NMP Siew Kum Hong’s re-nomination has hit a snag. Usually Nominated Members of Parliament are a non-issue to most Singaporeans, NMPs can’t vote on bills in Parliament so most Singaporeans couldn’t care less who they are. Sometimes even at the end of their term, Singaporeans would not know who the NMPs are.
However Mr. Siew Kum Hong’s re-nomination is another issue. For the first time I can remember, there is an actual online talk to stop a nomination of a NMP. The fact that Mr. Siew’s re-nomination has hit such a nerve is because of his direct support of the old guard in the AWARE saga.
I have said before on this blog that most Singaporeans are against homosexuality and that the New Guard’s stand was more in line with Singaporean society. Some anonymous commented that this is nonsense.
In the 2 weeks since the close of the AWARE saga, more than a few Singaporeans has came out to state their stand against homosexuality and the Ministry of Education has suspended the teaching of homosexuality as ‘neutral’. I fear this reaction can easily be put down as a backlash against the whole AWARE saga.
Rightly or wrongly, the Old Guard’s stand for teaching homosexuality as ‘neutral’ means that they are now an organization in favor of gays and lesbians, and anyone who stood with them will have the same problem.
The problem for Mr. Siew is whether Singaporeans will accept a NMP that openly support a pro-homosexuality stand. Given the reaction online, the answer to that is obvious and the Singapore government will have another problem on their hand if they accept Mr. Siew’s re-nomination.
I have nothing against Mr. Siew Kum Hong, I barely knew he was a NMP before the AWARE saga, but given the situation, I think maybe it’s for the best if he withdrew his re-nomination to cool down the homosexuality debate.
As the saying goes, "Sometimes you need to take a step back to take 2 steps forward."
8 comments:
"Rightly or wrongly, the Old Guard’s stand for teaching homosexuality as ‘neutral’ means that they are now an organization in favor of gays and lesbians, and anyone who stood with them will have the same problem."
Is this logical?
If you are "neutral" towards capital punishment, then you are "in favour of" such measures?
Logical? Maybe not but the perception is there and that will be a problem for AWARE as time goes on
Hmm,
if I say "Capital punishment is perfectly normal and healthy means of punishment", would you call that stance, neutral?
Jimmy Mun,
Homosexuality most absolutely isn't capital punishment. Where is the logic of your comparison?
You don't have to accept someone's sexuality because it is not your idea of what it should be. But, twisting an issue like that does nobody any favours.
Live and let live, for if you push too hard, the other party will also push back as hard, if not harder.
"Live and let live, for if you push too hard, the other party will also push back as hard, if not harder."
True. Now if only the gay supporters in Singapore will follow that advice.
"True. Now if only the gay supporters in Singapore will follow that advice."
Funny you say that, especially since the baseless character assassination of NMP Siew did not come from the "gay supporters".
The character assassination of Siew did not come out of the blue. After all the New Guard of Aware where targets for character assassination as well. It's a case of what goes around comes around.
Actually the New Guard got it worse! They were actually threaten with bodily harm. Compare to that, what does Siew Kum Hong has to sue about? He seems like a man who can dish it out, but cannot take it.
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