Another place other than Heaven

Below interview with Ex-President of AWARE, Miss Dana Lam.

I have read the events and articles about the on-going AWARE saga and I am pretty flabbergasted at how a secular, non-profit organisation with a history of 24 years dedicated to helping women, has been subjected to such underhanded, one-sided, lopsided representation, with a new team that has been dodging questions from the media, the public and online netizens.

Why I say it was under-handed?

1. Religion
Almost all the members in the new Exco team are Christians AND attending the SAME church. Is it so much of a coincidence? Even their "feminist mentor" Dr Thio Su Mien has admitted she 'encouraged' the new President (who is also her relative) and other members of her church to join AWARE and to throw out the current team. I am not against Christians, but in all forms of representations, particularly in our multi-racial, multi-cultural, cosmopolitan country like Singapore, we have to live with and accommodate other religions and beliefs. Even our government and many corporate /non-corporate organisations always ensure there is rightful representation from all different sectors /people /religions. Even more so since AWARE is not a religious organisation.

Please respect non-Christians and other minorities.

2. Homosexuality
This is the very topic and possibly only one topic (excuse) that the new team has been harping on to throw out the old team. What about the other objectives that have been achieved but conveniently ignored by the new team? (I went to the AWARE website and isn't it ridiculous that the sections under "Past Programmes" and "Past Research" have been taken out and missing). They claimed the old team has deviated from their objectives by promoting homosexuality or lesbianism in the more than 100 schools which participated in the sex education program. The MOE (Ministry of Education) has replied that there was no negative feedback to the programs and the content taught was within guidelines. Please, the program was more of teaching the awareness of sex and the importance of safe sex and the likes, and not homosexuality focused. Social norms (and it seems the Christians in the AWARE new team) may not condone nor accept homosexuals but can they pretend that such people do not exist? I know of some Christians who are gays and lesbians too. Isn't that ironic? Turning a blind eye to them is not going to solve the problem (since they think it is a "problem" and something negative), even through the teaching of religion. If you can't accept them, can you ignore them? Why should they be condemned? Jesus did not treat the lepers as transparent. He did not turn them away but healed them instead.

Please respect others who seem "abnormal" to you and their choices.

3. Silence Is Golden?
The new team has faced an arduous task since assuming their new roles less than a month ago, because there were just too many questions people were asking and the new team has been dodging. Having the calibre according to your experience/ qualifications to enter a respectable organisation legally, is this the way you respond to criticisms? You orchestrated a takeover and then say you chose to remain silent and did not have time to settle down to proper work because of the intense media criticisms and death threats? How credible are you then, if you refused to speak up and chose to remain questionable (sneaky) in your actions?

Please respect those who made AWARE possible, the general public and even your supporters.

4. Venue
This is a small matter but then, it again sparked off fury. The venue of the EGM on 2 May was supposed to be held in Singapore Expo, till people discovered there was also a huge church conference happening at the same place, in which their AWARE new team's church is also participating. Another coincidence. Someone even complained that the entire church congregation could "conveniently hop over next door" to vote for their "sisters" in the new team. Now police has to step in and the venue has been changed to Suntec instead. When asked, AWARE new team declined comment and claimed they left it (the venue) to their event management company. Please. Double Please.

Sad as it is, this whole saga seemed to have merged into a war between Christians and non-Christians (although there were many Christians who have voiced out their concerns with the takeover as well as the image of Christians that have been portrayed). Even the umbrella Christian body here, the National Council of Churches of Singapore (NCCS) did not condone churches getting involved in the AWARE case.

I am not against Christians. I have many Christian friends. I have been in Christian schools all my life and studied the Bible as a subject as well as during chapels. Although I chose to be a Buddhist, I am taught to be accommodating to all other religions, and not to be exclusive, nor forced my beliefs onto others who were not. This is because different people have different karma, they have different gurus or masters or Gods whom they will listen to, different fates. If someone does not share the same religion as you, does not mean they (the other religions) don't exist. You can preach to them, they too have the right not to accept. But that doesn't make your religion "superior" than theirs. Don't shove your beliefs down people's throats. That doesn't mean that they are sinners. Well, if I can't go to Heaven doesn't not mean I am going to Hell. There is another place we Buddhists know - Pureland (and we have to work very hard to get there).

To quote Minister Vivian Balakrishnan in his notes, 'Suggestions to AWARE', he said: "I hope we will bear these three points in mind: - don't let a single polarising issue hijack the agenda, keep religion above petty politics and create a representative coalition (ensure your group has representation from all the different streams and segments that constitute Singapore)".

To this, I would like to add... the new team has failed on all 3 counts.

Dalai Lama: "All major religious traditions carry basically the same message, that is love, compassion and forgiveness. The important thing is they should be part of our daily lives. All agree that it is very important and worthwhile to make a strong effort to serve human society. To do this, it is important that we understand each other. In the past, due to narrow-mindedness and other factors, there has sometimes been discord between religious groups. This should not happen again. If we look deeply into the value of a religion in the context of the worldwide situation, we can easily transcend these unfortunate happenings. For there are many areas of common ground on which we can have harmony. Let us just be side by side- helping, respecting, and understanding each other - in common effort to serve humankind. The aim of human society must be the compassionate betterment of human beings."

Buddha: "Hatred do not ever cease in this world by hating, but by love; this is an eternal truth... Overcome anger by love. Overcome evil by good. Overcome the miser by giving. Overcome the liar by truth."

Jesus: "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. From anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again."

(Jesus and Buddha should have been sworn brothers).

I do not know the outcome of tomorrow's EGM. But I hope and pray that justice prevails and the right people with good sense will take the helm in continuing the good work of AWARE.