17 Jul 23 Monday Briefing

What a week for us on this sunny little red dot, dear readers.

Singapore Social Season 2

Political scandal is nbd in most countries, but here in Singapore we’ve been blessed with the arrest and graft probe of a Cabinet minister (and a flamboyant scandal-ridden businessman), our Speaker caught on hot mic saying “fucking populist” in response to an Opposition MP’s speech on poverty, said Speaker and an MP resigning Party and Parliament today because of “proprietary and personal conduct” (likely sexual affair), leaked video of two Opposition MPs caught on camera stroking each others’ hands in less than 1 week. Oh, and the latter two hitting the news today in less than 2 hours. Have I mentioned we also have an upcoming Presidential Election in which a candidate might still be technically disqualified?

… but hang on for Thailand this week

Meanwhile, a few hours north, young aspirant Pita has been disqualified in his bid to become PM, leaving a vacuum that most expected and are scurrying to fill. Word on the ground is that civil unrest is likely to erupt, as people are tired and disillusioned but most of all, feeling betrayed. The upcoming parliamentary ballot on Wednesday the 19th will tell us more, but it remains “unclear whether Pita would be renominated or if he would face any additional candidates.”

Stay tuned, as these are all part of ongoing investigations and media coverage… but if you’re in need of dumpster entertainment, r/Singapore and r/SingaporeRaw comments provide slightly less toxic fumes than those of Hardware Zone.

SAG-AFTRA WGS am I missing any more letters?

In other spicy news, actors have joined writers in striking against… everything. Social media promos, no glitzy red carpet premieres, no shoots. In Hollywood, at least. Time to start looking further afield for entertainment hits? The world has Bollywood, C-dramas, K-dramas, Hong Kong cinema (albeit languishing), arthouse European, indie all over the world and of course, good ol’ British stuff. I also learned about scabbing this past week, which is basically TikTok influencers and content creators being warned against lapping up studios’ desperate offers to gobble talent. The only movie whose production was halted, that I can muster some interest in, would be Deadpool 3. C’mon, guys.

Everybody Wants To Rule The World

The China commentary drags apace, with the most recent significant piece of news being Germany releasing its China playbook. It stresses de-risking, but how exactly that will be achieved remains to be seen. The Atlantic, as usual, doesn’t think China wants to compete; it wants to win – but what a silly observation, because who doesn’t want to win? Such anxious wringing of hands and twisting of knickers is actually quite funny to see, because their populations are far more removed than those in this region’s from the fallout of any escalation in conflict. For more relevant coverage, read Noema’s article on how China is developing the Global South.

Let’s cleanse your palate…

To end on more wholesome coverage, the Bangkok Post writes an ode to its Chinese community, which, it has to be said, does fill the upper echelons of Thai society after the fascist-nationalist success of Thaification.

In an act of ASEAN solidarity, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia submitted the gorgeous kebaya to be included in the UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. For once, we aren’t bickering about who invented it, or who does it best. We’ll save that for food dishes. 😉