Dr Vivian: Let’s not talk about video anymore

Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Dr Vivian Balakrishnanhas called for a truce.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, the Minister said there is “no need” to further discuss a video which shows Singapore Democratic Party’s (SDP) candidate, Dr Vincent Wijeysingha, attending a forum which discussed on gay rights.

Dr Balakrishnan, who will contest the Holland-Bukit Timah against the SDP team led by Dr Wijeysingha, said that he was satisfied with the SDP’s video response to his earlier concerns about a possible “gay agenda” should SDP be voted into Parliament.

“His video statements (by SDP chief Chee Soon Juan) were a response to my question, he’s answered the question. Let’s leave it at that,” said the minister.

When asked if he would bring the matter up again during his team’s campaigning, he said, “No. No need. I don’t need to go any further with that. Questions was asked, I posed the question, he answered,” he added.

However, Dr Balakrishan dismissed that he was employing a “smear tactic” when he brought up the issue, saying “No. This is a legitimate question and he’s answered it.”

In a statement released on Monday evening, the People’s Action Party (PAP) team for the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC had called on the SDP and, in particular, its candidate Dr Vincent Wijeysingha, 40, to be upfront about his “political motives”, prompting a heated war of words between the two parties.

In a swift video response, SDP chief Dr Chee said that while both parties might have disagreements over policy issues, he called on the Minister not to resort to “personal attacks” and adopting “smear tactics”.

Meanwhile, Dr Balakrishnan also rejected calls by the SDP for a public debate, saying that it would just give the SDP an added platform to engage residents.

Explaining that there are no such “shortcuts”, he said, “Personally as incumbents, we’ve been here, our residents know us, we have walked and knocked on every single door in this GRC.

“A team that has just come together in the last few days and has not done their leg work, the reason they want a debate is because they want a platform to reach out to residents.”

Taking a jibe at the SDP’s statements that he was rattled by their contest in the GRC, Dr Balakrishnan said, “Do I look rattled?”

Apart from that, he also stressed that the choices made by voters will have an impact on the outcome and opportunities for young Singaporeans over at least the next 20 years.

“For a young Singaporean who just graduate today, 20 years is half your working life. So there are some very fundamental choices which Singaporeans will have to make up their minds on, over the next nine to ten days,” he said.

Chee welcomes Dr Vivian’s remarks

On the other hand, Chee pointed out that there has been a “very stern rebuke online” about the way Dr Balakrishnan brought up the issue on the video.

However, the SDP chief welcomed the minister’s statements that he will not pursue the issue come campaign period. Chee was speaking at a separate press conference on Wednesday afternoon where it unveiled its party’s manifesto.

“It’s very clear the online reaction has been very negative towards him. And we asked him not to continue, not to persist in this line.

“I’m hoping, and we’re all hoping that we can run this campaign in the spirit that it was meant to be and that is talking about issues that people are concerned about. And not get into personal attacks,” said Chee.

“We take Dr Balakrishnan at his word, that he will not pursue this, and it was very distasteful. The internet community has made that clear to him and we are glad to hear that he will not continue to pursue this matter. We’ll leave it at that.”

In addition, Chee also dismissed the suggestion that the party will take advantage of the situation and turn the tables back on Dr Balakrishnan, saying that this is not what SDP is about. Instead, he called on all parties to adopt a “clean fight”.

“This is one thing SDP is not and that we want to go after somebody in a very negative way,” he said.

“We call on every party to take the high road in politics and discuss what’s important for the future of our nation and the people. And when we do that, we’re hoping they will reciprocate.”

Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) member Dr James Gomez said Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan should stick to issues rather than “play dirty”.

He was commenting on the ruling People’s Action Party’s (PAP) suggestion that the SDP has a secret gay agenda.

He said: “Given the experience of previous elections, the act of smear tactics is consistent with how the PAP approaches elections in Singapore. This is once again another example of how it is trying to distract the voters, this time using discrimination and divisive approach.

