There’s been a worrying rise in the number of young people arrested for drug abuse, with the youngest just 14 years old, says the Central Narcotics Bureau. Despite Singapore’s zero tolerance on drugs and years of intensive messaging, liberal attitudes among young people appear to be stubbornly sticky, with cannabis the choice of drug. How should anti-drug messaging be tailored better to suit a generation that’s consuming a largely social media diet? Otelli Edwards finds out from Dr Lambert Low, deputy chief of the department of addiction medicine in the Institute of Mental Health, Ravindran Nagalingam, board member at the National Council Against Drug Abuse and Tham Yuen Han, clinical director at WE CARE Community Services.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From significant top-ups to SkillsFuture credits to ITE students getting incentives to upskill, Budget 2024 is a shift in the kind of society the new fourth generation, or 4G, leadership wants to shape. Steven Chia gets views from Terence Ho, associate professor at Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and Professor Lawrence Loh, director of Centre for Governance and Sustainability, National University of Singapore.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The number of retrenchments went up in 2023 and workers are facing the brunt of a more volatile business environment. What kind of help do workers need? And what's on their Budget 2024 wishlist? Steven Chia speaks to Cheng Hing-Nan, lead coach at Workforce Singapore, Gerald Tan, projects director at Avodah Solutions and Lai Yong Liang, an urban farmer with Grobrix.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Out of 81 countries, 15-year-olds in Singapore topped the Pisa table in reading, math and science. But how important are these metrics in a world where social and creative skills have become critical and artificial intelligence is taking centre stage? Steven Chia gets answers from Liew Wei Li, director-general of education at the Ministry of Education, associate professor Jason Tan from the National Institute of Education, and parent of two and lecturer, Ian Tan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

E-commerce giant Lazada’s retrenchment exercise resulted in criticism of how it was handled, including its lack of consultation with the union. But what role can unions play when companies need to let employees go and what happens when employers don’t fulfill their tripartite obligations? Steven Chia sits down with Patrick Tay, assistant secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress and Sim Gim Guan, executive director of the Singapore National Employers Federation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Commuters have expressed frustration since the Land Transport Authority announced that EZ-Link and NETS FlashPay cards cannot be used on buses and trains from June. Why is there a shift to the SimplyGo system? What is the difference in payment types? And what could the authorities do better to communicate the change? Steven Chia gets answers from Sumit Agarwal, professor at the School of Business at the National University of Singapore and Walter Theseira, who heads the urban transportation programme at the Singapore University of Social Sciences.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Patients have reported waiting for days to get a bed at a public hospital. Health experts say the biggest reason is that there are issues transiting to proper care after discharge. Otelli Edwards speaks to public health specialist Dr Jeremy Lim, Duke-NUS Medical School's Dr David Matchar and Jeremy Lee, assistant chief operating officer at the National University Hospital.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the last of our top three episodes from the archives, we look at the scourge of scams in Singapore. With increasing sophistication from the fraudsters, is public education enough? Should banks pay for some of the losses? If so, how can liability be fairly decided? Steven Chia speaks to Jansen Chow, co-head of fraud, asset recovery and investigations practice at Rajah & Tann law firm, Assistant Professor Nydia Remolina, from the Singapore Management University’s Yong Pung How School of Law and Ho Geer How, whose mother lost over S$190,000 to a scam.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the second of our top three episodes from the archives, we explore how bad actors operate in money laundering crimes. How do property agents and bank staff separate a legitimate transaction from a shady one? And what makes this type of crime especially tough to crack down on? Steven Chia speaks to Adam Maniam, director of dispute resolution at law firm Drew and Napier, Associate Professor Soh Kee Hean from the Singapore University of Social Sciences and former director of the CPIB, and Fabrizio Fioroni, adviser on anti-money laundering/counter financing of terrorism at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the first of our top three episodes from the archives, we ask - why are teenagers as young as 14 interested in extremist religious content? What do online games have to do with this trend and how can family members spot the red flags? Steven Chia speaks to Dr Omer Ali Saifudeen from the Singapore University of Social Sciences, Dr Mohamed Ali, co-chairman and counsellor with the Religious Rehabilitation Group and Nicholas Khoo, co-founder and former chairman of the Singapore Cybersports and Online Gaming Association. