Salt * Wet * Fish

Sent this to Dr. Balakrishnan about the recent LL issue. I hope everyone who reads my blogs also take up some of your time to do so.

—–Original Message—–
From: Kelvin Wong
Sent: 21 January 2006 14:50
To: ‘v_bala@mcys.gov.sg’
Cc: ‘tanck@nvpc.org.sg’; ‘balaji_sadasivan@moh.gov.sg’
Subject: What happened to open and mature society?

Dear Dr Balakrishnan,

I am writing with growing concern over the recent discussions in the blogosphere about NVPC granting the maximum amount of $10,000 $100,000 to Liberty League and the alleged connection between Liberty League with right-winged Christian organisations in Singapore and the US, like Exodus, Focus on the Family and Choices.

What I am more concerned about is the heavy-handed way in which the Ministry intervened to “STOP” a newspaper from reporting on a piece of investigative journalism. Is this what we want as a fair, open and mature society? Are Singaporeans not mature enough to be able to judge for themselves what is right and wrong and how they want Singapore to be? Is this the kind of Singapore that PM Lee is talking about?

As a citizen this is not what I want to vote for into my government. I want a government that is clean and open and honest and aboveboard about all its undertakings and be transparent about them and really care for the health, living and happiness of its citizens. I don’t want a government that has only a one-sided view grounded in ancient victorian values, some of which are harmful to the individuals and society in as whole in the long run and many of which are based solely on Christian values, in a multi-religious Singapore.

My concern is also that that Ministry sanctions Liberty League to speak in public schools whose students come from multi-religious backgrounds. Allowing them to spread their homophobic message will not only impair the self-confidence of gay and lesbian teenagers, but will also heighten homophobia in their schoolmates. This creates divisions and isolation. Nor can this be good for Singapore when we want everybody to be tolerant of differences and accepting of diversity.

Given that major medical associations have long since declassified homoesexuality as a mental illness, the founder of Liberty League still holds on and imparts the value that it is a mental illness is concerning. What does this speaks about our government?

I sincerely hope that the Ministry and NPVC will reconsider the grant to Liberty League.