“Dr Vivian Balakrishnan should have stuck to the issue, chief of which, his mismanagement of the Youth Olympic Games. Now, he has evaded the issue for the longest time.”

Dr Gomez was collecting his minority certificate with his fellow SDP member Sadasivam Veriyah at the Elections Department.

The latest hot issues on the Internet revolve around section 377A and the issue of promoting gay rights in Singapore.

The Section 377A of the Penal Code criminalises homosexual sex.

National Solidarity Party candidate Nicole Seah posted comments on social networking site Facebook, saying she wondered if Section 377A is a big problem.

Ms Seah said homosexuality is a touchy subject.

She questioned if repealing such a law would dilute the nuclear family unit.

The statement attracted more than a thousand “likes”.

Many who commented on Ms Seah’s Facebook page echoed Ms Seah’s call for the focus in the General Election to be on more important issues.

Meanwhile, the online world is also abuzz with comments on the People’s Action Party (PAP) salvo against the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), over a video posted on video sharing site YouTube.

The video allegedly showed SDP candidate Vincent Wijeysingha at a forum discussing the repeal of Section 377A of the Penal Code.

Dr Balakrishnan, along with his PAP team-mates in Holland-Bukit Timah Group Representation Constituency (GRC) issued a statement questioning the political motives of Dr Wijeysingha after the video surfaced on YouTube.

SDP Secretary-General Chee Soon Juan has responded, saying the party is not pursuing the gay agenda “and none of our MPs will”.

Many have also said on the Internet the issue of sexuality should not be raised in the polls.

PAP and SDP square off over ‘smear tactics’
PAP team asks if SDP intends to pursue gay cause, and Chee says no
By Tessa Wong & Aaron Low

THE opposing teams at Holland-Bukit Timah GRC squared off publicly yesterday over an online video which the People’s Action Party (PAP) said raised questions whether the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) had a secret gay agenda.

First, the PAP team led by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan asked in a statement whether SDP candidate Vincent Wijeysingha, who was filmed participating in a gay rights forum, intends to pursue the cause in Parliament.

This was countered in the evening by SDP chief Chee Soon Juan who in an online video said neither the party nor any of its candidates is pursuing such an agenda.

In a statement entitled ‘What is his agenda?’ released yesterday, the PAP team said that a video has been posted on the Internet showing Dr Wijeysingha participating in what it called ‘a forum which discussed the promotion of the gay cause in Singapore’.

The team added that the sexual orientation of Dr Wijeysingha is not the issue.

But it noted: ‘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.’

In his denial, Dr Chee said: ‘Let me state categorically we are not pursuing the gay agenda and none of our MPs will.

‘Our candidates have been selected because of their ability to serve you, the people of Singapore, as your representatives in Parliament,’ he added.

‘They have stepped forward because they love this country and they know that Singaporeans yearn for an alternative voice in Parliament. That is their only agenda.’

Dr Chee also called on Dr Balakrishnan, who is Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, to stop engaging in what he called ‘smear tactics’.

‘We are better than that,’ said Dr Chee. ‘We can disagree on policies without having to resort to personal attacks. Let us lead Singapore to a higher level of politics.’

The exchange comes two days after Dr Balakrishnan first mentioned the video in an interview with The Straits Times.

He said: ‘It has been brought to my attention – in fact it is the SDP which is suppressing a certain YouTube video, which raises some very awkward questions about the agenda and motivations of the SDP and its candidates.’

When asked to elaborate the next day, he would only say: ‘I would like the issue to play out first. I am also waiting for (SDP’s) manifesto to be revealed and then let things emerge.’

But yesterday, the Today newspaper went ahead to speculate that the video in question was a six-minute clip featuring lawyer M. Ravi.

It was taken during a public forum held last November by Mr Ravi on his constitutional challenge to the S377A clause of Singapore’s Penal Code, which criminalises sex between men.

