INTERNATIONAL brands such as Facebook, Microsoft, Google, Bloomberg, and Apple have been told by the Singaporean government to cease their sponsorship of Pink Dot, the country’s equivalent of the pro-LGBT Pride movement.
The non-profit organization organizes an annual rally of the same name, which was held on June 4 this year at Speakers’ Corner in Hong Lim Park, where supporters turned the park into a sea of pink.
.@PinkDotSG embraces diversity, as 1000s gather for annual #LGBTI event in #Singapore https://t.co/Mnxke44Xf1 pic.twitter.com/IYBQeApwNU
— UNAIDS Asia-Pacific (@UNAIDS_AP) June 6, 2016
Following queries as to whether the foreign companies were allowed to sponsor the event, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued a statement on Sunday that said: “Foreign entities should not interfere in domestic issues, especially political issues or controversial social issues with political overtones.”
“These are political, social or moral choices for Singaporeans to decide for ourselves. LGBT issues are one such example,” it added.
According to the rules governing the use of the Speakers’ Corner, non-citizens are not allowed to organize or speak at events held there, nor can they participate in demonstrations.
The ministry said it would “take steps to make it clear that foreign entities should not fund, support or influence such events held at the Speakers’ Corner”.
On Wednesday, Pink Dot issued its response to MHA’s statement, which said:
“For all the LGBT Singaporeans and their allies that this movement has striven to help give a voice to and done its part to push the envelope in helping to create greater visibility of Singapore’s LGBT community, we have done all we can to ensure Pink Dot SG stays within the law.”
It also pointed out that its corporate sponsors were all registered and incorporated in Singapore.
Representatives of the event’s various corporate sponsors expressed their surprise at MHA’s statement, and asked for clearer guidelines as to what constitutes a ‘foreign entity’.
“We thought we had followed everything – in terms of the regulations. So it will be good to hear from MHA more on that front,” said a company representative to Channel News Asia, speaking on condition of anonymity.
MHA has since said that “no action will be taken against the foreign corporate sponsors, and the event organisers, in relation to the foreign corporate sponsorships this year”.
However, the ministry refrained from defining what it considers a foreign entity, as well as which laws such foreign entities would be infringing upon if they continued to fund and support events like Pink Dot at the Speaker’s Corner.
It also did not provide more details as to what would fall under “controversial social issues that foreigners and/or foreign entities should not attempt to influence”.
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