Policies on family and marriage will not be changed

In dealing with the issue of Section 377A, the Government will continue to uphold families as the basic building blocks of society, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday.

Addressing the nation in Malay at the National Day Rally, PM Lee said: "We will keep our policies on family and marriage unchanged, and maintain the prevailing norms and social values of our society."

He noted that Section 377A - a law in the Penal Code that criminalises sex between men - is a highly sensitive and contentious issue, with strong views on both sides.

"But we must not allow it to divide us, like what has happened elsewhere," he said.

Every group has to accept that it cannot get everything it wants, as that is "simply not possible", he added. "And we must maintain the mutual respect and trust that we have painstakingly built up over the years, and stay united as one people."

PM Lee noted that as a multiracial society, Singapore will often have to deal with sensitive issues in a manner that preserves racial and religious harmony.

"This requires mutual understanding across all groups, and the willingness to give and take, and work together," he said.

"Only then can every group have the space to maintain its religious and cultural practices, and get on harmoniously together."

While Section 377A is fundamentally different from the tudung issue, it has to be handled just as carefully, he said.

PM Lee had announced at last year's Rally that nurses would be allowed to wear the tudung in public hospitals - a decision that he said was years in the making and took much engagement, dialogue and preparation from all parties, not just the Malay and Muslim community.