Church leaders handled Aware saga responsibly
By Zakir Hussain
PRIME Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said he is grateful for the responsible stand taken by church leaders concerning the leadership tussle at the women's advocacy group, the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware), earlier this year.
During the episode, the National Council of Churches of Singapore (NCCS) issued a statement to say it did not support churches getting involved in the matter, and that the pulpit should not be used to push such causes.
Catholic Archbishop Nicholas Chia also issued a statement to say he had communicated to priests that nothing should be said about Aware, and that secular organisations should remain secular.
'Had these statements not been made, we would have had a very serious problem,' Mr Lee said yesterday, in his first public comment on the episode.
The saga took a religious turn in April when it emerged that six new committee members behind the leadership takeover attended the same church and were driven by what they saw as Aware's promotion of homosexuality, including in its sexuality education programmes in schools.
In a Sunday sermon, the church's pastor reportedly urged the women in his flock to 'be engaged' and support the new Aware leaders.
PM Lee said the Government was not concerned who controlled Aware, 'because it's just one of so many non-governmental organisations (NGOs)' here. Neither was each side's views about homosexuality or sex education the issue.
'What worried us was that this was an attempt by a religiously motivated group, who shared a strong religious fervour, to enter civil space, take over an NGO it disapproved of, and impose its agenda,' he said.
'And it was bound to provoke a push back from groups who held the opposite view, which happened vociferously and stridently, as a fierce battle.'
Mr Lee also said media coverage at times got caught up in the drama, amplifying the strong opposing views.
'People talk about mature civil society. This was hardly the way to conduct a mature discussion of a sensitive matter where views are deeply divided,' he added.
'But most critically, this risked a broader spillover into relations between different religions.
'Many Singaporeans were worried about this, including many Christians.
'They may not have spoken out aloud, but they raised one eyebrow and they kept their thoughts to themselves.'
The PM also disclosed that while the Government stayed out of the tussle, he himself had spoken to religious leaders after the dust had settled.
He met Christian leaders as a group first, then with leaders of various religions together, 'so that everybody understood where we stood and what our concerns were, so that we can continue to work together to strengthen our racial and religious harmony'.