Singapore is not the political utopia that it projects itself to be. Beneath the veneer, lies a dystopia of political repression, self-censorship and culture of fear. This was the nub of Jeannette Aruldoss’ presentation at Asia Centre on 19 March 2016.

Aruldoss, a lawyer and an opposition candidate of two election campaigns, shared some of her personal experiences from campaigning in 2011 and 2015 and provided a succinct overview of the political system and raised questions about its efficacy.

The lingering question after the latest elections of 2015 was if politics in Singapore was going to change, or would be status quo with the current ruling party being in power indefinitely? And if the Singapore citizen wants the current ruling party, should there be opposition efforts aimed at bringing about change?

Some 30 odd attendees came with a healthy dose of scepticism as well as support for the city-state. Jeannette Aruldoss’ cutting critique of the PAP’s landslide victory in the 2015 elections both engaged and provoked questions from the mixed audience during the lively Q&A session.

In the April edition of the Asia Centre Seminar Series, we explore the practice of female genital mutilation(FGM) and how it is documented and portrayed in the media. Entering Femininity: Reporting Rituals & Violations happens on 30th April (Saturday) from 9.30am to 12noon at Asia Centre. For more details click here.