The debate, which resumes on Tuesday, comes after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said at the National Day Rally in August that the Government will repeal S377A. This follows a Court of Appeal decision in February and advice from the Attorney-General that signalled the risk of S377A being struck down by the courts in a future challenge.
Mr Shanmugam said society is more ready now for repeal since S377A was last extensively debated in 2007, when the Government said while the law remained, it would not be enforced. On Monday, he acknowledged that the law had continued to hurt gay people. “Let us start to... heal these divides, remove their pain. S377A should no longer be in our books. Repealing S377A makes it clear that gay people are not criminals.
Some MPs also called for continued commitment to pro-family values. Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said he believed “absolutely, with no apology and with no reservations, in the traditional family form as an ideal”. He said: “We have to find ways to continue to protect this precious and fragile institution of the traditional family and marriage and we have to remember that the welfare and the rights of our children are paramount.
The PAP had said it will not lift the party Whip - requiring all its MPs to vote as a bloc - as the changes are a matter of public policy. But Mr Singh said on Monday he would lift the whip on his party’s MPs, who are divided on the issue, adding: “Not lifting the Whip would deny WP MPs not in favour of a repeal of S377A the opportunity to vote freely and in doing so, to also represent Singaporeans who see this issue as a matter of deep religious belief and conscience.
Source: Law Daily Report (lawdailyreport.net)
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