Is prostitution legal in Singapore?

Most of you know that soliciting is illegal in Singapore. That means you cannot offer your sex services on the street or in any public place, harass people or stand around with a placard hanging on your breasts to advertise your services. You probably also know that prostitution is not illegal in Singapore. But is it legal?

Though not illegal, I think it is not legal either; because :

First, the Government doesn’t recognize it as a legal business, at least not yet. The prostitutes and brothel owners don’t have to pay taxes and brothels don’t have to pay for a licence. If it is legal the Government would be taxing them. This would not look good on the Government because it is getting money from immoral earnings.

Second, if it is legal, there would be some written rules and regulations. If the brothel owners or prostitutes think that the anti-vice authorities are unfair to them, they could complain or write to the papers. They could also form an association or union to fight for their rights.

Right now, they just have to abide by certain rules which can be amended any time and the AV can suspend them for a short period if they breach any rule or in more serious cases, close down the brothels or send the prostitutes back home.

Third, the Government cannot close down a legal business. But if the Government suddenly decides to close down all the brothels, it can do so but probably it will give them two years’ notice.

So I think the brothels are just authorized to do their business, not legalized and the prostitutes are not 'legal' but registered so that they can be better managed and to ensure they go for health check-up.

Praises for Singapore

Singapore as role model

Like any loyal citizen, I am proud that others praise us .....

The loyal oppositions

What our opposition leaders said about our pledge. They agreed that it is an aspiration we should adhere to, something which is always relevant.

Our Pledge

We, the citizens of Singapore
Pledge ourselves as one united people
Regardless of race, language or religion
To build a democratic society
Based on justice and equality
So as to achieve happiness, prosperity & progress for our nation

I still remember the pledge. I think many of us do because we have been saying it for years in school. I think it is quite a marvelous piece of work.

It is still as relevant now and in the future as it has been in the past.

Unlike countries with thousands or hundreds of years of history, building a nation in Singapore is never job-done. It is always on-going. We will not reach the perfect stage where everyone is happy and peace and prosperity are assured. So every generation will build upon what we have already achieved and improve on it.

There will always be threats and crises. And with more immigrants settling down here, we need to constantly remind ourselves of the words ‘regardless of race, language and religion’.

Happiness is where your heart is

One significant factor that contributes to your happiness is loving your country. If you dislike your country, think of migrating and see only faults in this and that everyday, how can you really be happy. Hopefully you can go to the country you want and it welcomes you and treats you well.

Loving your country doesn’t mean you like everything and have no complaints. No, you may still complain and find faults in many things. However, you also see the positive side of things you don’t like. You know that in certain things there is no permanent ideal solution.

You still feel the stress in your life and in your job. But you are also grateful for the things that you have and you appreciate the love and help your family members and friends give you.

You may like to have gambling and prostitution banned altogether, but you know it cannot be done and you live with it. You understand that it is not possible for you to like every policy.

The grass looks greener on the other side. But when you go to the other side, you realize that it is the grass in Singapore that is greener. Your home is Singapore.

A fair outcome

One-quarter of the investors who lost their money investing in the structured products got full compensation and two-thirds got partial compensation. This is better than what I had expected.

Everyone should take responsibility for his own action. We cannot just blame the financial institutions and say the investors themselves are faultless. During those boom time, high returns ranked higher in the investors’ mind than safety and risks. And who would have thought that they would lose all their money.

The investors, even the old and uneducated, should bear some responsibility too. Sorry, if I sounded a bit harsh but I believe this is the truth.

It would be unfair if you compensate everyone or compensate investors equally.

So I would say the case-by-case approach is the right way and the outcome is fair.