Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, the Minister of Community, Youth and Sports had finally broken his silence on the AWARE fiasco.
Speaking on the sidelines of his visit to Nee Soon South on 26 April 2009, he said:
“There will always be some issues where you cannot get everybody to agree. We need to be able to learn to live and let live, to agree to disagree, and to do so agreeably. But don’t let these single issues polarise or divide us and become the be-all and end-all of your social activism or your organisation.” (read article 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.
While I concur with Dr Vivian’s views and applaud the government’s decision not to intervene in the AWARE saga, I hope Dr Vivian and his ministry will study the ramifications of this unfortunate episode and respond accordingly to it.
Though the controversy which AWARE found itself embroiled in is purely an internal matter to be resolved by its members, we cannot ignore its implications for the larger civil society.
Read rest of article here:
http://wayangparty.com/?p=8385
Speaking on the sidelines of his visit to Nee Soon South on 26 April 2009, he said:
“There will always be some issues where you cannot get everybody to agree. We need to be able to learn to live and let live, to agree to disagree, and to do so agreeably. But don’t let these single issues polarise or divide us and become the be-all and end-all of your social activism or your organisation.” (read article 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.
While I concur with Dr Vivian’s views and applaud the government’s decision not to intervene in the AWARE saga, I hope Dr Vivian and his ministry will study the ramifications of this unfortunate episode and respond accordingly to it.
Though the controversy which AWARE found itself embroiled in is purely an internal matter to be resolved by its members, we cannot ignore its implications for the larger civil society.
Read rest of article here:
http://wayangparty.com/?p=8385
