Organizer: NYSEAN
Type/Location: Hybrid / New York, NY
Description:
Beneath Singapore’s gleaming façade is a model propped up on rent-seeking, tax-haven strategies, and the grip of a single party. In this talk, Dr. Chee Soon Juan discusses Singapore’s politico-economic vulnerabilities with insights from his new book Unbroken: The Power of Resilience. Drawing on both structural analysis of the system and personal experience of isolation and vilification, he questions if the model can remain viable in the years ahead, or is it headed for unravelling? The talk is of interest to all who are thinking about the relationship between neoliberalism and authoritarianism. It is especially relevant to Singaporeans abroad, who must decide what role they will play in shaping the country’s next chapter.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Chee Soon Juan is Secretary-General of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP). Chee received his PhD in neuropsychology from the United States. He was sacked from the National University of Singapore, where he was Lecturer, three months after he joined the SDP, and he has repeatedly been sued by Singapore’s prime ministers for his outspokenness. He was also imprisoned on several occasions for organizing public speeches and protests, which are banned in Singapore. A leading dissident against Singapore's authoritarian regime, Dr. Chee continues to be an inspiration in the fight for democracy and human rights.
About the Discussant:
Meredith L. Weiss is Professor of Political Science in the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy at the University at Albany, State University of New York. She has published widely on political mobilisation and contention, the politics of identity and development, and electoral politics in Southeast Asia, with particular focus on Malaysia and Singapore; her latest book, The Roots of Resilience: Authoritarian Acculturation in Malaysia and Singapore, is available from Cornell University Press. She co-edits the Cambridge University Press Elements series on Southeast Asian Politics and Society. She is the co-chair of the SUNY/CUNY Southeast Asia Consortium, is a member of the New York Southeast Asia Network (NYSEAN), and has been a member of New Mandala's editorial advisory board.
Registration:
To attend the event in person or virtually, please register here.