Mr Ravi is seen addressing a small room of participants, calling Dr Wijeysingha ‘Singapore’s first gay MP’.

The PAP team alleged yesterday that the forum ‘also touched on sex with boys and whether the age of consent for boys should be 14 years of age’.

It added that Dr Wijeysingha had said in the video that ‘I think the gay community has to rally ourselves’, and that people interested in gay issues could come together to ‘further rights issues in relation to gays and lesbians’.

It continued: ‘We believe that candidates should be upfront about their political agenda and motives, so that voters are able to make an informed choice.’

The statement was signed off by Dr Balakrishnan and his teammates, Mr Christopher De Souza, Mr Liang Eng Hwa and Ms Sim Ann.

Dr Wijeysingha, a 41-year-old civil society activist, is contesting Holland-Bukit Timah GRC along with Mr Tan Jee Say, Dr Ang Yong Guan and Ms Michelle Lee.

All four were called to the SDP’s headquarters last night for an emergency meeting following the release of the PAP’s statement.

At 11pm, the party posted the video response by Dr Chee on its website.

In the clip, Dr Chee said he was proud of his candidates, whom he called ‘people of integrity and capability’.

He added: ‘When we speak up we do so for all Singaporeans, not just a segment of Singaporeans.

‘At the very core of our country’s pledge is that we do not discriminate against anyone, be it on the basis of the colour of their skin, the faiths in the hearts, whether they are young or old or what their sexual orientation is.’

Accusing Dr Balakrishnan of not having ‘the courage to say what he really wanted to say at first’, and of ‘beating around the bush’, he said the party is disappointed at how the issue was raised.

He ended the video with a request to Dr Balakrishnan to ‘reciprocate’ by making public the accounts of the Youth Olympic Games.

He also reiterated the party’s invitation to a public debate.

Both Dr Wijeysingha and Ms Lee declined to comment last night.

Dr Ang told The Straits Times that he had come to know about the video ‘one to two days ago’, after he was introduced as an SDP candidate last Friday.

He said a friend had sent him a link to the video.

Dr Ang, who is a Christian, said he would be ‘comfortable’ standing on the same ticket as a gay person.

‘To me, very frankly, a person’s sexual orientation doesn’t matter. What’s important is his vision, his ability, his personality. So what if Vincent may be gay? It’s immaterial to me.’

He added: ‘I’m a Christian, but my personal view is that I will respect a person’s sexual orientation. It’s not for me to impose my values on them.’

Mr Tan echoed Dr Ang’s comments, saying Dr Wijeysingha’s sexual orientation is ‘immaterial’.

He said: ‘It’s not an issue. Even Lee Kuan Yew says it’s not an issue.’

——————-

The video below is the video referred to in the Straits Times article, but was not part of the article. Included here for reference only:

What the video is about

THE video in question appears to be a six-minute clip posted on YouTube on April 14 by a user called JohnTan88888.

Entitled Vincent Wijeysingha – Gay Agenda, it comprises recorded excerpts of a public forum held last November by lawyer M. Ravi. He was speaking about his constitutional challenge to Section 377A of Singapore’s Penal Code, which criminalises sex between men.

The video begins with Mr Ravi addressing a small crowd, talking about the legal age of consent for homosexuality. He says that in some Western countries, it is as low as 14 years of age for males. Later, a woman is heard asking Mr Ravi what he plans to do to rally the gay community.

Mr Ravi then points to Singapore Democratic Party candidate Vincent Wijeysingha, who is in the audience, and says: ‘I don’t have time. Maybe a first gay MP in Singapore, from the Singapore Democratic Party.’

The camera pans to Dr Wijeysingha, who then says: ‘I don’t think it’s for Ravi by himself to rally the gay community. 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.’

Later on, a woman is heard asking Mr Ravi how he plans to get the numbers, in terms of people, to help his cause to challenge the law.

