In the wake of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s Aug 21 pledge to protect the nation’s definition of marriage, which excludes same-sex unions, in the Constitution, the government quickly mobilised top ministers to try to calm a storm brewing between the LGBTQI+ community and some religious groups.
The next morning, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong, the man tipped to succeed Lee as premier, spoke to the nation’s main broadcaster about how to “live harmoniously,” while Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam explained to the island’s biggest newspaper the move was to prevent the marriage definition being challenged in court.
The fallout from Lee’s speech shows the new generation of leaders taking over the helm will have their work cut out to control a divisive issue in Singapore’s multicultural society as members of the LGBTQI+ community advocate for greater acceptance and conservative groups push back.
“Debate could certainly get heated as discussions about the other rights of the gay community crop up,” said Andrew Yeo, Asia practice director at business advisory firm Global Counsel.
At stake is the social and political stability that has been the bedrock of Singapore’s economic success for half a century and the concern that amending the Constitution to protect the current definition of marriage advocated by religious groups would erode the secular basis of the nation.
Things might “get a little bit uglier” in the lead up to the parliamentary debates on the constitutional amendment, because “segments of the society were very upset about this news,” said Clement Tan, a spokesman for Pink Dot SG, the non-profit group that organises the annual Pink Dot event in the city. “Any attempt to hardwire any sort of religious values in it should be concerning from a democracy and secularity standpoint.”
A supporter attends the annual "Pink Dot" event in a public show of support for the LGBTQI+ community at Hong Lim Park in Singapore on June 18, 2022. (Photo: AFP)
Since independence in 1965, which came shortly after the island’s worst race riots, Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party has a history of showing little tolerance of anyone who threatens to upset social stability, and skill in managing the aspirations of a population with immigrant roots across Asia.
“In a society like ours, where there are diverse and sometimes opposing views, it is not possible for any single group to have everything that they want,” said Wong in his interview with CNA. “We have to learn to compromise to arrive at solutions which most people are comfortable with and can live harmoniously together.”
Lee’s speech included the long-awaited confirmation that Section 377A of the penal code that criminalises sex between men will be repealed -- a victory for the LGBTQI+ community.
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The National Council of Churches of Singapore, which represents a group of Christian churches, responded by saying it accepted the decision to repeal 377A, but raised concern that it would lead to further demands from LGBTQI+ groups.
“Our society’s laws, policies, values and mores remain strongly in support of marriage as a heterosexual union and the family consisting of heterosexual parents as the basic unit of society,” the churches’ statement said. “We are concerned that the repeal of 377A will lead to a beginning and intensification of the contention and advocacy for domestic partnership arrangements or civil unions to be instituted and legalised in Singapore.”
In a survey this week by Blackbox Research Pte, 66% said they supported the government’s plan to amend the constitution to define marriage as “only being between a man and a woman.”
Yet discrimination in the city against the LGBTQI+ community extends well beyond the inability to legally marry. Schools reinforce the idea of heterosexual unions as the social norm and media with LGBTQI+ content is typically restricted to older audiences, such as Walt Disney Co’s animated film “Lightyear,” which gained an adults-only rating because of a scene with two female characters kissing.
“Many anti-LGBTQI+ policies clothed in ‘traditional family values’ remain in education, housing, media representation, healthcare,” said Nydia Ngiow, Singapore-based managing director at strategic policy advisory firm Bower Group Asia. That view “might not necessarily reflect the views of younger Singaporeans who will play a key role in shaping the country’s future.”
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For LGBTQI+ rights organisations, the next steps could focus on addressing discrimination that many in the community face at home, in schools and workplaces, Tan said.
“The prime minister said everyone can’t get what they want,” said Jean Chong, co-founder of Sayoni, an organisation championing LGBTQI+ rights. “But we just want to live a life like everyone else.”
Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong holds a news conference in Singapore on Aug 23, 2021. (Photo: Reuters)
For the ruling party, the challenge will be to keep the issue from denting the PAP’s popularity even as it grapples with other issues such as soaring inflation and home prices. “In government, you can’t please everyone all the time,” Wong said on CNA. “You have to focus on doing what is right.”
“The political test for future administrations thus resides not only in their policymaking expertise, but in having a leadership strong enough to forge a city accommodative to plainly polarised world views,” said Yeo.
Those views are changing. An Ipsos survey published in June showed support to retain 377A has fallen to 44% from 55% in 2018, while those opposing the law had grown to 20% from 12%.
And while both sides fight for what they believe, Pink Dot’s Tan said the LGBTQI+ community has nothing to gain from deeper divisions in society.
“The Singapore story shows us that finding compromise through empathy and understanding is possible,” Tan said.