This speech was made on 23 October 2007 during the debate on Nominated Member of Parliament Siew Kum Hong's parliamentary petition to repeal Section 377A which itself was part of the larger debate on the Penal Code (Amendment) Bill.
Transcript:
Finally Sir, on the issue of Section 377A. Sir, I wish to state my support for the government's position on retaining Section 377A of the Penal Code.
I had originally not intended to speak on this topic but in view of the petition presented by Nominated MP Mr. Siew Kum Hong, I feel that I should state not all MPs agree with Mr. Siew's arguments.
I do not agree, Sir, that the role of the criminal law is only to punish those who have caused harm to others. If that is the case, as my fellow MPs have said yesterday, why do we have laws on attempted suicide? Why do we have laws prohibiting the sale of obscene materials? Why do we have laws against incest? Should we be bothered whether a father decides whether to sleep with his adult daughter in the privacy of their own home? Sir, why do we bother to make it an offence for someone to have sex with animals - this is in Section 377B? And in fact with this current amendment bill, Sir, we have just introduced a new offence of necrophilia which is this abhorrent act of engaging in sex with a corpse.
Does this offence harm society? Does it make Singapore unsafe or less secure? Sir, the basic position of parliament should be that we make laws to reflect the public morality of our times and this situation, Sir, I agree with the views of Ms. Indranee Rajah. I support the government's stand because I do not agree with the practice of homosexuality. This is not just my personal view but also the views of many of my residents when I sought their opinion.
And with the greatest respect to the Prime Minister, I must state that I do not think that there's conclusive evidence that homosexual behaviour is inborn. The jury is out on this issue and different scientists would have different views on the matter.
Let me state unequivocally, Sir, that I am not anti-gay. The fact that I disagree with the practice of homosexuality does not mean that I despise homosexuals. In fact, like the honourable member, Mr. Baey Yam Keng, I have friends who are gay. And my approach to them is simply that I do not agree with the lifestyle but I would respect you for who you are. So if you are a decent chap, an honest and hardworking person, your sexual orientation or your preference does not affect the way I see you. I will treat you and respect you as another fellow citizen. And I do not believe any Member of Parliament in this House would turn away a person who comes to him during a meet-the-people session seeking financial help simply on the ground that this person is a homosexual.
I believe the majority of Singaporeans do not condemn a homosexual or a gay simply because of his lifestyle, nor do they wish to criminalise a homosexual. However, as my fellow MP, Mr. Chris De Souza, said, the messaging or signpost is important. As MPs, we have to send a message that Singapore is a conservative society whereby the family unit is still seen as the basic structure of society. I believe, Sir, we have not accused gays of being criminals nor do I know of any petition to enforce Section 377A.
So, in conclusion, I'd like to state that I support the Amendment Bill to the Penal Code.
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"Biow Chuan has been serving as a church leader since 1993. He is currently the Chairman of the Local Church Executive Committee (LCEC) of Ang Mo Kio Methodist Church (TRAC). He leads worship in Church and occasionally preaches in his own church."
