TR EMERITUS

By Dr Gwee Li Sui [NOTE: Dr Gwee is a an assistant professor of English Language and Literature at the National University of Singapore. The following article was published on his Facebook and is reproduced here with his kind permission.] Christians in Singapore, listen! You should not be this conflicted about the AWARE debacle. It appears that a few churches have already taken the opportunity to preach on the issue of homosexuality from the pulpit. Some Christians have also been rattling on about it being time to make a stand and be counted for what one truly believes. So this is me making a stand right here. I have been a Bible-believing Christian for 25 years now. I want first to acknowledge fellow believers who, like me, are shocked, angered, and saddened by the takeover and feel that their faith has been hijacked and their views ignored. I know that a lot of such affected Christians are out there. There is also another group which may not agree with the new team's tactics but admires its fervour or sympathises with it for the heat it has been getting. But, most of all, I want to address a crucial third party: Christian women who have been encouraged to stand up and be counted for their beliefs. I wish to appeal to their good sense in these last hours. You may be one of these and have even joined, or are planning to join, AWARE to help swing the votes in favour of the new ex-co on Saturday. Especially if I am describing you, please read on! Yes, there are times when a Christian needs to make a courageous stand – but, in every event, always ask yourself: For what cause is this? What context does it serve? The current scenario is not one where we are being asked what our beliefs on certain issues are or whether Christianity and homosexuality are compatible or we are being mocked or discriminated against. It is a simple context where a group of well-meaning Christians infiltrated a secular organisation in order to be in a position to dictate their own values in its daily running. In this light, what a Christian may feel about issues like homosexuality is besides the point! As a secular body, AWARE rightly cannot have a vision that treats women from different backgrounds through the outlook of just one religious system. Indeed, I dare say that an appropriate Christian response is to resist the actions of these Christians. Just as God gave every person free choice and the opportunity to believe, we ought to support the sanctity of this right for others to make up their own minds and live their own lives. Just as we do not force the Christian faith down someone's throat against his or her will, we should not take over a non-religious organisation for the single purpose of making others unlike us behave as we believe. To do this would be a gross misapplication of the message of Jesus. If you support the new ex-co's actions, be aware that you are sending a string of possibly irreversible wrong signals to every Singaporean. Consider carefully whether you are willing to shoulder the responsibility of damages that would affect the longstanding good work of Christians in Singapore. Since the government has chosen not to be involved in the matter so far, whatever happens will be seen clearly by all as the response of particular sectors of society. Here is my short list of obvious implications: [1] Support the new ex-co, and you are effectively saying that you condone its quasi-corporate act of infiltration, with related strategies of secrecy, disinformation, moral coercion, and fear-mongering. You are saying that you support its less-than-Christian covert moves more than traditionally Christian ones like dialogue, open engagement, honesty, and clarity. [2] Support the new ex-co, and we will go down a slippery road with wide-ranging repercussions for all. Don’t believe for a moment that the manoeuvring will stop here. What this invites others to see is that infiltration is the most effective way for small groups of like-minded individuals to seize power quickly -- and where will this end? What is to stop any religious or ideological group from doing the same to any social institution at every level? In the long run, who do you think loses? [3] Support the new ex-co, and you potentially make light of the freedom that is God’s gift to every human being. Against your best intentions, you may send out instead the message that we Christians think that we know better than everyone else and that we are willing to outflank, overpower, and overwhelm if we do not get our way. [4] Support the new ex-co, and, if they stay and behave as predicted, you will be directly responsible for undoing the trust that many Christians have taken years to build with their non-Christian friends. This is a trust built on mutual respect. You will have made the Gospel of Christ more difficult to hear for years to come because people will think that they know what it is about. You will have created a new generation of Christ-haters. This matter, in short, is not to be treated lightly. Jesus tells us all to be "wise as serpents, and harmless as doves". There are times to be passionate and helpful in a gungho way, but this is not the time. Christians can be wrong about many things too. So please, by all means, pray for the AWARE debacle to be resolved amicably and for Christians in AWARE, but do not, in the name of our common faith, go in blind support of other Christians because you are Christian! Yours Truly, Gwee Li Sui Source: Dr Gwee's Facebook  Read More →

