Joan Pereira

Mr Speaker, Sir, the Government's rationale for the repeal of Bill 377A has been laid out quite clearly over the past few months. However, I would like to express my worry that fault lines are being drawn in our society as a result of the views of various groups in our society occupying the centre stage on this issue.

The concerns and aspirations of every Singaporean should be heard and should be valued, especially on such issues that matter to all of us. For most of the voices that are speaking up, they have come from a place of love – a love for the future of this country, a love for the future of our people and our society, and a love for this world.

There are members of our community who have difficulty accepting the implications that they feared would come with the repeal of Section 377A. The fear is about losing the fundamental values that we have built our society on, and the fabric that holds us together. To me, this fear comes from a position of love, not of hate, as they love the country and community that we have built and are worried about it being damaged.

There are also members of our community who feel that the repeal of 377A has been long overdue, and some of them are also hoping that our societal norms can further evolve and become more liberal towards different types of marriages and families. This set of views also stems from a place of love, where they would like to embrace differences and allow everyone to pursue whatever lifestyle they so desire.

Unfortunately, we have also come across voices who do not come from a place of love, but would rather stir hatred and misunderstanding within our society, and these are the ones who are drawing and then exploiting fault lines within our social fabric. Such views can come from any quarter of society, and may even be disguised as supporters of any of the positions that I had mentioned above. But their ultimate aim is to push Singapore to an extreme corner of the spectrum, without consideration as to whether this would be good for us.

We are a small and closely knit nation. Our society cannot afford to be polarised by this issue. We have already so many challenges facing us, as families, as communities and as a nation. We need to unite and fight as one to overcome the many difficulties which lie ahead. The COVID pandemic is not yet over. We have to deal with the rising cost of living amid increasing global tensions and geopolitical conflicts. We need to combat social and income inequality and strive to make sure that no Singaporean is left behind.

I hope that cool heads will prevail and we can all take a step back and understand one another's positions and work together as a society to bridge any differences. Let us all be more understanding of and respectful towards one another so that no one will feel discriminated against. This is one aspect where we individuals have choice. Thank you.