Monica Baey’s #MeToo story, Hong Kong protests and Christchurch shootings are top news events for Singaporeans
- Baey – who sparked debate about discipline for sexual offenders and support for victims – was the top newsmaker for younger respondents to a new survey
- Also on the list is the government’s decision to ban electric scooters from all footpaths, which is seen as the ‘top local event’ of the year
Undergraduate Monica Baey was the top newsmaker of 2019 for young Singaporeans, according to an independent pollster’s survey of 1,000 people on the key events and personalities of the year.
The survey, conducted earlier this month by Blackbox Research, found 23 per cent of Singaporeans aged between 15 and 25 said Baey was their “top newsmaker” in 2019, ahead of the country’s prime-minister-in-waiting, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat.
Baey, who received a “Woman of Courage” award from local women’s group Aware, said she felt comforted by the survey findings.
“I think it speaks volumes on how urgent the issue of voyeurism is in Singapore. It was almost normalised or not discussed for too long,” said the 23-year-old final-year communications major.
David Black, the owner and managing director of the Singapore-based polling company, said: “Locally, the Monica Baey story was Singapore’s first major #MeToo moment and helped kick start greater public consciousness.”