By Eugene Yeo Some of you must been wondering why there was a flurry of articles about the AWARE saga on our site lately when we had been pretty reticent on the matter in the past. There were also leaks of emails purportedly circulated by COOS members to rally support for the new exco. To tell you the truth, we have received numerous emails from Christians, some of whom are from COOS itself, imploring us to say something for them in order to protect the name of their religion. They are equally as appalled and disturbed by the underhanded means in which the new exco seized control of AWARE supposedly to push for its own religious agenda in mainstream society under the guise of a secular cover. In spite of their misgivings about the episode, they cannot expressed their real sentiments openly out of fear of being ostracized in their community. We are grateful for the support moderate Christians have shown for our work. We expect a lot of brickbats thrown by us, but there were none save for some occasional criticisms posted on our site. I urge all readers to regard this saga with some circumspection. This is the work of a small group of self-righteous moral vilgantes using the name of religion and morality to sugar-coat their own personal ambitions to impose their values and beliefs onto others. A significant proportion of Christians do not share their views and neither will they heed their call to cast a vote for the new exco at the coming EGM. If you are a Christian who disagrees with the actions of the AWARE new exco and wishes to share with us your views on this matter, please post your comment directly here or email us at [email protected] Let me share with you a few thoughtful comments left here by our Christian readers: From Dawn: I am a Christian (and incidentally married and a woman) and I think what the new Exco who took over AWARE did is appalling. Yes, it is ‘legal’ but is it right? I am also a long time AWARE member, and volunteered there many years ago briefly. During this time, I saw volunteers running language classes for people who wanted to learn English, and women running the helpline for women in need. This isn’t an issue of Christian versus Gays - this is an issue of fair play to me. AWARE is an organisation whose aims the new Exco presumably views as being ones they cannot entirely agree with (though, incidentally, they’ve only ever focused on the homosexual issue, which to me was never the first thing that cropped up when I thought of AWARE).Of course, they are entitled to their own opinion, just as everyone else is. Then why not start their own organisation to promote their own aims? Above all, I believe in tolerance. Some people seem to confuse tolerance with having their own lifestyles under attack. Just because someone believes that gays are people and should not be discriminated against, doesn’t mean that they are ‘anti-family’. In fact, it doesn’t even mean people who are gay are anti-family! If anything at all, Jesus was tolerant and compassionate. He didn’t shun or discriminate against prostitutes, tax collectors, etc. He didn’t tell them that they were wrong but embraced them AS THEY WERE. Please don’t think all Christians support them, or have stayed silent. I have been asking everyone I know to please go for the EOGM.   From S K Tan: The minister has spoken. We should build a “rainbow coalition”. Building the rainbow coalition is for the interest of our nation. I hope members of the new exco of AWARE understand, resign and leave. This is a sensible thing to do. The AWARE saga shows the danger of religious brainwashing making highly educated people to lose their sensibility. It is good to be moderately religious but dangerous to be extremely religious. Extremists tend to lose their heads in heaven forgetting that their feet are still on the ground. We need laws when we discard the values. According to the law, members of the new exco have won but according the ethics and values, they have lost. It is a sad thing that their lives are guided by laws and not by values. As Christians, it is a disgrace that their lives are not guided by values. God guides them through the values. Throw away the values and they will be guided by Satan in the name of God.   From innocent: I’m a Christian but I support the old guard, simply because: 1) I can’t stand the way they used the church to orchestra a coup and still lied that the church is not invovled. 2)They had only one argument, there is it’s not alright to say homosexual is neutral. The keyword is neutral and that argument had been proven invalid by moe statement. 