Chua Sock Yii, Nai Jia Jia 1222

Question: In your society, how far is equality for all a reality?

William Garrison once said, “Wherever there is a human being, I see God-given rights

inherent in that being, whatever be the sex or complexion”.  In Singapore where there have

been notable efforts by the government in trying to create an inclusive society for all and

empowerment of women giving women more rights, equality for all appears to be within our

reach. However, what we must not forget that Singapore, being a conservative country, is

still unable to accept some liberal ideas. Furthermore, economic concerns and the

marginalization of men still make it difficult for equality to be achieved. While I agree that

there have been notable efforts in pursuing equality, the side effects of these efforts make

equality for all far from reality.

Politicians in Singapore argue that equality for all is possible given that the government has

been making conscientious efforts in trying to integrate the different races together. These

efforts ensure that the rights of the minority are not neglected and equal treatment is given to

all. Singapore, being a multi-racial country made up of the Chinese, Malays, Indians and

Caucasians, needs to ensure that fair treatment is given to all races in order to avoid any

racial tensions. One initiative the government undertook was to make it compulsory for there

to be at least one candidate or Member of Parliament from a minority race in each Group

Representation Constituency (GRC). Such measures have a direct impact on the minority

groups as it reminds them that their voices can be heard and that their rights are not

neglected. Moreover, decisions made by the government that has great political power will

be able to indirectly influence people to follow their campaign in creating an inclusive society.

With efforts which are capable of shaping the thinking and perceptions the citizens have of

other racial groups, the government is able to effectively path the way for equality between

all races. On the basis that governmental efforts are able to slowly make people more open

to ideas of equality, politicians state that equality for all is not far from our reach.  

Opponents of my view also state that equality for all is actually attainable especially in the

case of gender equality as much has been done to empower women, namely through

education. Empowerment of women through education had allowed many women to enter

the workforce, and compete on equal footing with the men. Women now have equal

opportunities and rights as men, and can become leaders as long as they have the capability

to do so. There is also a shift in phenomenon from women staying home as caregivers to

men staying at home and be “nanny dads” instead. For example, Lee Li Lian makes history

as her recent victory in Singapore election makes her the first woman opposition member

party to win a single-seat ward since independence. The emergence of female political

leaders showed that Singapore is actually now one step closer to attaining gender equality

for all. Furthermore, the fact that this result is brought about by Singaporeans’ votes showed

that many citizens had already got rid of the mindset that women are not as capable as men.

Thus, it is evident that equality for all will be a reality in the long run as many people are now

much more accepting towards women’s ability to take charge.

Though there may be an element of truth in the above argument, it should be noted that in

the pursue of gender equality and empowerment of women to ensure equal rights for them,

our society is gradually becoming a society whereby men are discriminated against instead.

Nowadays, laws and legislation often rule in favour of women especially when it comes to

divorce and molest cases, causing the male parties to be more disadvantaged instead. For

example, under the law, in a divorce case, the judge would most likely grant the custody of

the child to the mother unless she has criminal records or is mentally unstable. The

justification for this is that “it is in the best interest of the child” as mothers are considered

better at bringing up children, especially the younger ones. This is a gross generalization,

and is one obvious example of discrimination against males. After all, a mother-headed

family is often far from ideal. One of the main causes of child abuse is the presence of a

boyfriend or a stepfather in the home. Fathers can be good parents too. Evidently, this

showed that equality for all is merely a dream as during the course of attempting to pursue

gender equality, the male are actually sacrificed by the society in order to protect the

women.

Economic concerns also proved as a barrier for attaining equality for all. Firms and

companies aim to profit maximize, and this is usually done by increasing the efficiency and

productivity of their employees. As such, employment centres tend to discriminate against

the elderly, as they are often seen as burdens to the society that would have an adverse

impact on the company’s efficiency level. For instance, many job hiring advertisements still

blatantly states that “those under the age of xx need not apply”. For example, some

government agencies have put out recent tenders setting limits on the age of security guards

to be hired. Most of the agencies capped the age of guards at 55, well below the statutory

retirement age of 62. This clearly shows that ageism still exist in Singapore, and is actually a

rather prominent issue. Hence, as long as money is concern, discrimination against the

elderly will never be eliminated, especially when they are often perceived as weak and

feeble. As such, equality for all is not attainable to a large extent.

Equality for all is far from being a reality in Singapore because Singapore is a conservative

country which does not accept some liberal ideas, causing the discrimination of people who

accept them. Without the society being more accepting of foreign ideas that may have

breached our moral values in the past, our society cannot advance and the public will still

continue discriminating against those who accept the ideas. For instance, homosexuality, in

particular gay relationships, is not widely accepted in Singapore. According to Section 377A

of the Penal Code, any male person who, in public or private, commits, or abets the

commission of, or procures or attempts to procure the commission by any male person of,

any act of gross indecency with another male person, shall be punished with imprisonment

for a term which may extend to 2 years. Furthermore, gay marriages certificates obtained

overseas are not recognised by the law in Singapore. This makes it unfair for homosexuals

as they are not allowed to set up a family like heterosexuals can. Such unequal treatment

was not based on something wrong the homosexuals did, but it was based on the fact that

they are more sexually attracted to people of the same sex, which is something they have no

control over. Rigid mindsets and strong cultural values make it difficult for foreign ideas to be

accepted and this translates to marginalization of those who are different from the crowd. As

such, equality for all in Singapore remains far from being a reality.

Summing up, although there have been measures set in place to ensure that women and

those of the minority races are not discriminated against, the underlying impact of

discrimination against men still makes equality for all difficult to achieve. Furthermore,

economic concerns are held at top priority and the fact that Singaporeans are unable to

accept some liberal ideas steps in the way of achieving equality for all. Without the people

correcting their rigid mindsets and men’s rights to be handled with care, equality for all still

remains a term that we will not come across in the near future.