S377A.
Haha regarding Penal Code Section 377A, I realise that Singaporeans have a very strong tendency to confuse issues. Family values have nothing to do with crimalising homosexuality.Other examples (which I have discussed) include confusing the Singapore government with Singapore as a country, and confusing voting against the ruling party with not being loyal/patriotic.
Singapore really needs to work on this. If we are to truly become a global city our people need to understand these fundamental differences. We need to teach our kids these universal values in addition to our traditional Asian values and religious values (which hmmms I don't think we are very successful anyway).
We can't repeal S377A until Singaporeans can tell that there is a fundamental difference between protecting the family and criminalising homosexuality. If the government forces the repeal it might shaken its authority, and worse still, strengthen conservatism among Singaporeans. The government can choose to enforce the law in a very lenient way, or even not enforce it, but it still can't be repealed yet.
I am sure the government knows this; the dilemma is that the opinion in favour of repealing is also very strong. I think that the government will eventually still decide to keep it, because it has been portraying a conservative image for as long as I can remember, and I am sure they cannot change this overnight.
We can wait, but something serious needs to be done about our national education and the development of a civil society. We cannot allow this kind of confusion to persist.
Labels: Policy and Politics
