from AWARE to BEWARE

i think the AWARE saga is getting more and more exciting, as the new guard resorts to despicable means such as sacking those who defy their orders, deliberately excluding their own exco member from the press conference (were they afraid that she might speak openly about some things?) and changing the locks so that only eight members can access the centre after office hours (no prizes for guessing who the 8 of them might be).

when dp teo chee hian said that "all interest groups in Singapore should put their points of view across in a tolerant way and not force their views on others" (CNA, 24 April 2009) i think he was implying that people should learn to tolerate diversity and respect personal choices of others. i can think that smoking is wrong, but i cannot go around forcing people to quit smoking. neither should i go around telling people that they would die and go to hell if they smoke. what i can do is to share my view that smoking is bad for health in the long run, and try to win them over.

with that said, i think gay activists should not get too defensive and assume that the new guard will go around persecuting homosexuals using their newly acquired weapon (some Netizens have even labelled the new guard as the Christian Talibans). maybe people should wait and see if they really do "bring AWARE back to its original course" or would they act on their own agenda.

a quick check on AWARE's mission revealed it to be:

Our mission is to identify areas for improvement in gender equality, encourage positive change, and support women in realising their highest potential. We believe that gains made by women are not gains made at the expense of men. Rather, they are gains which benefit families and society as a whole (AWARE, 2009).

sounds like a good cause, although i am not sure if the new exco had alter the mission since their takeover. if they did, then that wouldn't be the original course, would it?

come 2nd may, there will be an EOGM, and another round of cat fight for members of the public to feast their eyes on. i won't be around in singapore to read the news, but whatever the outcome is, it doesn't really matter. if the old guard fails to overthrow the new guard (which i think is likely to happen, given the huge amount of support the latter have garnered over the last three months), maybe they can take their course somewhere and start anew.

they could be called BEWARE - Bonding and Empowering Women for Action, Research and Equality.

[/edit] You have to read the following:

• Too many questions unanswered
• A peak at values coached at CoOS

i think everyone is entitled to have their own beliefs and values, as long as they do not infringe on other people's rights. but i would be equally worried if values about women's submission to man and to domesticity (presumably held by people who are leading a woman advocacy group, whose vision is apparently "equality for all") were to be passed on to the younger generation, as i would be if pro-homosexual/gay/lesbian (or whatever term you want to call it) messages were to be passed on.

but then again, everything here are just speculations. peace!