Kenneth Tiong, Workers’ Party MP for Serangoon in Aljunied GRC, on why Singapore's opportunity ladders have narrowed since the 1990s, how government grants trap entrepreneurs in bureaucratic hoops & what NS could teach servicemen but doesn't.Enjoyed this one? Please 𝗦𝗨𝗕𝗦𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗕𝗘 to the channel so you don't miss our latest episodes. Every subscriber helps us grow, open doors to new guests, stories, formats or ideas!𝙇𝙄𝙎𝙏𝙀𝙉𝙀𝙍 𝙎𝙐𝙍𝙑𝙀𝙔 𝙒𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙮𝙤𝙪! 𝙃𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙪𝙨 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙔𝙖𝙝 𝙇𝙖𝙝 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙗𝙮 𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙮 https://yahlahbut.short.gy/2026surveyIt takes just a few minutes, and your responses will directly shape how we make the show, from the topics we cover to how we deliver them.10 lucky respondents will be randomly selected to receive a YLB sticker pack.𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗼𝗸 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴Terence: Meet River Wonders' new capybara pup & join themed activities from Apr. 3Haresh: Why Billionaires Fear This EconomistKenneth: Aonishiki Becomes ŌZEKI: The Ukrainian Who Changed Sumo Forever𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 – "𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗕𝗶𝘁”https://yahlahbut.short.gy/subscribeGet a roundup of our One Shiok Things & first dibs on our latest launches delivered straight to your inbox!(00:00) We're Hiring!(00:50) Intro(01:47) One year in Parliament reflections(03:01) Wanting to be an essayist before politics(04:33) Brown University and Ivy League experience(05:28) From philosophy to computer science(08:02) Consulting, finance, and entrepreneurship before politics(10:43) Why opposition politics over PAP(13:20) The narrowing ladder of Singapore opportunity(16:32) Capital access challenges for R&D startups(18:12) Why the Workers Party aligned with his ideas(19:58) Job precariousness and Singapore's hyper-specialised economy(23:36) The "stupid question" Parliament incident(26:33) Passion versus calibrated messaging in Parliament(28:31) The TikTok era of political communication(31:25) Public reaction to his speaking style(32:33) Mandarin oranges and IP protection metaphor(33:59) Long-term greedy versus short-term ROI(35:48) Strategic bets: Johor SEZ, energy, and infrastructure(38:32) TikTok, Shein and the foreign HQ model(40:35) What is an Exim Bank(42:48) Mindset shift needed across the civil service(45:43) Protecting Singaporean F&B brands(46:46) Carousell, Shopback and unicorn success stories(50:08) US capital availability versus Singapore grants(52:33) Mindset change for entrepreneurs and government(54:19) Why CCAs and the psychomotor test are broken(57:19) Football for every student and CCA access(58:29) Boys' Brigade, Scouts and elite athlete perspectives(01:00:19) Sports talent identification and parental anxiety(01:01:40) A richer multi-sport ecosystem and the Norwegian model(01:02:47) Media, arts, and the failure of imagination(01:04:19) What gives him hope for Singapore's future(01:05:37) Long-term thinking, TFR, and parenting pressures(01:07:17) National Service pay and minimum wage debate(01:09:36) Israel as a model for skills-based NS(01:11:34) Are servicemen owed fair compensation(01:12:34) Useful skills learned in the army(01:14:27) What's coming up next from Kenneth in Parliament(01:15:09) One Shiok Thing(01:24:46) Post-Interview Reflection𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀ᴛɪᴋᴛᴏᴋ https://www.tiktok.com/@yahlahbutɪɴꜱᴛᴀɢʀᴀᴍ https://www.instagram.com/yahlahbutꜰᴀᴄᴇʙᴏᴏᴋ https://www.facebook.com/yahlahbutpod𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹𝘀ʀᴇᴅᴅɪᴛ https://www.reddit.com/r/YahLahBut/ᴛᴇʟᴇɢʀᴀᴍ https://t.me/yahlahbutpodcast𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘂𝘀!Drop us an email at [email protected]! We’re always looking out for people to do cool stuff with, so let’s chat!𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 @𝘴𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘌𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘪𝘹𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘬