Singapore is a business-friendly, illiberal democracy, or what some political scientists call a “competitive authoritarian regime,” or a “façade electoral” system. So there’s much in that island nation for Americans to learn about their own future.
Kirsten Han is a great guide: She runs We, The Citizens, a newsletter covering Singapore from a rights-based perspective, and is the managing editor of Mekong Review, an Asia-focused literary journal. She is also a key member of the Transformative Justice Collective, which works towards the end of the death penalty and Singapore’s war on drugs.
In this conversation, we discuss:
Singapore’s political landscape
The illusion of democracy, media control, and freedom of expression
Activism and civil society in Singapore
The LGBTQ community and social change
Public perceptions of the death penalty
Cultural context of drug policies, sex work vs. drugs
The loneliness of activism
How activists are targeted in Singapore
The Rhyming Chaos podcast is produced by Jeremy Goldkorn and Maria Repnikova, and edited by Cadre Scripts. The theme music is Paper Boy, composed and performed on the guzheng by Wu Fei. Our closing music is Erik Satie’s Gymnopédie No. 1, arranged and performed by Wu Fei. Our cover art is by Li Yunfei.
Please subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, leave us a review, and if you want to support what we’re doing, take out a paid subscription at rhymingchaos.com.
