Singaporeans are willing to give you a chance if you have "The Focus" | Jeremy Tan - E704

Jeremy Tan, independent candidate for Mountbatten SMC in Singapore's GE2025, joins Jeremy Au and Shiyan Koh to unpack why he ran, why he lost, and what he learned about Singapore's political meta. He explains why public scrutiny and small-town dynamics deter Singaporeans from entering politics, why negative campaigning backfires with voters, and why opposition parties should focus resources on winning single member constituencies. The conversation digs into Singapore's fertility crisis, with Jeremy arguing that housing affordability, not incentives, is the real bottleneck, alongside his policy ideas: ending primary school affiliation, building cheaper HDB flats, and compounding baby equity accounts tied to the STI. For founders, investors, and operators across Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia, this episode offers a candid look at how AI driven layoffs, capital concentration, and rising costs are reshaping Southeast Asia's most developed economy, and what it takes to challenge an incumbent system from the outside. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/jeremy-tan-singapore-politics  BRAVE is Southeast Asia's leading tech podcast, hosted by Jeremy Au. Honest conversations with the region's top founders, investors, and operators on building startups in Southeast Asia. New episodes every week. Subscribe so you never miss one. Listen & Subscribe YouTube (English), YouTube (Bahasa Indonesia), Spotify (English), Spotify (Bahasa Indonesia), Spotify (Chinese), Spotify (Vietnamese), Apple Podcasts Follow BRAVE LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp Follow Jeremy Au LinkedIn, X / Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Threads, Twitch Resources Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com #Singapore #SingaporePolitics #GE2025 #HousingCrisis #FertilityRate #HDB #SoutheastAsia #TechPodcast #VentureCapital #AI 00:00 Highlights and introduction 01:24 Why Jeremy Tan ran as an independent in Mountbatten 04:20 Why Singaporeans don't run for office 07:40 AI, layoffs, and the decision to enter politics 11:49 The new political meta in Singapore 14:30 Criticism, pet policies, and running against a newcomer 17:40 Election night: predicting his own loss 25:50 What opposition parties got wrong in GE2025 29:21 Singapore's fertility crisis starts with housing 34:35 Primary school affiliation and education inequality 44:55 Three policy ideas: housing, schools, baby equity accounts 49:59 Capital, the sandwich generation, and what comes next 54:25 Closing reflections