Mr Ravi is heard saying that the numbers do not help very much, but adds: ‘If you really want the numbers, you have to vote for an MP. Gay MP there. First gay MP of Singapore, ladies and gentlemen: Vincent Wijeysingha.’

Dr Wijeysingha replies: ‘What did Margaret Mead say? Never discount a small group of committed people can change the world. In fact, it’s the only thing they’ve ever done.’

Mr Ravi yesterday confirmed that the video was of him speaking at the forum.

He clarified, however, that when he had raised the issue of the age of consent for males in other countries, it was used to contrast how adult gay men in Singapore could not even talk about consent, as the law discriminates against them.

‘It was not about how to lower the age of consent for males to 14 in Singapore,’ he said.

——-

The video included here was not part of the Straits Times article, but for reference only:

Battle heats up in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC
By Yasmine Yahya , Amanda Tan , Amresh Gunasingham and Judith Tan

HOLLAND-BUKIT Timah GRC is in the shape of an upward tick. Nestled in its curved hook are Singapore’s affluent. It starts from Sunset Way on the left, then veers down and across to Sixth Avenue. As the tick extends upwards along Upper Bukit Timah, sprawling bungalows yield to smaller houses and condominiums. Perched at its apex are the modest flats of Bukit Panjang.

Different lifestyles, but one similarity: Most of the 91,607 voters here have not voted in at least two decades.

But the GRC may be waking up to the prospect of an electoral battle that is fast heating up – one that pits a young People’s Action Party (PAP) team against the Singapore Democratic Party’s (SDP) ‘A’ team.

Already thrown into the heady mix are accusations of ministerial ineptness over the busted Youth Olympic Games budget; of irresponsible proposals for Singapore’s economic strategy; and now, a video clip that shows SDP candidate Vincent Wijeysingha participating in a gay rights forum.

In a statement yesterday, the PAP team led by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan said: ‘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.’

Will the issue catch fire? What matters to Holland-Bukit Timah GRC voters?

It is the most ‘upper-class’ of Singapore’s constituencies. Its residents are somewhat older than the national population, with just a third aged below 40.

Its ethnic mix follows the national breakdown, say the area’s PAP activists. The religious breakdown is not available but is a ‘diverse mix’, given the plethora of places of worship.

A look back in history suggests that the SDP previously had a narrow toehold in the GRC. The GRC was created in 2001, and has never seen a contest.

Two of its divisions – Zhenghua and Cashew – sprang from the old single-seat ward of Bukit Panjang, last contested in 1988 in a three-cornered fight. The PAP won with 57.3 per cent of votes while the SDP snared 30.9 per cent.

The narrow margin, says veteran PAP activist Chai Chon Fah, was due to anger over forced resettlement from Lim Chu Kang and Chua Chu Kang kampungs.

Meanwhile, their more affluent neighbours from Ulu Pandan last went to the ballot box in 1991. The PAP’s Lim Boon Heng won 56.4 per cent of votes against the SDP’s Ashleigh Seow, who campaigned on the need for more opposition.

The last division in the GRC jigsaw is Bukit Timah, a PAP stronghold under its previous veteran MP, Dr Wang Kai Yuen.

But what about now?

The Straits Times spoke to about 50 residents living in the GRC.

For the majority of the heartlanders, livelihood issues remain their top concern.

One PAP supporter, Madam Yasma Chomel, 60, a retiree, said: ‘I know what it’s like to have a hard life. I don’t see why I should take a risk when the PAP has done a good job.’

But property consultant Ben Lim, 39, who is worried about higher property prices, is less certain. ‘I think the opposition has improved a lot and there are a lot of potential candidates. (But) the PAP is good. So I might destroy my vote to be fair.’

A different set of issues tugs at the heartstrings of those who live in more well-to-do neighbourhoods. Few spoke of the cost of living, but many appear to hark back to the same ideals that led a significant number to support Mr Seow in 1991.

