I started this post intending to demolish that rubbish of a speech made by Thio Li Ann (one wonders how it is possible to become a professor with that quality of thought) but I think there are plenty of others who have done so far more effectively.
I spoke to a wise friend of mine and I realise that it is time to give up. To all my gay friends, stop with the push for repeal. Give up. There is no point.
You have 2 choices available to you: first, you can live your lives in the closet forever. Don’t ever let anyone know that you are gay. Or, you can leave Singapore.
And I strongly advocate that you leave. There is nothing for you here. Due to the fact that Singaporeans are terminally incapable of logical thought, and that religious fundamentalists are taking over our government, you will only come to grief if you stay in Singapore. Laws will be passed to strip you of your rights, under various falsehoods, and no one will object.
True, it is easier said than done. Your friends, families, loved ones and memories, you will have to give that up. But it has to be done. You have to leave for greener shores where you can live fully as a person.
My atheist, non-Christian and non-religious friends, it is time to leave. There is nothing for you here in Singapore. The time of the slippery-slope is nigh. Religious fundamentalists have taken over our government and sooner or later you will have to live by their laws. Fascism is back in fashion under the guise of “conservative majority” and people like Thio Li Ann are its face.
It is time to leave.
20 Comments
how easy is it to leave singapore?
I think most of us don’t know even where to begin.
a) do you find a job overseas first?
b) or do you like our migrant forefathers just pack and go first.
There is little wonder why it takes an NMP like Siew Kum Hong to raise issues that the MPs do not. The signs were already there long ago - no economic benefit to the repeal remember?
Leave singapore? I wish ’tis that simple…though i might be leaving for the UK within the next couple of months. By the way, what do you mean by ‘religious fundamentalism’ and its taking over the government?
Please enlighten.
p.s. perhaps you could start a mirror site on ‘vox’. Your content is most interesting. Vox is quite good in presenting it in an ordered fashion. Just a suggestion.
ed
I am as disappointed as you are at the response so far, but don’t you think it is very reflective of the kind of society that Singapore is?
People still want the government to dictate their lives, tell them what to do. I’m expecting that “The Majority” would have little trouble accepting compulsory annuities.
“Its time to leave” - I have to agree, sadly… Looks like Singapore is becoming - or has become - a theocracy! *Sigh*
Please don’t leave. Remember how the Nazis went after the homosexuals first, then the Jews, then everybody else who disagreed with them. I’m “straight”, I’m a family man with 3 lovely kids, I’m a bible believing Christian for over 30 years, and I’m against 377A.
As much as I feel disappointed by the recent events, I don’t feel I should leave this country.
“There is nothing for you here.”
There are still lots of things which I can’t leave behind: My beloved friends, my fond childhood memories, my utmost love for Singapore.
Do you leave or do you stay and fight for what is also rightfully yours? No easy answer to this.
As for what is the meaning of ‘religious fundamentalism’? It is when free thought and question are not allowed in a debate. Or worse, no debate.
I can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel after the debate.
I am not qualified to leave this sad country but I still have the ability to ‘right’ to leave this world.
How? I have learned the painless way and gathering enough courage to do it one day.
It is SO TIRING AND STRUGGLING
Want to leave this dump? Easy! Apply to study in another country, nearest good bet is Australia. Pick any subject, engineering if you have the papers, or book-keeping if you are less qualified. Just scrounge enough for the airticket, and couple of months’ rent. Once there, get a part-time job working in the library, McDonalds, Chinese restaurant, etc. With minimum wage in the developed countries, you won’t starve if you are prepared to roll up your sleeves. My sister’s first job on landing in London all alone was sweeping up the cinema aisles, she’s there still with a new family and big house and garage for two cars. I supported myself through a masters’program by working in the wheatbins in summer. Should have stayed there.
I don’t really agree that its time to leave Singapore. I’m gay and while its irritating to listen to the rubbish spouted by the religious fundamentalists, Singapore is still a pretty pleasant and cheap place to live in - low taxes, things work etc. You can live a pretty good life in Singapore when you just don’t let things bother you and filter out the less pleasant bits of life in Singapore (e.g. the Government nonsense, Government scamming more money from you, the mad religious types etc).
However, don’t expect me to be there when things turn bad. We’re treated like hotel guests in a hotel rather than shareholders of the hotel, and so when the hotel’s standards start to drop or if a newer hotel comes up, we’ll obviously just leave. I just don’t see a newer, better value-for-money hotel yet.
I like to correct one point about this blog. the decision not to repeal 337A is made by the SINGAPORE GOVT, not by all Singaporeans.
I disagree the point about “the majority” making the choice for us. When the casino issue came up, didnt the “majority” said no, but we still went ahead?
I think its unfair for you to imply that “all Singaporeans are terminally incapable of logical thought”, you will “only come to grief” if you stayed…and more and more rights taken away from you.
I’m surprised that everyone who have commented on this blog seem to miss this point - so all of you are telling you accept that the whole lot of us are really incapable of logical thought?
Though i think 377A is a bigoted law, tell me - how many people have gone to jail for their gayness in recent times? Did the police form an anti-gay task force, stake out gay clubs and arrest people?
To be frank, I am scared by the argument these ppl put forward.
As far as I know S’pore is a secular country and the majority of S’poreans are Buddhists.
I do not know where these Christian fundamentalists get the idea that S’pore should rule according to the bible.
S’poreans should really start thinking if they wanted their government to be taken over by these people.
You don’t have to leave Singapore. In fact, you should not. The ruling party will not sit there forever unless all opposition left.
We retreat, we wait… for the opportunity to rise again. Once we leave, we can never come back because we will always be seen as the prodigal son when we do.
Khirsah:
I don’t have a people with the ruling party. I’ve always supported them for being pragmatic and logical.
What I oppose is religious fundamentalism.
As I’ve seen in several blogs, we really need to break down and find out what this “majority” that the Govt proclaims is driving the decision.
I would think its more about a highly vocal minority who’s driving the agenda. Not just in this 377A case, but nearly everything else.
I do not think leaving is the right solution. There are many people who disagreed with the decision including Christians including myself.
When Paul Robeson was asked why he did not leave America after his dissident views were questioned, he replied, “Because my father was a slave, and my people died to build this country, and I am going to stay here and have a part of it, just like you. And no fascist minded people will drive me from it. Is that clear?”
because section 377a continues to exist, its used as a convenient excuse from everything from a picnic, to a run, television programming , to form a society, to counter xtian taleban dogma in school in education programs run by subcontractors who attempt to push homosexuality as a sin (in a secular education system where we have people of all and no faiths), and etc.
I agree that its more about a highly vocal minority who’s driving the agenda. Not just in this 377A case, but nearly everything else. Tang Liang Hong made a comment back in the 90s that the pap govt have many Christian types.
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