I DISAGREE with Dr Tan Eng Chun, who called for the promotion of "Asian values" instead of "Western" ones such as absolute freedom of speech, sexual permissiveness and gender ambiguity ("Preserve traditional Asian values"; Tuesday).
First, the term "Asian values" is meaningless because Asia is too diverse for there to be a pan-Asian value system.
It is almost impossible to find a common value system among nations that have embraced different religions such as Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism, not to mention political systems like democracy and communism.
Second, it is a misnomer to classify "filial piety, humility and a focus on the family" as Asian values. These values are clearly universal and not exclusive to Asia.
Even if a pan-Asian value system did exist, it is incorrect to assume that gender ambiguity and sexual permissiveness are exclusive to the West.
In fact, from an anthropological perspective, Asian societies have traditionally been more open to sexual and gender fluidity than the West.
For instance, in India, the hijras, who consider themselves as transsexual or transgender, have a history that dates back more than 4,000 years.
In both China and Japan, homosexual relations were well-documented among the court nobility as long as these did not interfere in their familial duties to produce offspring.
Ironically, the condemnation of gender ambiguity and sexual permissiveness is largely imported from Western puritanism. For instance, Section 377A, which criminalises sex between men, is a legacy inherited from the colonial British.
Respect for one another is part of our societal culture, and this includes respect for gender and sexual preferences.
Bay Ming Ching
*Article first appeared on ST Forums (4 April 2014)