But as for how many would actually put their money where their mouth is, only two have made the commitment so far.

Mr Teo G.S., 58, a retiree, said: ‘I’ve already decided who to vote for.

‘I want change. I want more transparency and accountability.’

Others are adopting a wait-and-see attitude. Mr Casper Yap, 28, a systems analyst, said: ‘When I heard the SDP was contesting here, I was initially a bit disappointed. But based on their qualifications, this SDP team looks good on paper, so I will do a bit more research before making a choice.’

As for the latest issue – Dr Wijeysingha’s sexuality and whether it means that he will promote gay causes if elected – few of those interviewed yesterday were aware that it was brewing.

When asked, an overwhelming majority said they do not consider it to be a factor in how they vote.

The only dissenting voice is Mr Lim C.S., 59, who is self-employed.

‘As a Christian, I’m totally against any kind of gay agenda. If it is really true that he is gay and has a gay agenda, then definitely I won’t vote for him.’

But he adds that if Dr Wijeysingha’s colleagues can ‘vouch for the fact that he doesn’t have a gay agenda, then I would consider’.

A few, meanwhile, expressed unease that the PAP had raised the issue.

Ms S. A. Kadir, 24, a student, calls it a ‘cheap shot from the PAP’, while Madam Lynn Cheah, 48, a housewife, says: ‘The PAP is childish to use this tactic to discredit the opposition.’

A tick here for the PAP, a tick there for the SDP – it remains to be seen who will prevail.

SDP says it’s in the dark over video clip
Party says statements by minister show he’s rattled by GRC contest
By Aaron Low & Esther Teo

SINGAPORE Democratic Party (SDP) candidate Tan Jee Say said yesterday he had ‘no idea’ what Dr Vivian Balakrishnan was referring to when the minister cited a video that would raise ‘awkward questions’ about the opposition party’s motivations and agenda.

The former senior civil servant also dismissed the suggestion by the Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister that he had not done proper checks before joining the SDP.

‘Frankly, I have no idea what video he is referring to, and I have seen a lot of SDP videos,’ said the 57-year-old private investment adviser, a former principal private secretary to Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.

Referring to the SDP’s team leader for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, Dr Vincent Wijeysingha, he said: ‘I have known Vincent since last year, I have met my team members, I know them and I have asked people about them. I have done my due diligence.’

Dr Balakrishnan first mentioned the mystery video clip in an interview with The Straits Times on Saturday, saying that the SDP was ‘suppressing a certain YouTube video which raises some very awkward questions about the agenda and motivations of the SDP and its candidates’.

The People’s Action Party (PAP) team leader at Holland-Bukit Timah GRC did not give any details of the clip, but added that he suspected Mr Tan had not done ‘appropriate due diligence of his team-mates and his party’.

Yesterday, the SDP fired back, with Dr Wijeysingha describing Dr Balakrishnan as ‘a man running scared’.

‘These statements by Dr Balakrishnan show a man who is very, very rattled. Once our team was announced, he’s gone into overdrive, but there has been nothing substantive about his remarks,’ said Dr Wijeysingha, adding that he was not sure what video the minister meant, and that SDP had a lot of videos.

‘The fact that a highly trained ophthalmologist hides behind the newspaper and issues these comments shows a man running scared,’ he said.

He challenged the PAP to debate policies, arguing that if Dr Balakrishnan was so confident, the SDP team would be ‘trounced in five minutes’.

The opposition team comprises Dr Wijeysingha, 41, a civil society activist; Mr Tan; psychiatrist and former army colonel Ang Yong Guan, 56; and private school teacher Michelle Lee Juen, 35.

All of them pledged at the press conference yesterday that if elected, they would donate half of their MP’s allowance, which is about $13,000 a month, to set up a fund for the needy and to help the party do its constituency work better.

They also argued that upgrading of the estate should continue even if the opposition was voted in because such upgrading should be given to all Singaporeans as the plans would be funded by public money.