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With its lease not renewed, Raffles Town Club is the latest in a line of private clubs whose land is being repurposed by the government for other uses. Aside from land restraints, is there a future for clubs like these in Singapore where generational aspirations are changing? Steven Chia speaks to Desmond Tay, president of the Club Managers' Association (Singapore), Jean Low, CEO of social club 1880 and chief research officer at Mogul.sg, Nicholas Mak.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A recent CNA investigation showed that it is easy for kids under 18 to go on dating apps and chat with strangers online, making them more vulnerable to sexual predators. Should there be greater legislation to protect children and what can parents do to prevent their children from becoming victims? Steven Chia speaks to Shem Yao, manager of digital wellness at TOUCH Wellness Group, Jiow Hee Jhee, associate professor and programme leader at the Singapore Institute of Technology and Marilyn Low, a parent coach and mother.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From groceries to electricity and water prices, many Singaporeans are feeling the pinch as inflation stays stubbornly high. Is the sandwiched generation hit as hard as those in the lower-income group? And how far can government support go? Otelli Edwards gets answers from Ong EeCheng, senior lecturer at NUS, Ava Gao, a parenting coach and mum, and Loh Yong Cheng, lead of the advisory team at Providend.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a recent CNA Commentary, Dr William Wan from the Singapore Kindness Movement argued for some regulation in dealing with inconsiderate behaviour on public transport which drew some strong reaction from readers. But why do some people behave badly in a public space? What stops others from confronting them and should more be done? Michelle Tay, director of the Singapore Kindness Movement, and Associate Professor Ho Kong Chong, head of Urban Studies at Yale Nus College are this week's guests.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to the Forward SG report, people want more than just material success in life. Has the idea of a good life evolved? What impact will that have on the way the country is governed? Steven Chia gets answers from June Yong, Lead, Insights at Focus on the Family and mother of three, Dr Mathew Mathews, head of IPS social lab and Ho Ching Wee, a 25-year-old software developer.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The recent DBS and Citibank outage in October left many people unable to pay for their transactions and draw money from the ATMs. What goes on when critical banking infrastructure goes black? How are data centres part of this and should we really revert to carrying cash again? Steven Chia gets answers from Dr Patrick Thng, director of the Master's programme for financial technology and analytics at the Singapore Management University and Ashish Kakar, research director for IDC Financial Insights, Asia Pacific.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Young people aged 18 to 29 and the elderly over 70 are two groups who are showing the greatest signs of mental health distress in Singapore. What are the triggers, and what is the journey to seek help like? Steven Chia speaks to 23-year-old university student "Rae", 44-year-old father of teenagers Mak Kean Loong and senior clinical psychologist Chris Wong. This episode of Heart of the Matter discusses suicide ideation. Listener discretion is advised. Where to get help: Samaritans of Singapore Hotline: 1767 Institute of Mental Health’s Helpline: 6389 2222 Singapore Association for Mental Health Helpline: 1800 283 7019 You can also find a list of international helplines here. If someone you know is at immediate risk, call 24-hour emergency medical services.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nine in 10 Singapore residents exceeded the recommended salt intake and daily calorie intake is also up, according to the latest National Nutrition survey. The findings also show that more people are at risk of obesity and hypertension. Can a food paradise like Singapore deliver delicious food which is less salty? Or are busy lifestyles making it harder for people to eat better? Steven Chia speaks to Dr Kalpana Bhaskaran, president of Singapore Nutrition and Dietetics Association, clinical dietitian at Parkway MediCentre Candy Goh and Terence Koh, a father who lost 35kg in 8 months for his then newborn son.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the last decade, child abuse cases involving neglect and physical or sexual abuse have gone up from around 300 in 2012 to 2,141 in 2021. Several high profile cases before the court involved the death of young children. Steven Chia gets answers on how the system works and why some cases slip through with Soh Ying Si, deputy manager at the Melrose Home, Yogeswari Munisamy, senior principal social worker at the Ministry of Social and Family Development and C Amutha, deputy head of Punggol Family Service Centre.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With premiums on Certificate of Entitlement (COE) soaring to over $140,000 for larger cars, should people simply give up on the idea of owning cars? What about those who need the convenience of having a vehicle to ferry their children and the elderly? What other options do they have? Steven Chia gets answers from Julian Kho, general manager of Sgcarmart, Toh Ting Feng, CEO and founder of GetGo, and Lim Chong Tee, co-founder of a start-up and father of a four-month old baby.