Aware: PROBLEMS? Call Govt

Tussle For Aware
PROBLEMS? Call Govt
DISPUTES? Call Govt
ISSUES? Call Govt
As infighting within women's group Aware continues, netizens ask if it's time for government intervention
WITH the infighting at Aware turning ugly, is it time for the Government to step in to make sure it doesn't get worse?
By Shree Ann Mathavan
27 April 2009

WITH the infighting at Aware turning ugly, is it time for the Government to step in to make sure it doesn't get worse?

That is the question being asked by some Singaporeans as the fight between the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware)'s old and new guard escalated.

Three Government leaders have since commented on the issue.

Letters have appeared in the newspapers calling for the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) to intervene.

Mr Ravi Govindan, who wrote to The Straits Times Forum page, believed secularism could be under threat with the new committee comprising several members from the same religion.

Ensuring secularism is also a sentiment echoed by Mr Choo Zheng Xi, 23, the editor-in-chief of sociopolitical website The Online Citizen.

He is especially concerned over e-mail messages circulating on the Internet which allege that the church may be behind the leadership change at Aware during its annual general meeting on 28 Mar.

If the allegations are true, Government intervention may be needed, he told The New Paper on Sunday, although it should only be a 'last resort'.

However, in a poll we conducted, more than half said the Government should not get involved in the Aware saga. (See page 24.)

And several political commentators we spoke to all said that the Government should should stay out of the fight.

Dr Terence Chong, a sociologist at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, said the call by some for government intervention reflects Singaporeans' 'placid' view of politics.

'So whenever something boils over, they call out for the nanny state to step in,' he said.

'In the long run, this is unfruitful because we end up being political infants that can't see robust debate as part of public life.'

Moreover, he pointed out that no laws have been broken.

While the police should certainly follow up on the death threats some of the new members have faced, he noted: 'They did take power legally and constitutionally, no laws have been broken.'

That's a point also stressed by lawyer Chandra Mohan Nair, 59, a former Nominated Member of Parliament. He said: 'There is no reason for the Government to intervene. There is no crisis, no breach of law, it is opinions being expressed.

'That's healthy, even if there is unhappiness.'

Likewise, Mr Zulkifli Baharudin, 49, businessman and former nominated member of parliament, feels the Government shouldn't interfere.

Unlike in some cases where Governments intervened with charities, there has been no abuse of funds, he noted.

Nevertheless, he feels important lessons can be drawn from the way the Aware affair has played out.

He said that the organisation should be aware that when it comes to any democratic election, there is always a winner and a loser.

'When you have open elections, you face the possible risk of votes going 'wrong' from one point of view,' he said.

'It is a numbers game, so you have to live with the consequences, you can't cry foul.'

He also pointed out that what is going on in Aware is a microcosm of larger society between those who are more liberal and those who hold more conservative views.

That's something Mr Nair agreed with.

He said: 'My wish is they will have a healthy and open discussion and something fruitful will come from the old and new guard.'

The New Paper on Sunday raised the issue of government intervention to both the new and old leaders of Aware.

Ms Margaret Thomas, 57, a founding member of the group, didn't think it was right or necessary.

She noted: 'It's a civil society process, so it ought to be something that we sort out ourselves.

'A lot of people have said this is a wake up call for the society, so let's do that.'

The new leaders of Aware shared a similar stance as well.

Ministers call for tolerance and respect

ON Friday, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean urged Aware's warring groups to tolerate and respect each other's views.

Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, told The Straits Times that the Aware case was not a national dispute and should not upset the balance and tenor of our open, tolerant and secular society.

But she added that Aware members should not let their disagreement become a vehicle for divisive views to be pushed aggressively.

Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports Yu-Foo Yee Shoon told reporters that Aware should settle the issue, respect its members' wishes as well as its constitution.

Following DPM Teo's comments, MsJosie Lau, President of Aware, released a press statement yesterday:

'Aware fully supports what the Ministers said that the disputes are internal matters.

'They should not be exploited in the public arena to serve controversial agendas.

'It is important that diversity of views be heard and discussed in a civil and democratic manner.

'The general meetings of Aware are the appropriate forum for those genuinely interested in Aware and its contribution to the well-being of women in Singapore.'

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