2022: All societies, civilisations, religions revere traditional marriage

Traditional marriage has been venerated in all societies, all civilisations since time immemorial – first point...

So, parental love is about paying it forward. It is this focus on forward and the future that drives us – drives all parents – to give the best possible start to their children. This is what makes us so focused on leaving the world in a better state for our children to inherit.

You see, it is this focus on the future, on protecting, nurturing, saving, investing, building; it is this future-oriented focus that affects the tone of our society. Frankly, even in Parliament, it is why, for me, there is no such thing as saving too much for the future – because it is for them and not for us. Even as we do that, we are simply, in fact, replicating what our parents and grandparents did for us.

This is why I believe all societies, all religions, have always conferred a sacred status on the institution of marriage.

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2022: Marriage is not only about consenting adults, but the best interest of the child

The second point is that a marriage is far more than a legally binding contract between two consenting adults for the sake of their mutual happiness.

My wife has often reminded me of an aphorism – the best gift you can give your children is to love their mother.

Initially, I found this advice bemusing, but the more I thought about it, actually, this advice makes perfect sense. Because, you see, children – in fact, think back to your own childhood – children need that reassurance, that sense of stability of knowing that both parents are in a committed, loving relationship for the long term and that both parents, will always be there for them.

In fact, the way we approach our marriage is not and should not be about just optimising the happiness of two adults but really for the sake of our children and their future. Because if we are successful and if we are blessed, then, we are good role models for our children. But our mistakes or, sometimes, our wrong choices, have profound impact and implications on our children.

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2022: Children need a father and mother

My third point is that every child has a biological father and mother. It is not just a matter of biology and genes and chromosomes, but think back to your own childhood – our mothers and our fathers played essential, complementary but not identical roles. Complementary but not identical roles.

When I served as the Minister in the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, I studied the problem of children in juvenile homes or with dysfunctional social circumstances. The single, most important factor I often found recurring was an absent father. That is why one of the things which I am proudest about was to have been one of the people behind the founding of Dads for Life.

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2022: Defined marriage as between man and woman

So, yes, I do believe, absolutely, with no apology and with no reservations, in the traditional family form as an ideal – one man, one woman, committed to each other to bring up their children in the context of a stable marriage.

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2022: Majority anxious about the future of families

To be frank with all of you, the majority of the feedback that we have received online and face-to-face, the majority has expressed great anxiety about families, anxiety about the repeal and a deeper anxiety about the future of families.

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2022: Constitutional lock-ups do not sustain family values

Similarly, to my residents who have asked for it to be entrenched, two-third majority and lock it up. I have to tell them that actually, these are issues which no amount of legal and constitutional lock-ups will decide for the future. The values, the mores, the attitudes of our children and grandchildren – we can all do our best to instil values in them, but we have got to trust them. We trust them and entrust them with the power and the authority to make decisions in the future. So, I also accept this amendment which makes it clear that the current definition and if there is going to be any future amendment, will be decided in this House and not in a court of law.

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2022: More needs to be done to strengthen traditional family

We have to find ways to continue to protect this precious and fragile institution of the traditional family and marriage and we have to remember that the welfare and the rights of our children are paramount. In practice, what that means is policies and programmes that will unambitiously support the traditional family and parenthood, including adoption rights, housing priority, Baby Bonuses and reproductive therapy. It also means our public messaging, our education, in schools, the mass media must continue to uphold these traditional family ideals.

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