Section 377A review involves broader issue of societal concerns over family and marriage: Lawrence Wong

SINGAPORE — The matter of whether to repeal a law that criminalises sex between men is not an issue about the law itself, but the broader societal concerns over family and marriage, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said.

“It is about how we organise ourselves as a society, whether or not values around family, around marriage will be changed, and those are the concerns that the larger segment of Singaporeans is concerned about,” he said during an interview with Bloomberg News editor-in-chief John Micklethwait on Monday (Aug 15).

A transcript of the interview was shared with other media outlets.

He added that while opinions about the criminalisation of homosexual behaviour have evolved over time, people have strong views about family and marriage, which he stressed is a separate matter. 

Mr Wong’s comments come amid an ongoing government review of Section 377A of the Penal Code, a law that authorities have long said is not actively enforced and which Singapore’s highest court has reaffirmed is “unenforceable in its entirety” and poses no threat of prosecution.

Mr Micklethwait had asked in the interview whether it was "embarrassing" for Mr Wong that the law exists at a time when the Republic is trying to attract people here. The interviewer also pointed out that Mr Wong is cosmopolitan and had studied abroad.

In response, Mr Wong, who has been named as the successor to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, noted that Section 377A was a legacy that the Government inherited and not something it introduced.

He was referring to how Singapore’s Penal Code was adapted from the Indian Penal Code back in the 19th century when Singapore was part of the Straits Settlements and was governed by the British.

While Mr Wong acknowledged that many Asian countries that were former British colonies have repealed the law, he said that there are many segments of Singaporeans who feel that the law is a marker for societal values, family and marriage.

“And that is why… we are having this conversation even right now, engaging different groups and considering how best we might move forward in a way that will not cause deeper divisions in our society,” Mr Wong said.

FOR SINGAPOREANS TO DECIDE

In a wide-ranging interview that also touched on political succession and the economy, Mr Micklethwait referred to the United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s comments about Section 377A when asking Mr Wong when the law will be removed.

During a visit to Singapore earlier this month, the US politician had called on business groups to support the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community.

In response, Mr Wong stressed that the issue should be something for Singapore and Singaporeans to decide.

“It is one of those issues that has to be managed and dealt with carefully and sensitively, because it pertains to our social values and norms and we have been doing this for a range of different issues,” he said.

“Whether it is race or religion, or whether it is regarding sexuality, we know that these are issues where different segments of society hold deep views and sometimes opposing views.” 

He said that the Government’s approach to sensitive issues, such as the existence of Section 377A, is to engage different groups and see if some common understanding and compromise can be reached without causing “deeper polarisations and divisions”.

As for visa problems that same-sex spouses face in moving to Singapore for work, Mr Wong said that the Government has gotten feedback about it but has been able to deal with some of the problems on a case-by-case basis.

Asked if there was any evidence that most Singaporeans are against getting rid of the law, Mr Wong did not directly respond. 

But he added: “Views on the law and criminalisation of homosexual behaviour certainly has evolved, has changed, but there are also views around family and marriage, which is different from the first matter.

“We will have to engage them and consider how best to move forward on this matter, recognising that people in Singapore hold very strong views, and sometimes these are opposing views.”