Do fathers in Singapore get a bad reputation for being hands-off?

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah, who chairs the new Marriage and Parenthood Reset Workgroup, drew some flak for speaking about career “detours” as something that should be normalised for mothers - with little mention of a fathers’ role in the parenting journey.

Why do we frame the parenting experience as mainly a woman’s role?

In this episode of the podcast, I put that question to two fathers: new stay-at-home dad Jeggan Rajendram and Kevin Goh, the Group Head of engagement and programmes at the Centre for Fathering.

We discuss who dads benchmark themselves to and whether mothers are preventing fathers from being more hands on.

Highlights (click/tap above):

2:05 Are fathers missing from the parenting conversation?

3:30 “Regret minimisation”: Jeggan’s decision to be a stay-at-home dad

7:10 “People still look at me like I was crazy.”

11:27 Mums get a ‘head start’ on parenting

15:08 What’s holding fathers back from being more hands-on?

17:20 Mums, please involve dads, and let go

21:20 Whose standard is the right one?

24:05 The loss of identity as a stay-at-home parent

30:30 Being the stay-at-home parent doesn’t have to be forever

33:27 Encouraging dads to be more active parents

37:11 When dad’s your personal hairstylist

40:08 Will we have more babies if dads and mums are equals?

Host: Natasha Ann Zachariah (natashaz@sph.com.sg)

Read Natasha’s articles: https://str.sg/iSXm

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Filmed by: Studio+65

Edited by: Eden Soh & Hadyu Rahim

Executive producer: Danson Cheong

Producers: Natasha Ann Zachariah and Elizabeth Law

Assistant producer: Stacey Ngiam

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As AI supercharges cyber threats, how can the "missing 99%" of small and medium enterprises protect themselves?

Synopsis: On Wednesdays, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests.

Cybersecurity is undergoing a fundamental shift. For a long time, it was treated as a dark art – a deeply technical problem left to IT teams and discussed in jargon few others understood. But as the threat landscape has evolved, major breaches are forcing the conversation into the boardroom, turning cyber risk into a critical matter of corporate governance and liability.

While multinational corporations can afford elite digital defences, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) – the 99 per cent of our economy – are often left exposed. Increasingly, SMEs are targeted not just for their own data, but as backdoors into the larger corporate and national networks they serve. If our current security playbook only works for the biggest players, how do we protect the rest?

In this episode, ST’s Deputy Opinion Editor Bhavan Jaipragas speaks with Gaurav Keerthi, co-founder and CEO of cybersecurity firm StrongKeep, and former Deputy Commissioner of the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:55 Why does cybersecurity switch people off?

5:06 Are boards stepping up to AI threats?

7:25 Why are SMEs still exposed to threats?

10:05 The "Ikea model" for affordable cybersecurity

15:45 Can state-linked cyber threats be solved?

25:12 Cyber risks and opportunities of agentic AI

28:27 Critical actions for boards, SMEs, and users.

31:41 Balancing online security and everyday usability

Read ST’s Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH

Host: Bhavan Jaipragas (bhavan@sph.com.sg)

Produced and edited by: Amirul Karim

Executive producers: Danson Cheong and Lynda Hong

Follow In Your Opinion Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:

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Twists and turns can be expected for the rest of this year.

Synopsis: Every fourth Friday of the month, The Straits Times will now analyse the hottest political and trending talking points, alternating between its Malaysia and Greater China bureaus.

For May, host and deputy foreign editor Albert Wai teams up again with senior China correspondent Yew Lun Tian. Their focus is on the Xi-Trump summit held in Beijing from May 13-14, 2026.

Heading into the event, expectations were modest as US President Donald Trump appeared to be distracted by war in the Middle East. At first glance, the deliverables might have seemed slightly underwhelming.

But the bottom line is both men got a bit of what they needed. Mr Trump got purchases for Boeing jets, agricultural products and possibly energy, while Chinese President Xi Jinping articulated a “new positioning” of bilateral relations.

There are also implications for cross-strait ties, with Beijing framing the Taiwan issue as something to be treated with utmost caution while Washington signalled that it might be rethinking the latest tranche of arms sales to the island.

With many geopolitical issues on the agenda, the tariff war appeared to have taken a back seat. Nonetheless, the announcement on the boards on trade and investment has opened up additional and much-needed room for dialogue.

There are at least three more bouts of engagement between Mr Trump and Mr Xi for the rest of this year, and plenty of opportunities for both sides to bargain and make deals.

Highlights (click/tap above):

2:34 The world can breathe a sigh of relief

5:14 What is “constructive strategic stability”?

9:09 Temple of Heaven, Imperial Garden: Visit steeped in symbolism

10:43 A captivated Chinese public

13:11 Taiwan should be worried

19:20 Trade tensions take a back seat

21:16 China hugs the US and Russia

Read more: https://str.sg/pyWN

Register for Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/stnewsletters

Host: Albert Wai (albertw@sph.com.sg)

Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani

Executive producer: Ernest Luis

Follow Asian Insider Podcast on Fridays here:

Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7

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Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg

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