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The scourge of scams continues unabated in Singapore with nearly 23,000 people falling victim in the first six months of this year. With increasing sophistication from the fraudsters, is public education enough? Should banks pay for some of the losses? If so, how can liability be fairly decided? Steven Chia speaks to Jansen Chow, co-head of fraud, asset recovery and investigations practice at Rajah & Tann law firm, Assistant Professor Nydia Remolina, from the Singapore Management University’s Yong Pung How School of Law and Ho Geer How, whose mother lost over S$190,000 to a scam.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The preschool sector has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks, after videos of Kinderland teachers allegedly mistreating their young charges went viral. What are the challenges teachers face in classroom management? How are rules and guidelines applied on the ground? Steven Chia puts these questions to Caroline Seng, director of professional development and standards at the Early Childhood Development Agency, Cara Lee, deputy director at the Anglican Preschool Services and Fiona Cher, a mother of two preschool children.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam ended his presidential race with a landslide victory of 70.4 per cent, political analysts expressed their surprise, calling the win "unthinkable" and "remarkable". What do the results say about how the Singaporean voter thinks? And what lessons can political parties draw from Mr Tharman's win as they look ahead to the next General Election? Steven Chia breaks it down with Walid Jumblatt Abdullah, Assistant Professor at the Nanyang Technological University and Eugene Tan, Associate Professor of Law at the Singapore Management University.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since news broke on the billion-dollar money laundering case in Singapore, there have been questions on how bad actors operate. How do property agents and bank staff separate a legitimate transaction from a shady one? And what makes this type of crime especially tough to crack down on? Steven Chia speaks to Adam Maniam, director of dispute resolution at law firm Drew and Napier, Associate Professor Soh Kee Hean from the Singapore University of Social Sciences and former director of the CPIB, and Fabrizio Fioroni, adviser on anti-money laundering/counter financing of terrorism at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New HDB flats will be classified under Standard, Plus or Prime from next year - dropping the decades-long mature and non-mature categorisation. With increased subsidies and tighter restrictions, what will be the impact on the property market? Will home ownership aspirations change with what is affordable? Steven Chia chats with Christine Sun, senior vice president of research and analytics at OrangeTee & Tie, Nicholas Mak, chief research officer at real estate platform MOGUL.sg, and Sarah Lin, a 27-year-old who successfully balloted for her flat after seven tries.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The attrition rate for nurses has stabilised post-COVID but with a fast greying population, the hunt for a solid pipeline of nursing talent continues. Aside from better salaries, can concerns over high home rentals and allowing foreign nurses to bring their families here be addressed? Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Health Mdm Rahayu Mahzam, group chief nurse of the National Healthcare Group Yong Keng Kwang and CEO of recruitment agency People360 Services Jordache Keith share their thoughts with Steven Chia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It has been described as an “intractable” problem: The transportation of migrant workers to and from their worksites. Why is this issue so complex? How can safety and business realities find common ground? Steven Chia breaks it down with Debbie Fordyce president of migrant rights group Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) and Associate Professor Walter Theseira from the Singapore University of Social Sciences.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The annual Primary 1 registration season is back and parents are strategising how to get their children into choice schools. Despite tweaks done to the system, brand name schools are still being oversubscribed. Why are parental attitudes so hard to shift? And can the system meet everyone's needs? Steven Chia speaks to Ong Junda, father and founder of SGschooling.com, Associate Professor Jason Tan from the National Institute of Education and Tan Hui Min, a mother of two.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When global music acts arrive in small Singapore, there's a mad scramble for tickets. Should seats be reserved for residents? Can resellers who charge exorbitant prices be taken to task? How does the ticketing system work? Heart of the Matter podcast host Steven Chia gets answers from Joe Ow, CEO of SISTIC Singapore, economist Walter Theseira from the Singapore University of Social Sciences and Adelyn Aidzil, a Taylor Swift fan.