Prior to the 2015 General Elections, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and its politicians did not articulate any stand on Section 377A or LGBT equality.
Benjamin Pwee[edit | edit source]
On Tuesday, 18 August 2015, Inconvenient Questions interviewed the Democratic Progressive Party candidate, Benjamin Pwee, regarding his stand on Section 377A, amongst other issues after the NUSS political forum on the 2015 General Elections.
Pwee did not take a firm stand on whether 377A should be repealed or not, saying that it was instead a question of legislative fairness and regulation of private behaviour.
Transcript:
"377A is again a very complex issue. How we see it on our side is that there is a distinction between what is and should be regulated within the sphere of the private, within the sphere of a community, within the sphere of a family and what is to be regulated under a criminal Penal Code at the national level.
And issues that are dealt with at a criminal Penal Code level need to be something that is fair and applicable across everybody.
So the question around 377A I think is not about whether you repeal it or you don't repeal it. The question of 377A is "Does it need to be rewritten? Does it need to be revised where it applies?" If it's going to apply and stand, it should apply to men AND women. If it's not going to apply at all, it should not apply to men or women.
The issues are around how do we see legislative restrictions and limitations on private choices. But at the same time to also say that if a community is not ready for it, can that community also regulate itself and deal with this issue, where the state steps out of what could be a very private decision amongst two people.
So that's our position on 377A."
See also[edit | edit source]
- PAP MPs against the repeal of Section 377A
- PAP MPs for the repeal of Section 377A
- Singapore Democratic Party politicians' views on homosexuality
- Workers' Party politicians' views on homosexuality
- Reform Party politicians' views on homosexuality
- National Solidarity Party politicians' views on homosexuality
- Singapore political parties’ positions on LGBT concerns – General election 2011
- Archive of parliamentary debate on Section 377A (22, 23 October 2007)