Dear reader,
Today we’ve published:
- “Singapore This Week”, by Jom
- “Obituary: M Ravi”, by Jom
Happy new year! I hope you’ve spent the last few weeks resting, and in communion with loved ones, wherever you’ve been. It’s been an interesting, and invigorating, period for journalists, startled by everything from the passing of M Ravi to the new year revelries at the White House.
- What should we make of Donald Trump’s designs on Venezuela?
- Will Pritam Singh face more censure by the PAP and his own WP?
- The NMP charade continues
- The rise of one-stop social hubs
- Domestic abuse against men
- A century of funfairs, and their persistence today
- What should you watch at The Singapore Fringe?
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“Obituary: M Ravi”, by Jom
Like many of you, we were shocked by the news on Christmas eve. None of us here knew Ravi personally. The mainstream media did a decent job of reporting on it, but far more colourful and empathetic tributes were penned by his friends and colleagues.
We relied on many of them in our research, as we tried to make sense of the person and his legacy. In particular, we are indebted to the following: Sophie Chew (in Rice Media), Remy Choo, Lucy Davis, Kirsten Han, Lynn Lee, Andrew Loh, Ng Yi-Sheng and Ariffin Sha.
Our intro:
“Perhaps his finest hour was amongst the Chinese in Sandakan, the breezy, briny-aired port and eco-tourist gateway on Borneo’s north-eastern tip, where Sabahan flags fly high, dried mackerels dangle from raffia, and primates hang off branches. In 2007, Yong Vui Kong, a 22-year-old Malaysian man, had been lured into carrying drugs into Singapore, and was later sentenced to death. Aware of the Singapore government’s zero-tolerance approach towards drugs, Sandakan society had likely given up hope for their homeboy.
Surely nobody from Singapore, that money-obsessed, navel-gazing neighbour, would help? Wrong. In he stormed, or maybe sashayed: charming politicians and community leaders, even those not against the death penalty; roping them in to gather signatures for the petition; speaking to hundreds on the streets, in wet markets, at a food centre; and singing to Yong’s depressed, silent mother in her tiny flat. He reframed the devil incarnate perspective that his gleaming city-state so gleefully pushed: Yong was, like so many other mules, ‘a victim of poverty, misguided youth and social conditions’.”
Jom transitions: newsletter. Next Friday we’re planning to migrate to a new e-mail newsletter distribution system. (Mailchimp to Ghost.) This thing you’re reading right now will look a little different. The change will hopefully help resolve a number of bugs and issues we’ve had for a while now, including problems with duplicate e-mails and unintended unsubscribe actions.
It’ll be our first major technological shift in over three years. Hopefully all goes according to plan! And if there are any hiccups, we’re grateful for your patience.
Jom transitions: editor-in-chief. We had our team retreat last month, and now it’s official. We’re planning for Abhishek Mehrotra, our head of content, to replace me as editor-in-chief next January. With his steady editor’s hand and literary flair, Abhishek’s done incredible work in the 18 months since he joined us. We’re all eager to see what he’ll bring to the role.
Yes, our succession plans might change. Though the only real obstacle I see is if Abhishek’s family decides to move abroad for a bit, tied as they are to his spouse's international job.
So why are we telling you now? Charmaine, Waye and I, Jom’s co-founders, believe in long-term succession planning—and the need to involve you, our dear readers, as much as we can. Over the course of the this year, you’ll slowly start seeing more of Abhishek, including as the author of this newsletter. Thanks in advance for supporting him the same way you have me.
I’m not going anywhere. This change of roles was intended from the start. On an operational, day-to-day basis, it will liberate me of managerial and editorial duties, so that I can focus on creating content: writing more, making more videos, and perhaps also developing our podcast and livestreaming products. My new title will probably be correspondent (aka my dream job).
I’ll remain on our board, helping drive the business. And in my capacity as co-founder, I’ll continue to evangelise for Jom wherever needed. Thanks again for your support as this little thing we’ve built together continues to evolve.
Jom!
Sudhir Vadaketh, editor-in-chief
Jom
p.s. see some of you tomorrow for our print magazine issue No. 3 launch! We sold out earlier this week. For those who missed out, you can order a copy here.
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