The team had earlier canvassed support at the Ghim Moh hawker centre and market, selling copies of the party newspaper, The New Democrat.

Dressed in red, the quartet were backed by 30 volunteers and supporters, and made their way around the market, with many people recognising Dr Ang, who has appeared on television and radio discussing mental health issues.

Former Reform Party candidate Alec Tok was also seen in SDP colours at Ghim Moh, but the party refused to confirm if he would contest the election on its ticket, saying that he was just a regular volunteer.

Over at Marsiling MRT station, SDP’s Sembawang team led by Dr John Tan, 49, also made its rounds. His team-mates are academic James Gomez, 46; entrepreneur Jarrod Luo, 27; businessman Sadasivam Veriyah, 58; and business development manager Mohamed Isa Abdul Aziz, 53.

The Sembawang team described the PAP’s plans for Sembawang as being ‘politically dishonest’ because the PAP team, led by Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan, had not disclosed where the money would come from and who would build the facilities mapped out.

‘Mr Khaw and his team had five years to put forward a development plan for Sembawang but they did not do so. And now, suddenly, one seems to have appeared close to the election, just days before nomination,’ said Dr Gomez, who was a candidate for the Workers’ Party in the 2006 elections.

‘Strange bedfellows’ in SDP team
Vivian takes on Chee’s party, hinting of a possible expose over YouTube video
By Judith Tan and Amresh Gunasingham

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan yesterday described the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) team running against him as ‘strange bedfellows’ who do not have a shared vision or ideology.

Dismissing accusations by SDP candidate Tan Jee Say that the People’s Action Party had ‘lost its moral compass’, he turned the spotlight back onto the SDP instead.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, he said: ‘It has been brought to my attention – in fact it is the SDP which is suppressing a certain YouTube video, which raises some very awkward questions about the agenda and motivations of the SDP and its candidates.’

He declined to give more details about the clip.

‘I suspect Mr Tan had not done appropriate due diligence of his teammates and his party,’ he said.

‘I am not going to go further into details but I think saying that and publishing that, the netizens will know what to do and they will discover this.’

The PAP team leader for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC made these pointed remarks while responding to Mr Tan’s criticisms of Singapore’s economic strategy.

Mr Tan, 57, the former principal private secretary to Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, had argued that with policies such as the introduction of the integrated resorts, the PAP government had lost its moral compass.

The former civil servant will probably be fielded in the SDP’s ‘A’ team in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC. The others are psychiatrist Ang Yong Guan, 56, civil society activist Vincent Wijeysingha, 40, and teacher Michelle Lee, 35.

During the interview, Dr Balakrishnan was also asked if opposition politicians sitting on government-appointed bodies would be an issue.

Dr Ang is a member of the National Council on Problem Gambling – a council that gives advice and feedback to Dr Balakrishnan’s Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports.

Said Dr Balakrishnan: ‘This is a statutory appointment where civil servants decide. I will let them decide the propriety of this appointment. I am waiting for advice on that but I don’t think it is an issue.’

During the hour-long interview, the minister described the SDP team as ‘a marriage of convenience’.

He described the SDP’s choice of the GRC as ‘a purely opportunistic pick’.

‘On the local level, they have no plans for this area and this GRC. At a national level, their policy proposals, for what they are worth, will be debated on,’ he said.

In hard-hitting language, he said of the SDP: ‘It has hurriedly recruited candidates with some very dangerous ideas, and even amongst themselves they haven’t sorted out their divergent interests and expectations. This will play out over the next few days.’

Ultimately, the issues that resonate on the ground in the GRC include the value of homes, staying employed and the future of the young, he said.

‘We have to address these needs and the residents would then be in the position to judge who can they trust to look after their future; whose plans are really being customised… to meet the needs of the residents in this area,’ he said.

