PLU will do better as an Independent NGOI refer to the letter from Siah Eng Kiat published in Weekend Today, March 12, 2005: A society to help deal with gay issues, National will needed to put a structure in place.
I agree that the press coverage of gay issues in Singapore has grown to such an extent that they can no longer be swept under the carpet.
However, his recommendations on the objectives and set up of the proposed PLU organization is questionable.
In his letter, Mr Siah recommended that all members must go through compulsory HIV testing. This is by itself discriminatory. What is the rationale for such a criteria? Is he suggesting that members of the aforementioned PLU should be HIV negative? Even if someone is HIV positive, why should he or she be denied the rights to work with a sexual minority rights NGO?
He suggested having a government official or respected, heterosexual member of the community on its committee. Again, what is the rationale behind the criteria? Why should a sexual minority rights group be subjected to external or governmental intervention? Instead, the core committee should be elected and formed by activists knowledgeable about gay issues, who can better inform and mobilize the community and society.
Mr Siah’s recommendation discriminates GLBT activists and the GLBT community in Singapore. It appears he perceives them as “questionable threats or disruptive agents of societal change”.
In the second last paragraph, he mentioned that PLU is hiding behind an excuse of not being registered when the reverse is true. Despite submitting their applications twice and submitting an appeal, it is the Ministry of Home Affairs that has rejected the applications, without giving a proper or justified explanation.
He mentioned that allowing PLU to register is merely following the footsteps of other organizations pertaining to following women, religion, issues etc. However, as far as I know, none of these organizations enforce HIV testing or includes a government official or respected heterosexual member in their committee.
If the Singapore government is sincere in its efforts to create a liberal and inclusive society, it should not deny PLU official registration nor treat it with suspicion. PLU, like other NGOs in Singapore, has to be a non-governmental intervention organization.
A society to help deal with gay issues
National will needed to put a structure in place
Weekend • March 12, 2005
FOR some time now there has been an increase in press coverage on issues pertaining to the gay community in Singapore.
In recent months, these have evolved to become issues of public concern — mainly, health and morality.
With the increasing number of gay people who have come out of the closet, more issues will surface. These can no longer be swept under the carpet or dismissed just because Singapore is largely a conservative country.
There is a need to set up or allow the formation of a government body or civil organisation to look into issues pertaining to the gay community that are now affecting the wider Singapore society.
The application for registration as a society by People Like Us (PLU) was rejected twice.
Perhaps, the gay community may want to reconsider the objectives for the formation of such a society.
Instead of allowing itself to be viewed with suspicion by the authority, PLU, or any society related to the gay community, may want to consider making its members go for regular HIV testing as part of its membership requirement — as the equivalent, in the non-gay community, of the Health Ministry studying proposals to make testing of pregnant mothers compulsory.
In addition to tackling the rising number of new Aids cases in the gay community, the PLU or other organisation may also be tasked to look into other issues pertaining to homosexuality that impact on our society.
Instead of having just a few out-spoken gay individuals voice their personal views, an organisation would have more resources to research and debate these issues.
PLU (or other such organisation) could include a government official or respected, heterosexual member of the community on its committee.
With such a set-up, such an organisation would no longer hide behind the excuse of not being registered, but can be held accountable to society — just like other organisations pertaining to women, religion, etc that have a responsibility to the well-being of their members and the wider society.
The debates pertaining to gay issues will not subside. We need to have the national will to put in place a structure to deal with issues pertaining to the gay community, before these issues — whether health, morality or socio-political — become national issues affecting everyone.
Letter from siah eng kiat