3) They put us Christians in a very bad light. They claimed they are upholding God’s principle yet all the same they disobeyed God’s Word by discriminating and judging other people. 4) The way they can sack people because of disobedience and yet at the same time their leader disobeyed DBS instruction. And after that still have the cheek to replace the manager with their own church member.   From JL: I am a Christian, and it makes me very very sad to know that the new exco has garned supporters using the faith. AWARE is a secular group, not a religious group. There is a chinese saying - 贏了還慘過輸，meaning it’s worse off by winning. If they really win, I believe that’s where the nightmare really begin   From Agape Xue: I wish to signal a red alert to Members of the Old Guards… Shawn Tay, TSM, Jose Lau & all their terracotta armies know that Aware is a non government organisation and non religious, non partisan group, formed to serve people who are left out in the official government aids programme. There are always pockets of area of poor, handicapped, minority groups, sexuality prejudiced people who do not form the mainstream group whose problems are given attention by the Government, so such NGOs like Aware will participate and volunteer to contribute and fill the gaps where helps are needed. In the past messages of Aware’s previous president ( clarence Singham), the programmes are well outlined. So, Aware has access to some charitable organisations like the famous middle road Buddhist temple and others. These are valuable sources of funds, and the resouces would be useful for another group of people ( like Shawn Tay, TSM, Jose Lau etc ) to seize control. Imagine how the church can tap on Aware as an intermediary organisation to tap the Buddhist funds. Gosh,, this is a strategy used in Shun Tze’s military strategy to fight in the enermy’s turf and consume on the enermy’s rations.. .. Now the plot is exposed,,, so what is their next plot??? To kill Aware by legitimately depleting their finances legitimately. This can be done by Jose Lau and the new committee authorising the use of Aware’s funds for apparently most legitimate causes.. Engaging lawyers,, and pay hefty legal fees is the most efficient method to kill an organisation. In no time,, all the hundreds of thousands of dollars can be spent, and Aware will be so poor that no one will want to run the organisation any more. That is when the church organisation can then come in easily to operate Aware using Church funds. I strongly urge that the old guards form a protem committee and look into obtaining a court injunction to stop Jose Lau and her terracotta armies from dipping their dirty fingers into Aware fund to fight legal battles. Hold all the current committee members jointly and severally accountable for the loss of Aware funds. If they want to fight the war, let them come out money out of their own pockets,,, but then again,,, their church bodies will surely extend such funds to them quietly. The government needs also to ensure this is not the case. The influence of these organisations are too strong now. Every pastor wants to make a mega organisation where they can suck millions of dollars at the expense of the unsuspecting. This has to be checked.   From Lyd: I’m Christian too and I think that what the new Exco Committee did was wrong. Christianity is about loving people, not judging or condemning others. Our role is not to play God. I’ve been an Aware member for years and I can testify that Aware has not had a homosexual agenda and neither are they promoting homosexual values. Aware does not believe in discriminating against women because of their sexuality. Aware has always maintained that it is a secular organisation. This group of women’s views are not representational of the Christian community. Christians are not anti-homosexuals and neither should they be cruel in their treatment to homosexuals and the people around them. Help save Aware: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAAEusdEKxY&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ewe%2Dare%2Daware%2Esg%2F&feature=player_embedded Help save Aware.    Read More →

By Eugene Yeo Last week, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan indicated that the government will not intervene in the AWARE saga as the Societies Act clearly spells out how associations should conduct their affairs and the association’s constitution also regulates arrangements between members. (read report here) The minister also emphasised that it is important for all Singaporeans to remember and also remain sensitive to the fact that they are living in a multi-racial and multi-religious society. Though Dr Vivian has been circumspect about the controversies which the new AWARE exco found themselves embroiled in, he had strong words for all parties concerned that it is important for organisations to keep religion above the fray of petty politics. May I ask Dr Vivian if religious organizations are allowed to interfere in the internal affairs of a secular NGO? Recent events have more than adequately demonstrated the prominent roles of COOS and its pastor Derek Hong in