Dr Vivian Balakrishnan is a Member of Parliament for the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC.
Attacking Vincent Wijeysingha for having alleged gay agenda during 2011 General Elections[]
Just days before Nomination Day on 27 April 2011, the PAP team in the Holland-Bukit Timah Group Representation Constituency (GRC), led by Vivian, told the press that the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) was suppressing a video which would "raise some awkward questions" about the party's agenda[1]. Dr Wijeysingha's response was that he was unsure which video Vivian was referring to and that the SDP was "an open party".
The issue of the video was clarified on 25 April 2011, two days before Nomination Day, with both the PAP and the SDP issuing statements about the matter.
The PAP's release addressed the online video which it alleged the SDP was trying to suppress. The statement is reproduced below and undersigned by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and his GRC team:
"Dear Friends of the Media
Please find below a statement which is being sent on behalf of the PAP team contesting in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC. We would appreciate it very much if you could kindly publish the statement in full, and attribute it to the PAP team contesting in the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, led by Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.
Kindly call me at [phone number deleted] if you have any queries or if you need any clarification.
What is his agenda?
A video has been posted on the internet showing Vincent Wijeysingha participating at a forum which discussed the promotion of the gay cause in Singapore.
The discussion at the forum also touched on sex with boys and whether the age of consent for boys should be 14 years of age.
In the video, Wijeysingha was introduced as being from the SDP.
In addition to other comments, Wijeysingha stated: ‘I think the gay community has to rally ourselves. Perhaps one outcome of today’s forum would be, for those of us who are interested, to come together to further consider how we can address the 377 issue as well as further rights issues in relation to gays and lesbians.’
We believe that candidates should be upfront about their political agenda and motives, so that voters are able to make an informed choice.
The issue is not Wijeysingha’s sexual orientation. That is a matter for him.
The video raises the question on whether Wijeysingha will now pursue this cause in the political arena and what is the SDP’s position on the matter.
The above release was ostensibly aimed at smearing Dr Vincent Wijeysingha and the SDP team, trivialising their efforts and reducing them to alleged advocates of an issue which homophobes in their own bigoted world find morally contentious - the "gay agenda".
Allegedly calling Section 377A a "silly" law[]
In April 2019, Vivian, as the Minister for Foreign Affairs, was heard calling Section 377A a “silly” law by Singaporean YuZhou Lee at a tech forum in the San Francisco Bay Area[2]. Vivian had attended the forum along with soon-to-be Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat to encourage Singaporeans in the region, which included Silicon Valley, to consider opportunities back home. When faced with this question, "What is something you would change about Singapore that you would disagree on with the audience here?” and Lee in the audience shouting out "377A!", Vivian answered with the following sentiments:
- That he was not interested in what Singaporeans did privately in their bedrooms
- That they were here to focus on recruiting tech talent, and not on “silly” issues like these laws.
Vivian later denied that he used the word “silly” to describe the law. He wrote in a comment on Lee’s post:
“Thank you for attending the Tech Forum over the weekend and for asking a salient question.
You may recall that I made the following points. First, that this is an old law that we inherited from the British.
Second, that we don’t enforce this law – we respect the privacy of consenting adults in the bedroom.
Third, we really want to avoid the ‘culture wars’ that we see elsewhere on this polarising issue. We are not likely to achieve consensus by prolonged arguments.
Fourth, this is not the central issue of our time. Our focus is to welcome talented Singaporeans like you if relevant opportunities arise.
Even if we disagree, we should live and let live in mutual respect.
Best wishes for your future.
PS: I did not use the word ‘silly’. I think you misheard me.”
See also[]
- Singapore political parties' politicians' views on homosexuality
- Christopher de Souza's views on homosexuality
References[]
- Alex Au, "Vivian slithers in the gutter, SDP on knife-edge, part 1", Yawning Bread, 25 April 2011[3].
- Alex Au, "Vivian’s bomb goes boo boo ", Yawning Bread, 26 April 2011[4].
- Ng E-Jay, "Gutter politics and political cowardice by Vivian Balakrishnan", Sgpolitics.net, 26 April 2011[5].
Acknowledgements[]
This article was written by Roy Tan.