Oral Reply to Parliamentary Question on How the Government will Engage Different Groups on Section 377A of the Penal Code

Question:

Ms Yeo Wan Ling: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs how the Government is and will be engaging different groups when considering the best way forward on section 377A of the Penal Code.

Answer:

Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Ministry for Law:

1.    Mr Speaker, I thank the Member for the question. As I mentioned in Parliament on 3 March 2022, since the issue of s 377A was last discussed in Parliament in 2007, societal attitudes towards homosexuality have gradually shifted.

2.    There are currently two main viewpoints on this issue, and many subsidiary viewpoints. As I said in Parliament, two main viewpoints. On the one hand, the vast majority of Singaporeans are of the view that the heterosexual marriage between a man and a woman, must remain the bedrock of our society. On the other hand, many Singaporeans, including some of those who believe in the traditional family structure, feel that private consensual sex between men should not be criminalized.

3.    The Government has been and will be speaking with diverse groups of Singaporeans to better understand their viewpoints. And, we will consider the various views carefully, and assess the best way forward, that tries to balance the different viewpoints.

4.    Mr Speaker, Ms Hazel Poa has asked a related question for written answer at this sitting. Since this is an important issue, I would like to invite Ms Poa, or any other Parliamentarian from her Party, basically Mr Leong, to state her or their Party’s position on s 377A. It will be good to know.

5.    Thank you, Sir.

Exchange between Minister and Ms Hazel Poa

Question:

Ms Hazel Poa: As the Minister has pointed out, there are two different camps with different views on this particular issue. And for us, within the Party itself, we also have people with different views. So, this is not an issue that we actually have a consensus on, at this moment in time.

Answer:

Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Ministry for Law:

1. There are many different ways of saying I don't know. So, I assume that Ms Poa is saying, either the Party has no position, or they don't know what their position is. Thank you, Sir.