NMP hopeful Beatrice Chia flattered to be considered 'dangerous'

NMP hopeful Beatrice Chia flattered to be considered 'dangerous'
By Neo Chai Chin, TODAY | Posted: 15 May 2009 0802 hrs

	Photos 1 of 1 > " onclick="Next();" src="http://www.channelnewsasia.com/images/butt_next.gif" type="image" width="18" height="15"> Beatrice Chia-Richmond and her husband, Mark Richmond - from TODAY
	Related News • Three NMP hopefuls come under fire • Analysis: Time to tweak NMP nomination process • Questions over Siew Kum Hong's role as AWARE 'legal adviser' • Media coverage "not sufficiently balanced" at times • Government's position on homosexuality unchanged

SINGAPORE: She says she is flattered to be considered "more dangerous than Siew Kum Hong", after submitting her application for the post of a Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP).

And theatre practitioner Beatrice Chia-Richmond has "absolutely no issue with netizens voicing their opinions, approvals or disapprovals", even after reading the scorching comments on the government's REACH website on Thursday night.

TODAY had reported about the deluge of comments to REACH's thread on NMP candidates, and on Thursday night, the number of posts and page views tripled from a day earlier, with 337 comments and 5,661 hits as of 10.45pm.

While some accused NMP hopefuls Chia-Richmond and theatre director Loretta Chen, as well as incumbent Siew of having a "personal agenda", others defended Mr Siew's record in Parliament.

Ms Chia-Richmond said she welcomed the netizens' feedback, although many of her friends were mortified by some of the scathing remarks.

"I would say that it might be too early to presume the issues I would be voicing should I have the opportunity to be in Parliament," she said.

Her body of work has dealt with themes of discrimination, and the "gay theme has been featured often as it is an issue", she said, adding: "As a citizen of Singapore, a working artist, a wife and a young mother, I believe I have many other concerns besides LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) issues."

Some netizens like Chan Chow Phang believe the NMP nomination should not be determined by a single issue.

Another, Mr Bryan Tan, pointed out that then-First Deputy Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong had said in 1989 that the NMP scheme was implemented to evolve a "consensual style of government where alternative views are heard and constructive dissent accommodated".

Mr Siew said he was heartened and comforted by those who had spoken in his favour. But many of those who oppose his re-nomination have "mischaracterised my position", and "there are a number of baseless accusations and misrepresentations there".

Ms Chen said she was "bemused by the comments", adding that as a "working-class artist" - her father was a clerk, mother a homemaker, and her brothers had to quit school early to work - she was capable of handling and raising issues for the arts, youth, elderly and disenfranchised.

"If you truly want an open harmonious society, you must allow for diversity," she added.

A REACH portal spokeswoman told TODAY that "the interest and discussion show that Singaporeans are not an apathetic lot and they will come forward to give views and feedback to REACH when they feel strongly about an issue, and we are heartened".

"As with every issue, there will always be diverse views, so it's not surprising to see different views being expressed on this issue, whether mature or less so," she said, adding that Parliament's NMP Select Committee will make an independent decision based on a set of evaluation criteria.


- TODAY/so

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3 NMP hopefuls draw flak

May 14, 2009

3 NMP hopefuls draw flak

By Derrick Ho
		(From left) Mr Siew Kum Hong, Ms Loretta Chen and Ms Beatrice Chia-Richmond, have come under heavy criticism from netizens for being 'homosexuality' activists. -- ST FILE PHOTOS

THREE Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) hopefuls, Mr Siew Kum Hong, Ms Loretta Chen and Ms Beatrice Chia-Richmond, have come under heavy criticism from netizens for being 'homosexuality' activists.

Mr Siew - who is seeking a second term as an NMP - has been bearing the brunt of the flak and was flamed on several popular forums, including a discussion thread on the government's Reach website, over his recent involvement in the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) leadership tussle.

What some netizens are saying ON MR SIEW KUM HONG NMPs are like de facto politicians..not elected by the people but have the privilege to give their views in parliament. They should be responsible in their actions and speak. They should carry balanced and objective views as any issue is a double-edged sword. Rather than just shoot from-the-hip and give biased views through 'tinted lenses' like Mr Siew Kum Hong when he commented and sided on the AWARE saga. We need NMPs who come with objective positions and solutions. They must bring inside information and issues that the government have not heard..and again I believe our government are already very well informed and have a very good ear on the ground. So NMPs must bring added value and Not just lobby for some group. If one cannot contribute in this manner, they don't deserve to be selected to be an NMP. -- Kay Tee on Reach website ... more

Several postings accuse him of 'promoting homosexual lifestyle' and creating 'outrage among the majority of Singaporean', especially among parents.

One netizen wrote: 'I strongly feel that Siew Kum Hong is not suitable to be an NMP at all. His recent behaviour is really questionable. Why is he pushing so hard for the GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexuals and Transgender)? There are so many more pressing issues during this recession and yet he devoted so much of his time to the Aware saga.'

Another wrote: 'Does his views reflect the views of Parliament? He is dragging the whole reputation of the Singapore Govt and Parliament down with his actions. Stop wasting our time in Parliament and polarising Singapore society.'

But a small group is defending him. Said one of them: 'The more comments I read here, the more I realise that Siew Kum Hong has stood up for the advancement of very basic social and human rights issues that far too often goes unspoken or ignored by other representatives in the country.'

First opened for comments on May 1, the thread has gathered over 114 comments, with over 1,800 page views on Thursday morning.

Reach is a government-run website which encourages Singaporeans to contribute feedback and ideas on issues that concern them.

Known for his controversial views on several issues, including the repeal of of Section 377A which criminalises sex between consenting males, Mr Siew, 34, has supported the Aware's old guard who were ousted from office. He then actively campaigned for them and acted as their legal advisor during the Extraordinary General Meeting (EOGM) on May 2, which booted out the new executive committee and brought back the old guard.

Socio-political website Wayang Party said on its site that it has received notice that a campaign is underway to 'swarm' Reach with feedback to exert pressure on the Parliamentary Select Committee to reject Mr Siew's application.

The committee, led by Parliament Speaker Abdullah Tarmugi, will make its recommendations on NMPs to the President after the interview process.

Ms Chen, a theatre director, has been accused of being 'no different' in advocating a gay agenda.

'She's openly gay and has also directed films with mainly controversial themes. She's supposed to be a nominee from the arts community but is this again a back door for more pro LGBTs to represent voice in Parliament for education?' wrote a netizen on Reach.

Another critic says of Ms Chia-Richmond: 'She has directed and acted in many movies and mostly, if not all, are extremely provocative, dark and controversial, and many based on theme on homosexuality...'

Mr Siew has also been flamed on his personal blog for his so-called 'gay agenda', which prompted netizen to complain to the Prime Minister's Office.

This letter, which is posted by Mr Siew's blog site, says: 'We want to complain to the govt that an NMP Siew Kum Hong was not only openly taking sides in this internal affair of a secular organisation, but was part of the orchestrated disorder and mayhem on that day. He showed no regard for protocols until challenged by a member from the floor.'

Mr Siew remains unfazed by the torrent of criticisms. He told The New Paper (TNP) on Thursday that 'at no point did I seek to leverage on the fact that I am an NMP'.

'I am anti-discriminatory.... these people are ignoring the existence of the middle ground,' TNP quoted him as saying.

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