He also questioned the efforts by the SDP, led by Dr Chee Soon Juan, to ‘furiously change’ its image and asked if there was something ‘fundamentally wrong with them at the core’.

At a constituency event earlier in the morning, Dr Balakrishnan told reporters: ‘I think they haven’t changed. I think they are trying to put on different clothes, different facades. I don’t think people will be taken in by this.’

During the interview, he also rebutted Mr Tan’s various proposals on Singapore’s economic strategy.

Mr Tan has argued that Singapore should restructure its economy and move away from manufacturing to focus more heavily on services, thereby reducing economic volatility and its dependence on foreign labour.

But the minister, citing the examples of the Asian financial crisis of 1998, the dot.com bust in 2001, the Sept 11 terrorist attacks, severe acute respiratory syndrome in 2003 and the global financial crisis two years ago, said Singapore’s ‘small, open, globalised economy’ meant that volatility is a ‘given’.

Further, manufacturing is linked to the services sector, ranging from logistics to finances.

‘If you are going to pluck out 22 per cent of the GDP, you take the risk of losing 500,000 jobs and all the other supporting service sectors would take a hit as a consequence of that,’ he said. ‘I think this is a recipe for job destruction, so the very real threat is indeed this proposal.’

He added that there is a need ‘to nail this so that people within and outside Singapore don’t get shaken and don’t believe that we have taken leave of our senses’.

What is SDP’s agenda?

‘He talks about moral compass and the SDP talks about new media… Well, it has been brought to my attention – in fact it is the SDP which is suppressing a certain YouTube video which raises some very awkward questions about the agenda and motivations of the SDP and its candidates. In fact, I suspect Mr Tan Jee Say has not done appropriate due diligence of his teammates and his party.

Now I am not going to go further into details but I think saying that and publishing that, the netizens will know what to do and they will discover this.’

DR VIVIAN BALAKRISHNAN, responding to Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) candidate Tan Jee Say’s accusations that the PAP had ‘lost its moral compass’ What is SDP’s agenda?

For all of us, it is a very heavy responsibility. Our residents’ livelihoods, families and homes are at stake. As far as the effort itself, my overriding imperative is not to let the voters, volunteers and my team-mates down. I am not sure what (the Singapore Democratic Party’s) strategy is. I would like to know whether they have confirmed that they are contesting, I would like to know their line-up. I can’t help feeling that part of the reason for their reticence is they have elements of their agenda they are not prepared to disclose and subject to scrutiny. Eventually, they will have to come out of the closet.

I see a total lack of a plan. Even at national level, I am still waiting for their manifesto. But if you base it on what we have seen so far, it is fair to say that the SDP, as far as policy is concerned, is the most extreme of all the opposition parties. It is an incoherent set of populist calls. And all I can do is to agree with Mr Chiam See Tong’s assessment that they have not changed. Their philosophy, their policies and their approach have not changed.

Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan on anchoring the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC team for the first time

By RAVI NESSMAN (AP) – 2 days ago

KATMANDU, Nepal — Nepal wants to paint Mount Everest pink.

It wants gay honeymooners trekking through the Himalayas.

It wants to host the world’s highest same-sex wedding at Everest base camp.

But mainly, the conservative Hindu nation wants a chunk of the multibillion dollar gay tourist market to help pull it out of poverty.

That quest — brushing aside historical biases in pursuit of economic opportunity — is symbolic of one of the gay rights movement’s most stunning successes.

Just five years ago, police were beating gays and transsexuals in the streets.

Now, the issue of gay rights is almost passe here.

Nepal has an openly gay parliamentarian, it is issuing “third gender” identity cards and it appears set to enshrine gay rights — and possibly even same-sex marriage — in a new constitution.

“(It) is not an issue anymore, for anybody,” said Vishnu Adhikari, a 21-year-old lesbian. “Society has basically accepted us.”

That acceptance has become a major marketing opportunity for a country cursed by desperate poverty, but blessed with majestic beauty.

