NGO showdown brief, but breath of fresh air in stuffy Singapore

Last weekend a showdown within Singaporean women’s rights NGO, Aware, exposed rifts in the typically apathetic society. The outcome was mixed; the old Aware liberal guard was successfully restored, but the NGO’s sex education programs were rescinded this week. The issues at hand were homosexuality, which Singapore does not acknowledge officially, and religious secularism. Recently a group of conservative Chinese Christian women took power of Aware’s executive, with the mission to change Aware’s supposedly pro-gay agenda. Members of Aware, displeased with what they saw as an infringement of religious values in a secular NGO, staged a vote of no confidence, forcing the new guard to step down. While this was a success, the Ministry of Education this week suspended Aware’s sex education program in schools, citing the NGO’s discussion of alternative lifestyles as a major concern. The Straits Times quoted the Ministry saying, ‘They [Aware] should also adhere to social norms and values of our mainstream society.’

Taken unawares, The Economist
Live: Aware showdown at Suntec, The Straits Times Blog
Aware sex guide suspended, The Straits Times
Excerpts from Aware press conference, AsiaOne News
New Exco of Aware given a vote of no confidence, ChannelNewsAsia