Committee of Supply Debate 2022 on “Singapore’s Approach to Criminal Justice” – Speech by Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law

Introduction1.   I thank the Honourable Members for their comments. Court Judgment on s377A2.   I will first address Mr Derrick Goh’s question about the recent Court of Appeal judgment on the constitutional challenge to Section 377A (s377A) of the Penal Code. 3.   AGC is looking at the judgment carefully. 4.   The Government has explained its stand. Prime Minister Lee said in Parliament in 2007, when the Penal Code was amended but s377A was left unchanged, that we want to be “a stable society with traditional heterosexual family values,....

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Carrie Tan on improving youth well-being

MP Carrie Tan’s views on Ministry of Education’s Committee of Supply Debate 2022 2017’s OECD study showed that Singaporean students’ anxiety levels are significantly higher than the OECD average. 2018’s household expenditure survey showed that we spend 1.4 billion dollars annually on tuition alone, up from $650 million, just 15 years before.  We need urgent attention from the government to help our youths with their mental health. I suggest first, enabling better parent-child bonding and socio-emotional learning.....

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Carrie Tan on increasing rehabilitative spaces

MP Carrie Tan’s views on Ministry of National Development’s Committee of Supply Debate 2022 There are 3 main communities of people who need stable places to stay as they are being rehabilitated. They include 1) perpetrators of family violence, 2) Single mothers and their children and 3) Persons in recovery from mental health conditions discharged from IMH, whose families are unable to care for them before their conditions fully stabilise. In addition to these 3 communities,....

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Carrie Tan on expanding scope of National Service

MP Carrie Tan’s views on MINDEF’s Committee of Supply Debate 2022 Times have evolved, and we must recognise that cracks in our social cohesion could pose a real danger to Singapore. Polarisation, and any existing fault lines in our society can easily be exploited when people are over-stressed, frustrated and pressured. It would be a dire situation if our manpower shortage in the healthcare sector were to continue. I urge the nation to expand its definition of National Service to include care vocations to help reduce the stress of our people from the challenges of an ageing population.....

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