Tourism is one of the main drivers of Nepal’s economy, worth about $350 million last year, and government officials are determined to double tourism to 1 million visitors next year.

They hope gay tourists will be far more lucrative than the backpackers who stay in cheap hotels here and travel on shoestring budgets.

“They do have a lot of income … they are high-spending consumers,” said Aditya Baral, spokesman for the Nepal Tourism Board. “If they behave well, if they have money, we don’t discriminate.”

The driving force is Sunil Pant, a member of parliament, the nation’s most prominent gay activist and founder of the new Pink Mountain tour company.

The nation’s mountains, food and culture are a natural tourist magnet, he said. Additionally, gay tourists could get married at Everest base camp and honeymoon on an elephant safari — though since Nepal doesn’t marry foreigners, such weddings would have no legal status, he said.

“With that, money will come here and jobs will be created,” he said.

A growing segment of the gay tourism market — worth $63 billion in the U.S. alone — craves adventure travel and exotic locations, especially if they are seen as hospitable to gay travelers, said John Tanzella, president of the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association.

As for an Everest wedding, “I think there would certainly be a niche within our community that would be very excited for this type of memorable experience,” he said.

Pant says Nepal also has a huge advantage in appealing to this niche because its neighbors in South Asia — some of them with laws outlawing homosexual sex — are not seen as gay-friendly destinations.

“There is virtually no competition,” he said.

Nepal’s own journey into gay acceptance has been a near-revolution, born out of chaos and conflict that decimated the nation’s traditional political and social systems.

A few years ago, the kingdom was torn by a civil war between the government and Maoist insurgents, and fighters on both sides preyed on marginalized communities and outcasts.

Transgender men, known as metis or eunuchs, were often robbed, beaten and sometimes raped at Maoist checkpoints, and again at government checkpoints, said Pant, head of the Blue Diamond Society, a gay rights group. Other than the metis, homosexuality was almost never discussed in the rural areas, where tradition pushed people into arranged marriages at a young age, he said.

Then, in 2006, the government signed a peace accord with the Maoists. Street protests forced the king to end his brief grab for absolute power and the centuries old monarchy was abolished.

In 2007, the Supreme Court ordered the government to draw up new laws to protect gay rights.

Now, the gay community stands to win big as the country writes a new constitution aimed at remaking the entire government, turning the nation into a republic and cementing peace.

The government has issued a handful of third gender identity cards. The next census is expected to allow respondents to choose between male, female or third gender.

Parliament is working on a same-sex marriage law even as the constitution drafters are incorporating gay rights into the document expected to be ratified later this year, said Pant.

“It’s a land of minorities and we support each other,” Pant said. “We all have been marginalized so long and it makes sense that we extend solidarity to each other’s rights and issues.”

In a sign of how much the nation of 30 million has changed, the gay community faces no real opposition in its fight for expanded rights, said Ameet Dhakal, editor in chief of the Republica daily.

The major parties, battling for votes, see no benefit to alienating a community that Pant says numbers at least 200,000, and religious leaders here generally stay out of politics.

Dev Gurung, a senior Maoist party leader who was once viewed as a strong opponent of gay rights, now publicly supports legal protections for the community.

“People, including lawmakers and government officials, were not aware that people like them even existed in the past,” he said.

Homosexuality has now entered the cultural lexicon. There is a weekly TV show called “Third Gender” and writers and filmmakers have begun exploring society’s treatment of homosexuals.

Poet Usha Sherchan published a short story last year in a literary magazine about a closeted gay man struggling with the pressure to get married. She thought broaching the subject was a risky move. Instead, she was inundated with praise.

“I was shocked,” she said.

Despite the rapid gains, Pant recognizes the nation’s sensitivities, and wants to ensure that an influx of gay tourists doesn’t turn Nepal into a sex tourism destination.

“They should come for the trekking, mountaineering, the culture, food … and for weddings, of course,” he said.