Caught Unaware

Before I begin, Auntie Li Cheng, my heart feels for your Mum and your family.

I must admit that I was unAware of the Aware saga until yesterday. I knew it was going on but it didn't feel important at all because how often do we hear about Aware. I don't even know what they were doing (did they sell flags over the weekends?) and you can brush me off by concluding that I'm just another male chauvinist. 

But honestly, I was more fascinated by Ming Yi and his Ren Ci saga because $350,000 seemed a lot more tangible than a group of ladies who fight for women's rights in Singapore (when the women here are already so well-protected). Call me shallow and I won't deny it. 

However, a church friend who works in SPH started this email to ask for prayers and it implied that the new leadership was prosecuted in an attempt to take over the Arena. That got me concerned and prompted me to read more about the incident and the more I delve into it, the more intrigued I got and I must say that I will be very shallow if I give a conclusion without writing an argument that is at least 200 pages long.

I won't go into the hard facts because it's everywhere but I thought there are many angles to consider:

Action or Agenda

Are the people taking sides in term of the action (as seen in the bloodless coup) or by the agenda (anti-homosexuality) of the new leadership? These are two separate issues. And if I start with Action, then it draws my attention to Valkyrie. Operation Valkyrie was essentially an ambush, and it was deemed acceptable because there was no other way to go about it. The rebels couldn't be transparent about their action and they were seen as the heroes. What about Barack Obama who mobilised so many to vote for him, at least he made his intention known 2 years before an election. But who is to judge that 2 years are acceptable while 2 months are not.

And the Old Guards, aren't they also responsible not to have seen it coming? By being so loose about membership and the voting system, are they similar to the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) with so many politicians switching sides when the wind changes? And if they are not so particular about the whole Aware, why bother now when they lost to this coup? Is it just embarrassment?

The new guys. Josie Lau mentioned that she didn't understand why there was such a big fuss when she won it legitimately. Well, we were talking about this in office: what's defensible may not be indisputable and God knows what other terms the lawyers can come up with. Yes, it's lawful so it's defensible. But is it indisputable that everyone can agree to it because it's logical, and reasonable? Hmm...

Then we come to Agenda. Taking over the Arena (lol). What Arena? The '7 Arenas' is a term declared by a person. I love what Pastor Sam said a few months back, King David fell, King Solomon stumbled, Peter denied Christ, what makes us think that we can't fall. Taking over the Arenas simply means that we will be influential and be the Light and Salt, just the same old teaching, repackaged in a nicer way.

So anti-homosexuality. If I have to decide if I am for or against. I must say that I'm against because it is against the law of nature and I am a Christian (in this order). I can never be 100% sure that homosexuality is a choice, rather than genetically designed because I am not gay. If it is by choice, then it is definitely wrong but I don't know. I frown when people say that they will shun the movies starring Sean Penn from now on because he promoted gay activists by acting in the movie Milk. I understand where they are coming from but let me suggest, imagine you have a son or a daughter and find that he/she has homosexual behaviour. Will your voice against homosexuality be softer? If it may be, then are you a hypocrite? I admit that I don't know because I can never know if it is a choice and I'll leave the judgement to God. I am a Christian and I believe Jesus died for everyone, gays and lesbians included.

And then, why Aware. If anyone has an agenda, let that person set up another association. Why take over Aware. Please set up Aware II and if you are sincere and capable, more people will eventually join Aware II.

Attention

Why was there so much attention here. Because Singapore is too protected. There is no politics to talk about here and Aware became a proxy to what could happen in the higher scale of things. Look Thailand where the Bangkok elites went against the Rural masses, we are having a mini Yellow Shirts vs Red Shirts here at Aware. I guess the political parties should look into this as a social experiment to see how it will fare if political freedom is provided here.

Impartiality

Are the things we are reading objective and unbiased? When we have only one SPH, how much objectivity can we get? If the SPH would take side, it will definitely be pro-family-nucleus because this has been the way of life in Singapore (one Dad, one Mum and many kids for the future of Singapore).

Affinity

When we make a decision, how civic-minded can we be? I am a Christian and I must be one who is 24/7 and not just on Sunday, or worse still Christian during X'mas and Easter Sunday. Christianity, or religion for that matter plays a huge role because it becomes part of our upbringing, and gives us a sense of right and wrong. So now, do I sub-consciously rank myself as a Christian first or a civic Singaporean first when I make decisions.

There was someone from my church who took part in the Singapore Idol a few years back. I was based in Tokyo then and didn't tune in at all but everyone was telling me how good she was. I was never good at music but my question was: how objective can we be in such a situation? When the parents will find their sons/daughters as the most beautiful creation, can they still be impartial and say that someone else's babies are cuter than their own?

Unfortunately, Singapore is small. Just gather your friends who are dedicated enough and you get a high public approval at the Singapore Idol. I am saying this because I just found 2 long-lost friends today, one was my OCS platoon mate 8 years ago. Another was my SJI classmate. I mean, Singapore is so small that I meet people that I know all the time, and if I don't make enemies, these friends wouldn't mind doing me a favour and vote for my horrible singing. It is less likely to take place elsewhere because I would be little known in another village, or prefecture or state. That is when we really can measure our talents.

I can't pass a judgement because I don't want to degrade myself yet. In the mean time, I'll set up Association Against Men Oppression in Singapore (AAMOS) with my colleagues. Right, Robs?