliamentary discussions about last month’s exposure of Singaporeans’ national registration identity card (NRIC) numbers served mostly to thicken the debacle’s fog. Amidst intense questioning from the opposition, Indranee Rajah, second minister of finance with the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), admitted that over 500,000 identity searches were conducted over five days on the Bizfile website of the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA). The average of 100,000 per day during that period—afterwhich ACRA, recognising the error, disabled this search function—is some 50 times the usual (of 2,000-3,000). This exponentially greater identity interrogation originated from about 28,000 Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, “most of which” were from Singapore. Because the Bizfile portal cannot track individual queries, the government doesn’t know which numbers were compromised. The portal’s ability to distinguish between bots and humans also failed (but has since been fixed).
As many as one in seven citizens in this self-professed Smart Nation may have had their NRIC numbers collected by nefarious actors. (The 28,000 IPs apparently did not contain “any known threat actors”, though frankly, Indranee, we’re more worried about what you don’t know.) Arguably the most troubling aspect of all this is the fact that politicians and civil servants are prone to “miscommunication” on big issues. ACRA had conducted public consultation sessions in 2022 and 2024, Pritam Singh, Workers’ Party chief, noted: “...surely the matter would have had to be brought to Parliament instead of simply interpreting a circular from the Ministry [of Digital Development and Information, MDDI].” Indranee, struggling to offer full answers, often deflected to an ongoing civil service review that’ll report to Teo Chee Hean, the senior minister experienced in the fine art of ownself-check-ownself.
Most importantly, what’s happened to that famed harmony between politician and civil servant? Is MDDI’s embattled minister, Josephine Teo, having trouble communicating? In 2023, Lee Hsien Loong, then prime minister, repeated an old adage about the civil service needing “competent ministers” (read: PAP) in order to perform. “It is like an orchestra: It may be composed of the best musicians in the world, but without a good conductor it cannot produce great music. In fact, if the players are not impressed with their conductor, they may leave the orchestra to perform under some other maestro’s baton, and you will be left with a mediocre orchestra.” Sadly, Lee, maybe they’re no longer impressed.
Some further reading: In “A torrid December for the PAP: transparency, trust, and truth under scrutiny”, we examined both the NRIC debacle and the furore over bungalow dealings involving PAP ministers.
Society: The rich and men read more?
Adult literacy has “largely declined or stagnated” in the past 10 years in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), with Singapore below the average. These were some of the key findings of the second Survey of Adult Skills 2023—the first was in 2014-15. A product of the OECD’s Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, the study assessed the proficiency of problem-solving, literacy and numeracy of around 160,000 people aged 16-65 across 31 countries, including 5,000 Singapore citizens and permanent residents. Coming up tops on all three measurements were Finland and Japan.
Some 30 percent of Singaporean respondents scored at Level 1 or below (OECD average: 26 percent), meaning that they have low literacy proficiency, while at the other end of the spectrum, 11 percent scored at Levels 4 or 5 (OECD average: 12 percent). Native-born adults of native-born parents displayed higher proficiency in literacy than foreign-born adults of foreign-born parents. Between the study’s two cycle periods, literacy dropped among foreign-born adults but remained stable among native-borns, thus widening the gap between both groups. “In Singapore, literacy proficiency among long-term migrants has significantly declined,” the report said. Older adults (aged 55 to 65) showed signs of lower proficiency than 25-34 year-olds in all three areas, with substantial age-related skill losses in literacy after 35 years. Besides reflecting ageing effects, the skill gaps between older and younger adults could be due to differences in the quality and quantity of education and training across generations, the OECD explained. Chan Chun Sing, education minister, also cited people leaving the formal education system or skills becoming obsolete at the workplace as likely factors behind the loss of literacy proficiency as adults age.
While Singaporeans performed admirably in numeracy, far less discussed since the report’s release in December is the fact that society exhibits worrying inequalities between top and bottom performers (as measured by the inter-decile range, the gap between the 10th and 90th percentiles); and between men and women. “In 2023, Singapore and the United States displayed the largest skills inequalities in literacy and numeracy,” the report said. By contrast, inequalities were far lower in Japan and Korea. “Countries where skills inequality is high also tend to be countries where parents’ level of education is more strongly related to skills proficiency of their offspring.” In literacy and adaptive problem solving, meanwhile, men achieved “significantly higher” scores than women in Singapore, the report said. This is all the more worrying given the correlation between proficiency and incomes. “Individuals with higher levels of proficiency are much more likely to be high earners…[t]he largest absolute gaps between high- and low-skilled workers can be observed in Singapore and the United States, where high-skilled workers earn over USD20 [S$27] more per hour than low-skilled workers.” It’s not just Singaporeans’ absolute levels that should worry us, but the gaps between different groups.
