IQ HitList is a series of unfiltered, one-on-one interviews with sizzling Singaporean personalities on what they stand for.
"If I enter into the Office of the President, and start making life difficult for everyone by interfering, then this country will go to naught. The President must ultimately be the unifying force." So says Dr Tan Cheng Bock, who lost his Presidential bid five years ago by a mere 0.35 percentage points.
He's the first Singaporean to scale Mt Everest for charity - a momentous feat that he placed his medical career on hold for. Kumaran Rasappan tells IQ why that dream was worth it, and what kind of values he hopes Singapore's education system can inculcate into our children.
She's certainly more than a 'Jane six pack' (as in abs). She also has a heart and plenty of spirit. IQ talks to Debra Lam about inclusiveness for the disabled and sports in Singapore.
An internationally recognised scholar, this poet, literary and cultural critic speaks to IQ on what makes will keep Singapore in the shelves.
He was the first ethnic Chinese to be hired by management consulting giant McKinsey & Co., and was Managing Director to its Canadian and ASEAN practices. Now an internationally-acclaimed advisor to boardrooms and CEOs across Asia, what does he think makes a leader? And what are his views on leadership in Singapore?
She is one of Singapore's most critically-acclaimed jazz singers. She is listed among legends like Frank Sinatra in an international jazz publication. And her demo was once mistaken for "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century", Sarah Vaughan.
She has been unstoppable in advocating for the rights of the marginalised and the underprivileged in the last three decades. Yet, the "mother of civil society" - as she is fondly-known - is a self-confessed late bloomer. What keeps her going? And what does she really feel about race, language and religion in Singapore?
Much has been said about income inequality in Singapore, which ranks among the highest in the world. But where exactly are the poor on our island state? Why do they seem to remain out of sight and out of mind? Sociology don Chua Beng Huat shines a light on hidden poverty in the little red dot.
Singapore's King of Swing tells IQ about the notes he's hit and why supporting local musicians will always be jazzy. In this IQ HitList Special, we speak to international jazz musician, Jeremy Monteiro.
At the grand old age of 22, he's achieved the incredible feat of heading FIVE start-up companies that failed! But instead of learning his lesson, he put all his life savings into starting a farm in Malaysia. In the process, he has performed some National Geographic-worthy feats, facing off with parang-wielding squatters and wild boars trying to defend their turf.
Why do so many Singaporeans remain ignorant or in denial over mental illness? And how detrimental are these attitudes to the sufferers? Sharing personal experiences from her parents' history of depression, full-time volunteer Anita Fam takes some time off to tell IQ why we need to take a second look at mental health issues.
Business-as-usual with the animal-loving brains behind the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari? Hardly! The former CEO of Wildlife Reserves Singapore, Bernard Harrison, tells IQ the naked truth behind why Singaporeans can't think laterally, and why we still refuse to give up on plastics.
He is often seen with a loudhailer, and he always has something to say about everything - from LGBT rights in Singapore to the way we treat domestic workers. Is he a consummate activist or just a rebel? IQ shakes his stand to find out.
He's been a cross-dressing granny, a cross-dressing auntie, and is now a household name. The local film director takes IQ beyond the script, discusses the accidental messages of his movies, and tells us how the military is still an inspiration to him.
She has written for The Guardian, AlJazeera and Yahoo! Yet Singapore freelance journalist Kirsten Han goes by the rather unassuming nickname "spud" or "potato". IQ talks to the maverick reporter about such inconvenient topics as social justice and freedom of speech in Singapore.
He is Singapore's "most annoying person", or so he calls himself. He is provocative, funny and he criticises everyone. If you know anything about Singapore's YouTube scene, you would have heard of him. He is Dee Kosh, and he talks to IQ about racism, his National Service experience, and why it's so easy to get people's goat on the Internet.
Entrepreneur-par-excellence, business strategist and four-term Member of Parliament Inderjit Singh is known for having a heart, and speaking his mind from his gut. Among the inconvenient questions he's posted: Why can't we have a two-chamber Parliament for better checks and balances? And why must the front bench in Parliament adopt a sledgehammer approach against MPs who are critical?
IQ HitList makes a comeback for Season 2! In our first episode, World Toilet Organisation Founder Jack Sim cuts through the crap, and tells us why he's made loos, latrines and lavatories his business. Bonus: he shares his views on how our education system might be overly-sanitised.