Steven Chia and Tiffany Ang unpack Singapore news. Listen in as they take a deep dive into hot button issues that matter so that you are always in the know.
Renovation red flags: What to know from start to finish
Ghosted by your interior designer, left with unfinished renovation work or stuck waiting for your furniture to be delivered? For some homeowners, creating their dream home can quickly turn into a costly nightmare. So, what can homeowners do to protect themselves from renovation woes? What red flags should they look out for before signing a contract, and what can they do when things go wrong? In this week’s Deep Dive, Steven Chia and Tiffany Ang speak with interior designer Shaun Fong and litigator Pang Khin Wee from IRB Law to unpack the risks, red flags and safeguards that every homeowner should know before embarking on a home renovation.
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
22 Sept 2026
North-South Corridor delay: Was it avoidable – and can businesses survive the impact?
Another delay to the construction of the North-South Corridor means two more years of dust, noise and disruption for affected residents, businesses and pedestrians. For an engineering project of this scale and complexity, are delays simply part of the process or could more have been done to prevent them? And as businesses grapple with declining footfall and mounting losses, what can be done to help them ride out the prolonged disruption? In this week’s Deep Dive, Steven Chia speaks with Dr David Ng from The Institution of Engineers, Singapore - who has worked on major infrastructure projects from the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) to MRT lines - and business owner Alvin Lin about the challenges surrounding the Corridor project, from the engineering difficulties to the business fallouts.
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
16 Sept 2026
Do racist comments online really reflect what Singaporeans think?
Recent controversies over the Nepal-Tibet floods and the debate over Singapore Airlines’ investment into Air India have once again put Singaporeans’ attitudes towards race and immigration in the spotlight. Does this reflect growing racist views in society, or is social media amplifying the racism of a minority? Are we also up against something more sinister, like AI bots creating divisions? Can we have meaningful discussions about hot-button immigration or social issues without resorting to racism and stereotypes? And will the new racial harmony law – which took effect on Sep 15 – put the brakes on racist commentators online, or will it drive them underground? Steven Chia and Tiffany Ang speak with Dr Mathew Mathews from the Institute of Policy Studies and associate professor Natalie Pang from the National University of Singapore about what’s driving these conversations, where the lines should be drawn and how we can do better.
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
Who has been a guest on Heart of the Matter
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Tey Beng Huan
Kelly Tay
Jasmin Lau
Rachael Cheong
Yuvaraj Uthaman
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
1,399,129,869
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
3.9 / 5
8 ratings
Spotify
4.4 / 5
125 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 82 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
89
Social presence
0
YouTube
93
Engagement
94
Contact Heart of the Matter
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
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