History Weekly by Faris Joraimi
As the gift-giving holiday season ends, I hope you survived toy frenzies unscathed. The Cabbage Patch Riots of 1983 involved violent, unruly crowds in American department stores jostling over dolls called Cabbage Patch Kids. In our great Hello Kitty scramble of January 2000, Singaporeans greeted the new millennium by invading McDonald’s outlets islandwide for Hello Kitty dolls, leading to scuffles, injuries and many wasted Extra Value Meals. Last year, Nordic folklore-inspired Labubu dolls became a national phenomenon after a K-pop star posted photos of her Labubu bag charm. The hunt for these “cute” and “cheeky” plushies became so aggressive that scammers sold fakes to unwitting buyers: one woman paid S$220 for a bedek Labubu. Crowds flooded the Pop Toy Show at Marina Bay Sands in August for a doll. Fights. Shouting. Shoving. It’s honestly tempting to mock this grasping, ruthless behaviour for the sake of “mere” toys. Especially from those getting them as “investments”. Why do cute objects inspire such un-cute pursuits?
There’s a general trend of increased toy-collecting among adults which isn’t tied to mad fads. A recent report by The Straits Times (ST) showed that “kidults”, between ages 18 and 44, are spurring a revamp of retailer “Toys ‘R’ Us”, and driving the sales of Pokémon, Lego and Chinese toy-maker Pop Mart (behind a range of diminutive figures including Labubu). Business analysts point to shifting definitions of play and consumer demographics. Young traditional families are no longer dominant patrons, given falling birth rates and rising living costs. Instead, more adults with disposable income are indulging their inner child. Lam Pin Min, a PAP Sengkang GRC hopeful, went on a charm offensive with a Labubu mascot in Party whites. A sign of the average PAP voter’s maturity? Just joking. We all need a bit of escapism in this town. After all, past generations had many wants but little means compared to the present. Maybe today’s “kidults” were raised by tightfisted parents modelling prudent, Kuanyewist citizenship. They’ve probably earned the right to frivolity. Though we shouldn’t be surprised when it gets ugly with toys involved. According to the American theorist Sianne Ngai, a culture of violence underlies the “cuteness” of soft toys. Malleable, squishy teddy bears and fabric dolls emerged in the 20th century, when children were no longer believed to be inherently innocent. Child psychologists recognised that children were capable of violence, which plushies could survive. Cuteness, as “accentuated helplessness and vulnerability”, found prominence in countries where strength and virility were integral national values, especially post-war Japan and the US. No wonder adult Singaporeans go ballistic for kawaii characters, an indestructible outlet for that iron in us.
Arts: Singapore Art Weeeeeeek
Singapore Art Week (SAW) continues to be a misnomer in its 13th year as our culture industry gears up for the busiest month of the year. Subtitled “art takes over”, the engorged annual event traditionally marks the opening of the visual arts season, this year with over 130 official events jostling for viewership and visitorship in an already saturated attention economy. If you’re finding it hard to imbibe art from the glut of programmes, it might be worth embarking on an adventure of counter-consumption with Post-Museum, the indie cultural and social space founded by Jennifer Teo and Woon Tien Wei, artist-activists whose shared practice regularly proposes alternative economic structures that both interrogate and playfully disrupt capitalism’s relentless extraction of labour, cultural or otherwise. For the third year running, they’re hosting “SAW in 10 Days”, where you join a diverse mix of volunteer ambassadors who’ve put together their own SAW omakase by trawling through everything on offer on your behalf.
If you’re committed to this cultural decluttering, then maybe we don’t have to catch ‘em all. Skip the frenetic blockbuster fairs and spend a bit more time with shows that instead critique the nation-state’s bureaucracy, hyper-productivity, and obsessions with scarcity. These include “The Utopia of Rules”, housed in the former warehouse space of 72-13, where artists engage with the paper-pushing, rule-following, over-bureaucratisation of contemporary life and how it’s overtaken our labour, relationships, and even our afterlives. At Objectifs’ Chapel Gallery, “Hope you are keeping well!” considers the far-reaching effects of our national productivity agenda, particularly the productivity campaigns of the 1980s and our Smart Nation aspirations, and proposes the care-full labour of curatorial work (with its roots in the Latin cura, “care”, and curare, “take care of”) as a means of unveiling and understanding artistic labour that’s often overlooked or invisible. Then there’s “Scarce City” at the National Gallery Singapore, an immersive exhibition-game that prompts the visitor to reckon with their relationship to resources, and if anything is ever “enough”. That should be more than enough to keep you sated—way before you reach the acid reflux of art-burn.
Arts: ChatGPT did not write this blurb
But writers in Singapore are increasingly concerned about a “culture of indolence”, and the normalisation of intellectual theft, should arts institutions such as the National Library Board (NLB) continue its “uncritical endorsement” of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools. In a collective statement released earlier this week, at least 90 members of the local literary and publishing community called on both the NLB and Josephine Teo, minister for digital development and information, to relook AI use. From Cultural Medallion recipient Haresh Sharma to Singapore Literature Prize winner Prasanthi Ram, the literary fraternity has highlighted a number of issues at stake: intellectual property, the craft and quality of literature, as well as the environmental impact of this new tech boom, which the NLB was quick to adopt. Last year, it rolled out two generative AI prototypes developed with Amazon Web Services: StoryGen, where you can generate-your-own-adventure from pre-selected folktales and fairytales with a customisable platter of characters, genres, locations and conclusions; and Chatbook, where you can “chat” with books such as a biography of the late S Rajaratnam, posing questions about the former minister for culture and foreign affairs.
