I CAN SAY IT THIS WAY AND I CAN SAY IT SOFT SOFT , BUT I DON"T MEAN A THING.
A counterreply to Time article - The Lion In Winter
Mr Goh actually said, “"We are born this way and they are born that way, but they are like you and me,".
He was referring none other than the entire Singapore gay population (and possibly foreigners, in fact, I think he was referring more to the foreigners.). I’m sure gay Singaporeans who always wanted some form of official recognition from our leaders are now weeping with joy because our great leader has finally broken the silence.
Yes. It has taken Mr Goh more than 13 years to say it from the time he became Prime Minister and as the saying goes, better late than never. Though he could have said the “G” word to prove that he’s not a homophobe and instead of stating it clumsily and crudely as “we” and “they”, as if Singaporeans are divided into two separate camps. I thought this statement was meant to reinforce unity, not differences, or am I reading it wrongly?
I must apologise for my nitpicking but i almost froze when the article quote from the Prime Minister that the Singapore government NOW allows gay employees into its ranks, even in SENSITIVE positions.
It sounds congratulatory because gays in Singapore can NOW finally see the light of working for the government and even in SENSITIVE positions! Think about that.
It implies a dark past, that gays = not accepted by government no matter how talented you are. I always thought I could believed in our national values. The one about Singapore being a meritocracy, that one can succeed in their own fields, regardless of race or religion, so long as they work hard for their goals and the least you would expect is the government implying that they never hired gay employees or even if they do, never in SENSITIVE positions in the past. Get my point? Was I living in delusion or being too naive?
The statement of course begs: Why were gays incapable for working in the government? What makes them so vulnerable they cannot hold SENSITIVE positions? I’m afraid Mr Goh hasn’t told us what the difference was between now and then to allow the government to make that change.
Sidetrack a little.
Compare that to our Senior Minister’s reply a few years ago in an interview (I think with Channel News Asia) when a gay man asked about his future in Singapore. Mr Lee had replied that it depends on how society reacts to the gay population. In my opinion, that is an answer that might as well be left unanswered because it means nothing. At the same time, I doubt the intelligence of the person who asks the question because I’m not exactly sure what he was hoping to hear. Was he expecting our SM to tell everyone on national TV that gays has the same rights as their straight counterparts in Singapore aka Gay Rights in Singapore?
So now that we heard Mr Goh’s reply a few years later and now, I should be glad that at least Mr Goh thinks that they can allow gays some leeway. Give them gay saunas, bars, dance clubs and the island wide gay party, Nation held annually so that Singapore is now free to come out and play.
NO!!!
My skepticism of the government is proven valid once more that everything is driven down to dollars and cents, that they don’t really think of the welfare of gay Singaporeans.
The article continues, “The change in policy, inspired at least in part by the desire NOT TO EXCLUDE TALENTED FOREIGNERS who are GAY, is being implemented without FANFARE, Goh says, to avoid raising the hackles of MORE-CONSERVATIVE Singaporeans. "So let it EVOLVE, and in time the population will UNDERSTAND that some people are BORN that way,"
Notice he says some people, not gay people again. How disappointing. Is the G word really so offensive? difficult to pronounce? After all it’s only three syllabus.
I gather that the government is desperate. If they can’t convince Singaporeans to make babies, and indirectly attract talent, then at least we can lure the gay ones with our young gay boys or girls. If our talented young gay boys or girls wants to leave for greener pastures, why not persuade them to stay by “seducing” foreigners with our new found “liberal” environment thronging with night life and beach parties?
I dare say that if we are still a “prosperous” nation and not worried about the outflow of talents, the government would have continued to allow local gay men to suffer in silence and continue to impose their Confuse- Cious values.
He might not as well have said anything. Mr Goh mentions that everything was done without FANFARE because the government was afraid of offending a group of ultra conservative Singaporeans deemed the majority. I wonder what my mum will think of that. She believes the government wholeheartedly and might find that confusing. So to be gay is ok or not?
I mean, isn’t it funny? That our government would want to say something like that without fanfare? After all, if you want to tell people or foreigners its ok to be gay in Singapore, no one would know of their intentions if it is done hush hush.
Let it EVOLVE? Did he mean the evolution of gayness or the evolution of our society’s predisposition towards gays? And then people will UNDERSTAND? AH! He means that acceptance that some gays crave for the general straight to understand someday.
I know I sound irritating but let me compensate by closing up with an exemplary top class suggestion for the Remaking Singapore Committee. Why not, to prove our government’s sincerity, just TELL SINGAPOREANS that being GAY is OK (It even rhymes). After all, this is what our government is good at isn’t it? Campaigns with blaring TV headlines that goes, “GAY IS GOOD”?
TELL SINGAPOREANS THAT BEING GAY IS ALL RIGHT. IT IS NOT SOMETHING TO BE ASHAMED OF. THAT IT IS NOT A PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPAIRMENT, NOT AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE and that you can’t get it from kissing. Then, we wouldn’t have to wait for the population to SLOWLY understand. After all evolution is too slow and we are famous for our efficiency.
Singaporeans will get it right away by tuning in to the latest GAY channel that broadcasts 24 hours of news about gay celebrities and why being gay is ok. It wouldn’t take less than a month before more gay Singaporeans will come out in droves and makes international headlines for being the first country to break the Guiness record for having the most number of gay people coming out within a week. Portray Singapore as the freest gay country in the world, like our best airline, that this is an ideal haven for foreigners to work and play”.
I guess I got too carried away but I strongly believe (no sarcasm intended) that if the government were to do that (initiatives suggested above) and put an effort into promoting “gay” values, the entire Singapore population will be the first country to stand behind gays whole-heartedly and endorse their lifestyle with pride. We might even be the first country to beat Canada by legalising gay marriage.
But then, we all know too well that Mr Goh might as well have not said that, After all, we can say it this way, and we can say it in another way, but if we don’t mean a thing, we might as well don’t say.
It is basically wishful thinking for the government to sincerely think equal of the gay population as their straight counterparts in Singapore and giving them the same rights. As much as Mr Goh tells Time what they have done to open up, they might as well kept quiet because they are not sincere at all about treating gays equally.
Give-away sentence: Vivian Balakrishnan, the government official in charge of the Remaking Singapore Committee.Singapore, says in the article, that they will do “whatever it takes" to attract talent”
Did he say “whatever it takes”?
I fully understand now.
Do you?
