In the wake of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s Aug 21 pledge to protect the nation’s definition of marriage, which excludes same-sex unions, in the Constitution, the government quickly mobilised top ministers to try to calm a storm brewing between the LGBTQI+ community and some religious groups.
The next morning, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong, the man tipped to succeed Lee as premier, spoke to the nation’s main broadcaster about how to “live harmoniously,” while Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam explained to the island’s biggest newspaper the move was to prevent the marriage definition being challenged in court.
