Category: Politik

Championing LGBT Equality Does Not Necessarily Mean Being Pro-LGBT

I refer to the report “Chan Chun Sing urges youth to go beyond relying on good grades for jobs” (Sept 24).

Offering his personal views on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Chan Chun Sing said: ““I’m not going to discriminate … I’m not a sex policeman.”

When we have a law like Section 377A, however, which criminalises male gay sex but not female gay sex, then it is effectively a “sex policeman” and discriminates against gay males. Mr Chan’s comments seem incongruous with the current situation.

Also, people supportive of LGBT equality are not “pro-LGBT” per se, not in the way that it would be seen as elevating LGBT people above others nor be seen as morally equivalent to those who are “anti-LGBT”.

For example, if some people are racist against blacks, and there are laws or social programmes that promote general racial equality, then it would be inaccurate to claim that equality legislation is pro-black.

Likewise, it is incorrect to portray equality for all, including LGBT people, as being pro-LGBT.

LGBT activists tend to speak out against bullying of LGBT people and also bullying in general because they tend to see or experience the harm of bullying first-hand and are inclined to try to stop it.

Let us not confuse this with being pro-LGBT per se. People who speak out against bullying of blacks or racist bullying in general are not generally seen as being pro-such-and-such a race.

I also see support for things like proper relationship and marriage equality not so much as pro-LGBT but as pro-marriage.

Decades ago in the United States, some areas outlawed mixed-race marriage, but when that was overturned, it helped to improve the relationships of those couples. And this has a positive knock-on effect on society.

As a married heterosexual Singaporean, my marriage would not be affected if same-sex marriage were ever allowed. It is not as if mine would suddenly crumble because some other same-sex couple could marry.

There is no rational basis for claiming harm to marriage where same-sex marriage is allowed.

Source: www.todayonline.com

October 1, 2016
Nazem Suki: Pakar-Pakar Penyelidik Dan Golongan Terorisma Dari Golongan Sama Yang Sesat

Pakar-pakar penyelidik dalam ideologi terorisma juga adalah golongan yang menyelewang dan sesat.

Apabila golongan teroris memesong salah guna fatwa dan ajaran ulama muktabar untuk kepentingan ideologi terorisma mereka, golongan pakar selidik terorisma juga memesong salah guna fatwa dan ajaran ulama muktabar yang sama untuk melabel ulama tersebut adalah ‘ibu’ ideologi terorisma.

Maka secara khusus nya, golongan terorisma dan penyelidik terorisma adalah sama dari golongan yang sesat yang parah.

Mungkin tidak menjadi melampau sekira pakar selidik terorisma ini akan mengatakan Al Quran dan Sunnah adalah ‘ibu’ ideologi terorisma.

Yang lebih parah ialah pakar ini dilahirkan seorang Muslim, atau hanya Muslim pada nama.

Source: Mohamed Nazem Suki

September 30, 2016
Chee Soon Juan: Deadly Mishaps A Poor Reflection Of Government

The recent past has seen several deadly mishaps that leads one to question the quality of our workforce and, more importantly, its leadership.

Just this morning, we learnt of an SMRT bus driver taking the bus over an empty field when he thought no one was looking and got it stuck in the mud.

Other incidents involving bus drivers were not so amusing. A 29-year-old woman was killed when she was struck by an SBS Transit bus in Toh Tuck Avenue. An elderly pedestrian died after a bus ran him over at Toa Payoh. A visitor from Britain was fatally hit by a bus while he was crossing the road at Upper Cross Street. An SMRT bus driver ran over and killed a 60-year-old woman at Yishun.

Then, a slab of concrete installed as a sunshade collapsed in Tampines. It was a stroke of good fortune that it did not topple and kill anyone.

Two shelter walkways were hit by crane-lorries in Bukit Batok, one of them toppled over with the base-plates of the shelter ripped from the ground. Luckily, no one was injured.

Several lift breakdowns resulted in severe injuries to passengers and even caused the death of an elderly man.

Two young MRT maintenance workers were killed at the Pasir Ris station when safety procedures broke down.

Source: Chee Soon Juan 徐顺全

September 30, 2016
REACH Cancels Public Forum, Wrongly Informs That Dr Tan Cheng Bock Did Not Register

Government agency, REACH, was to organise an public forum on the Presidential Election. Presidential hopeful, Dr Tan Cheng Bock, successfully registered to participate in the forum.

I was looking forward to attending a REACH public forum on the Presidential Election set for today. Minister Shanmugam was due to speak and I wanted to hear what he had to say. I registered my attendance last week and was happy to receive a confirmation for my attendance. I was planning to attend with a few friends and family.

So Dr Tan was understandably disappointed when the forum was eventually cancelled. REACH explained that the cancellation was due to poor response. The agency also indicated that there was no registration under the name of Dr Tan Cheng Bock.

But why would someone of Dr Tan Cheng Bock’s stature lie online about registering for the event?

Turns out, he Dr Tan wasn’t. He had in fact registered under the alias ‘Adrian Tan’, which is recorded in his NRIC. He also provided all his personal details during the registration.

In response to REACH that I did not register?

I did register under my alias Adrian Tan which is in my NRIC, the registration also asked for my NRIC number, mobile, address, and occupation which I supplied. My acceptance letter is attached, as well as my alias in my NRIC.

So what really was the reason for the cancellation of the forum? Your guess is as good as mine.

Dr Who

[Reader Contribution]

September 30, 2016
Amos Yee Gets 6 Weeks’ Jail For Wounding Religious Feelings

Teenage blogger Amos Yee was sentenced to six weeks’ jail on Thursday (Sep 29), after he pleaded guilty to six charges for wounding the religious feelings of Christians and Muslims.

The 17-year-old was also ordered to pay a fine of S$2,000 for defying two notices to turn up at a police station to give his statement.

“(Yee) is not lacking in his mental capacity to make rational choices in the way he conducts himself,” Principal District Judge Ong Hian Sun said, adding that he “deliberately elected to do harm by using offensive and insulting words and profane gestures to hurt the feelings of Christians and Muslims”.

The blogger’s “contemptuous and irreverent remarks” undermines the religious harmony in Singapore, and his conduct “should not be condoned or tolerated”, the judge said.

Judge Ong also said he hoped the punishment, while not overly harsh, would be enough to deter Yee from re-offending. “Hopefully we will not have (Yee) appearing again in this court for the same offence in the future,” the judge said, referring to Yee’s previous conviction.

Yee was sentenced in July 2015 to four weeks’ jail for the same offence. In total, he spent more than a month – about 50 days – in prison, after repeatedly breaching bail conditions.

For intending to wound religious feelings, Yee could have been jailed for up to three years, fined for each charge or both. For failing to show up at a police station, Yee could have been jailed for one month, fined up to S$1,500 per charge or both.

Source: ChannelNewAsia

September 29, 2016