the coming EGM of AWARE. The Church of Our Saviour (COOS) have been encouraging people to join Aware and support the new team. There were unconfirmed rumors going around that COOS is paying for transport to bring busloads of supporters to the Singapore EXPO to vote at its EGM. The venue of the EGM has been changed abruptly to the Singapore EXPO Hall 2 only this week which is within walking distance of the Max Pavilion where the "Transformation Conference 2009" co-host by COOS and 40 other churches will be held. [Note: the venue has been changed abruptly yesterday to Suntec Exhibition Hall 402 after we spilled on their ploy with the choice of EXPO as a venue] In a weekend sermon posted on its website, Pastor Derek Hong urged the women in his flock to ‘be engaged’ and support Ms Lau and ‘her sisters’ at Aware. He said: ‘It’s not a crusade against the people but there’s a line that God has drawn for us, and we don’t want our nation crossing that line.’ (read article here) Emails have been circulated by COOS members urging fellow Christians and friends to sign up for AWARE membership and turn up to support the new exco, one of which is by Dr Alan Chin, the husband of AWARE President Josie Lau. (read letter ) Under provision 24 of the Societies Act (CAP 311), the minister may order dissolution of any society whenever it appears to the minister that:  (a) any registered society is being used for unlawful purposes or for purposes prejudicial to public peace, welfare or good order in Singapore; (aa) the registration of any society has been procured by fraud or misrepresentation;  (b) any registered society is being used for purposes incompatible with the objects and rules of the society; [source: Statues of Singapore] The present actions of the new AWARE exco have contravened the above three provisions under the Act: 1. Singapore is a multi-racial and multi-cultural society. The mobilizing of large numbers of Singaporeans in the name of religion to support the new exco at the EGM is prejudicial to public peace, welfare or good order in Singapore. 2. Many new members of AWARE have been urged by faith-based groups to sign up to support their religion. There is obvious misrepresentation of the values, principles and mission of AWARE as a non-religious, secular group whose purpose is to serve the interest of the women community in Singapore and not any particular religion. 3. AWARE is now used for purposes incompatible with the objects and rules of the society which is to promote an anti-homosexual agenda under the guise of a secular organization. Furthermore, ROS needs to investigate possible misuse of AWARE funds by the new exco to ensure it stay on in power under provision 19 of the same Act: Penalty for misuse of money or property of a registered society. 19. —(1) Where on complaint made by a member of a registered society or by the Registrar it is shown to the satisfaction of a District Court or a Magistrate’s Court that any officer or member of that society has in his possession or control any property of the society otherwise than in accordance with the rules of the society, or has unlawfully withheld any money of the society or wilfully applied such money to purposes other than those expressed or directed in the rules of the society and authorised by this Act, the Court shall, if it considers the justice of the case so requires, order the officer or member to deliver all such property to the trustees of the society or such other persons as the Court may appoint and to pay to them the money so unlawfully withheld or improperly applied. AWARE is a NGO whose funds are contributed by many organizations including Buddhist temples. The cost of renting Suntec convention hall for its EGM is exorbitant and it must be justified by the new exco. AWARE has no more than 500 members in the last 24 years of existence and its AGM is usually attended by less than a hundred people. The sudden increase in membership over the last few weeks raised the question if the new members are joining AWARE out of a genuine interest to serve the society or are simply there to make up the numbers to support the new exco. The hasty last minute change in the EGM venue would have caused AWARE to lose a few thousand dollars in forfeited deposit. The engagement of Rajah & Tann to observe the proceedings at the EGM will probably run up to a few thousand dollars in legal fees. The new exco needs to explain why AWARE has to incur such expenses in such a short span of time. Are the funds used to serve the interest of the society or to keep themselves in power? In such a scenario, the actions of the new exco would have "wilfully applied such money to purposes other than those expressed or directed in the rules of the society." Therefore, there is a case for the Registry of Societies to dissolve AWARE with immediate effect and to conduct an investigation into the accounts of AWARE. Concerned AWARE members may consider lodging a complaint directly to ROS to conduct a probe into the society's accounts should the authorities continue to procrastinate.  Read More →