Leong Mun Wai is a Central Executive Committee member of the Progress Singapore Party. He has been a Non-constituency Member of Parliament of the 14th Parliament of Singapore since 16 July 2020.
Prior to the May 2021 Parliamentary session, the Progress Singapore Party announced that it would "continue to raise important questions in Parliament for a more compassionate Singapore" and that it believed "compassion begins with a strong social safety net"[1]. Leong Mun Wai raised the following queries for the Minister for Social and Family Development:
- What are the current options for young and vulnerable teens to seek shelter if they are kicked out of their homes for reasons such as their sexual orientation or gender identity?
- Would the government consider extending financial support to shelters run by LGBTQ+ community groups such as The T Project?
For the Minister for Home Affairs:
- An update of the investigation into the incident of the rainbow flag being thrown at staff of the SMOL salad bar at Lau Pa Sat
- What further steps are being taken to protect frontline staff members and LGBTQ symbols such as the rainbow flag of LGBTQ-friendly establishments?
During the Budget 2023 COS (Committee of Supply) Debate in mid-February 2023, Leong recommended that sexual orientation be included as a protected category in workplace anti-discrimination legislation[2]:
Transcript:
"The second area that I am concerned about is the secular nature of our workplace and employment laws. Everyone should be free to practice their religion but this should not hinder anyone else from earning a living. I noted Recommendation No. 10 in the interim report that religious organisations should be allowed to make employment decisions based on religion and religious requirements for all workers. This appears to be a reversal of MOM’s stance in 2013. At that time, a pregnant church employee was sacked in the seventh month of her pregnancy because she had conceived the child in an extra-marital relationship against church teachings. MOM intervened to secure compensation for her because employment law had been violated. MOM also stressed that workplaces must be preserved as a secular space in Singapore. Thus, I hope the Minister can clarify how Recommendation No. 10 is aligned with MOM’s stance in 2013, or whether MOM’s stance has changed since then.
If Recommendation No. 10 is adopted, then I would like to call on the Government to include sexual orientation as a protected category in the anti-discrimination law. This is in line with the spirit of repealing Section 377A and will better protect LGBT workers from discrimination based on their sexuality, which still exist in Singapore. LGBT workers should be allowed to earn a living on a level playing field based on merit like anyone else in Singapore."
See also[]
- Singapore politicians' views on LGBT rights
- Progress Singapore Party politicians' views on LGBT rights
References[]
Acknowledgements[]
This article was written by Roy Tan.