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cancelled contracts, a critical lack of drivers and spiralling costs. Parents, schools and bus companies are now caught in a jam, with questions on how to ferry our primary school children. How will the challenges in the school bus system play out? Steven Chia sits down with Adrian Yeap, CEO of bus company Yeap Transport , Alvina Chin, from MUMs for Life and Darry Lim, spokesman from the Singapore School Transport Association.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It isn’t just the number of road rage incidents that make the news, it is the type of angry encounters that go viral on social media – punching, kicking, climbing on bonnets or ripping out licence plates. What is behind the intensity of feelings when it comes to these road incidents? Otelli Edwards finds out from Pearlene Lim, senior clinical psychologist at Promises Healthcare, and Clarence Lee, driver and cyclist at 05AM Cycling Club.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam has announced he intends to run for the presidency which will be held within the next three months. What exactly is the role of the President, why is the bar set so high in Singapore, and what do voters want from candidates in an open election? Steven Chia gets answers from Eugene Tan, associate professor of law at the Singapore Management University, Felix Tan, associate lecturer at the Nanyang Technological University and Nur Ridhuan, a business analyst who will be voting for the first time.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singapore's adoption rate of cashless payments is one of the highest in Asia. But there are pockets of the population who still struggle to adapt. And there's the ever present threat of scams and payment service breakdowns. What can the government, merchants and the public do? Steven Chia has a chat with Faye Sai, a third-generation hawker, Lawrence Chan, group CEO of NETS and Lim May-Ann, director of the Fair Tech Institute at Access Partnership.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The humiliating 7-0 defeat of the Young Lions to Malaysia at the recent SEA Games has renewed calls for the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) to get to the bottom of what ails the sport. Is it the coaching, the lack of talent, or even parents who pick academics over sports? Steven Chia has a no-holds barred conversation with acting president of FAS Bernard Tan, SPRG general manager Edwin Yeo and sports journalist Philip Goh.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recent statistics released by the Central Narcotics Bureau show a clear trend - over 60 per cent of those caught with cannabis use are under 30. Some perceptions of cannabis among the young are hard to scrub out - that it's not as harmful as other drugs, celebrities use it, other countries legalise it and it is used for medical reasons. Steven Chia plays moderator as 27-year-old copywriter Kimberley Jeremiah puts the burning questions to Dr Melvyn Zhang, a consultant with the National Addictions Management Service at the Institute of Mental Health and Firdaus Daud, from the National Council Against Drug Abuse.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a bid to curb the cost of cancer treatment, the Singapore government announced an approved drug list where the most cost-effective drugs can be claimed by the national insurance schemes. Yet, the cost of treatment can spiral - in part thanks to rising insurance premiums. Are people paying too much? How has this new drug list shifted things and should you worry if you don't have insurance? Steven Chia speaks to Associate Professor Ravindran Kanesvaran, chairperson of Singapore Cancer Society's Cancer Treatment Fund Committee, Evelyn Goh deputy CEO and chief advisory officer of Providend and Gina Ho, a 43-year-old general manager and cancer survivor.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the latest round of property cooling measures announced on Apr 26, what stood out was the 60 per cent additional buyer's stamp duty (ABSD) for foreigners looking to buy in Singapore. While they form only a small fraction of the entire group of buyers, how big of an impact do they have on the general market? Why are these moves considered pre-emptive  and will it stop foreigners from sinking their roots in Singapore? Steven Chia speaks to Dr Lee Nai Jia, head of real estate intelligence, data and software solutions at PropertyGuru Group and Aric Lim, a real estate consultant at Huttons Asia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The options confronting parents of special needs children after they complete formal schooling in Singapore can be dismal - leading some to stay home and the burden on caregivers to increase. What are the gaps in the system and what more needs to be done? Steven Chia sits down with Bernard Chew, St Andrew’s Autism Centre CEO, Clement Phua Neo, father of a 47-year-old son with an intellectual disability and Jean Loo, Deputy Director, Advocacy and Community Engagement, Rainbow Center.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To kick off Season 4, Heart of the Matter host Steven Chia gets to the heart of what it takes to be a Singapore citizen. Does being proficient in English matter? If not, what other markers should matter? His guests are Yorlin Ng, chief operating officer of Momentum Works who is applying for citizenship and Dr Gwee Li Sui, poet, graphic artist and literary critic.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.