The statement’s signatories aren’t demanding “complete abstention from...a still-evolving technology”. They’re arguing that it’s valid to test the brakes before allowing AI tools to “turbo-charge your creative prowess”—so goes the NLB’s website in a hyper-effusive explanation of what generative AI can do. The NLB has since attempted to assuage writers’ fears with variations of the same refrain: that they value the trust of the literary community, that they take concerns about generative AI “seriously”, that “safeguards” are in place for “responsible use”, that materials are “appropriately licensed”, that they would create new opportunities for writers. Given the recent spate of broken state trust however, literary or otherwise, the statement’s signatories don’t seem convinced.
This isn’t the first time that the Singaporean literati has sounded the alarm on the ethics of AI use. “Our written works are not just blank ‘data’ that one can feed into a computer,” writer Ally Chua told ST, “and more conversation about what this means for intellectual property, commodification of unique Asean works, et cetera, should be done before jumping straight to ‘what can convince you to share your written materials with us?’” She’s right to be apprehensive about this indiscriminate pillaging of the written word. In 2023, The Atlantic ran a troubling exposé on how thousands of writers’ pirated books are powering generative AI platforms by way of the Books3 dataset. This included work stolen from Singaporean authors. It’s imperative in the age of AI that we value what our artists produce, rather than just their levels of productivity.
Tech: Chip farm in Woodlands
Even as the downstream societal impacts of generative AI are debated, upstream production continues apace. High-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips are all the rage today because, compared to conventional ones, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips, these stacked HBM chips—roughly six strands of hair tall—have larger storage spaces and faster speeds. They offer high data throughput with reduced power consumption, key for AI technologies relying on fast and efficient memory, such as NVIDIA and AMD’s AI accelerators. “The processor and the memory are two essential components to AI. Without the memory, it’s like having a brain with logic but not having any memory,” one expert told CNN, in its primer on the chip.
That’s the technological backdrop for American firm Micron Technology’s groundbreaking this week of a US$7bn (S$9.6bn) HBM packaging plant in Woodlands. The facility, set to open in 2026, marks a significant step in Singapore’s push to become a global hub for AI-driven semiconductor innovation. Singapore now accounts for one in 10 chips and one in five pieces of semiconductor equipment produced globally. The plant will not only create thousands of high-skilled jobs but also drive further innovation in the local ecosystem by fostering collaborations with educational institutions, ensuring a steady pipeline of talent for the future.
Micron expects the HBM market to grow from US$4bn (S$5.5bn) in 2023 to over US$100bn (S$137bn) by 2030. As of 2022, it held 10 percent of the HBM market; behind South Korea’s Hynix (50 percent) and Samsung (40 percent). All this is occurring at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions and semiconductor supply chain disruptions. Joe Biden, US president, is planning further restrictions on American chip exports before he leaves office this month, with a three-tier system of preferred AI allies apparently mooted. It’s still unclear how protectionist Donald Trump, president elect, will be. Nevertheless, Singapore, with its political stability, skilled workforce, and pro-business environment, will be eager to keep fostering a climate conducive to both American and Chinese firms.
Tech: Universities stand up to emerging technologies
With AI and other technologies disrupting the future of work, universities such as the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) are reshaping engineering programmes to better equip students. Starting in September 2025, SIT will introduce “competency-based education” (CBE), where students complete learning blocks focused on specific skills and real-world industry problems. Unlike traditional degrees, which progressively build concepts over several years, CBE allows students to gain hands-on experience and mastery in areas such as semiconductor manufacturing or infrastructure systems within four months. This shift addresses a common challenge in education: the gap between theory and practical application. By integrating project-based learning with competency assessments (such as hands-on projects, quizzes, and tests), SIT ensures students can immediately apply their skills, not just absorb theory.
This innovation is particularly significant as it aligns with the increasing demand for graduates who are not only knowledgeable but job-ready. In an age of rapid technological advancement, traditional academic models often lag behind industry needs. The CBE model promises to bridge this gap by focusing on competencies directly relevant to the job market.
SIT’s approach also emphasises interdisciplinary education, with new degrees combining business and tech expertise. For instance, its new programme in hospitality and tourism management seeks to nurture graduates who can tackle interdisciplinary challenges through the usage of emerging technologies such as AI. One such tool is Vouch, which uses AI to translate and guest queries in multi-languages in real time and figures out how to increase revenue with AI-driven upselling capabilities. As knowledge becomes easier to access with AI tools such as ChatGPT, the university’s focus on stronger applied and interdisciplinary expertise could give Singapore engineering graduates a stronger footing in the job market.
If you enjoy Jom’s work, do get a paid subscription today to support independent journalism in Singapore.
