I can't believe I watched 红星大奖 2009 on SKYPE.
Erm... Yes... I saw it on SKYPE... It's not a typo. All because SS was trying to prove to me that 周海媚 was in Singapore. I ended up watching the last 20 minutes of the awards via SKYPE.

Mediacorp Artistes & GOD
Apart from being surprised by the fact that Kym Ng did not get into the top 10, I was even more surprised at how quite a few mediacorp artistes thanked GOD in their speech. Immediate thought:

High Profile Religion
It seems Christianity has proliferated and become highly visible... more so than before. High-paying pastors, rock concerts, building of huge churches and shopping centre etc. All high profile ventures. And the latest being the AWARE saga. Let's not pretend that it does not have anything to do with a bunch from the same church pushing its agenda by taking over an established secular vehicle.

Network Effect
I see a very powerful network effect at work here. This network consists of many people (across age and gender), a lot of resources (cash, time, members etc), physical icons (place of worship, shopping centres etc). In other words, this network is made up of 3 layers, i.e. physical network, psychological and online networks. Each extensive in its own ways. All able to carve significant mindshares.

An obvious comparison is the broadcasting station. It broadcasts to all (sometimes for free). To make a profit, the broadcasting station sells airtime for advertisements. Sometimes the station partners a commercial client to produce a 'promotional' programme for the latter. And the list of examples goes on. The fundamental principle is the exploitation of the station's network, i.e. its existing viewership aka its 'following'. This vehicle is amoral. Its content may not be so.

So by stretching one's imagination, any large network reaching out to many people is very attractive and can be instrumental to agendas which (i) require a majority vote, or (ii) generate high volumes of transactions through mass consumption at a relatively low cost to the individual. Such agendas range from economics, to national security, to politics, and now... to the civil space.

In fact, I think it will be useful for the local press to concentrate its resources on an exploratory piece, i.e. Top 20 Most Influential (Social Capital) Persons in Singapore, instead of covering some pregnant ping pong player's wedding to her country mate. Depending on the methodology, I will not be surprised if a few religious leaders top the list and even be ranked higher than some political and business leaders in Singapore.

Beyond Network & Winning
There are many ways to win a game. But the key is not merely playing by the rules. The key is to convince most, if not all, that one has indeed played FAIR.

The New Guard from AWARE did not manage to convince its audience (which now has expanded from its membership to the Singaporean public and beyond) that it has played fair. Like I mentioned earlier, it is obvious why the new guard did not start a new organisation and wanted to take over the existing AWARE. 2 reasons:
(i) No need to reinvent the wheel (just take over existing premises, membership, application for government approval etc.), and
(ii) To eliminate existing competitor, i.e. the Old Guard.
一石二鸟. Sounds very smart.

However, the New Guard miscalculated the reaction to its unpopular tactics. This may well become the New Guard's Achilles' Heel.

I gather that there will be an EGM (initiated by the Old Guard) for a vote of (no) confidence. It will take place at Singapore Expo Hall 2 SUNTEC CONVENTION CENTRE, Exhibition Hall 402 , 12pm, this Sat, 2 May 09. If majority of the turnout votes in favour of the new Exco aka the New Guard, then they will stay in power and run AWARE. If not, there will be a fresh round of elections.

Meanwhile, the membership of AWARE has shot up more than 300% from 250 (and is still increasing). It is not clear whether the increase in membership consists of:

• New Guard sympathisers
• Old Guard sympathisers, or
  
• Women who are just kaypoh enough to pay SGD40 for some kicks. (I know a few who are doing so. It's like watching a 3-hour concert at Sing Expo mah! Reality TV!)

Whatever it is, minimally both Guards are gathering members.
招兵买马. Awaiting for the showdown this Sat.

With the Feminist Mentor under fire, let's hope the EGM will not turn out like this... literally speaking.

The Demonstrated OB Markers of A Nation
Some ministers say the AWARE issue is not a national dispute. While I understand that the petty nature of politics within a civil society organisation should never be publicised as a national issue, I personally believe that the scale of this issue has rendered this dispute one of significant interest to the nation.

Apart from outpour of condolences and money to Huang Na's family, I don't think I've ever seen members of the Singaporean public react in such a pro-active and compelling manner. Not even to announcements of major public policies. Though in terms of absolute numbers, those personally involved in this incident may be very low and may not be representative of the population of Singapore, the strong reactions from various groups of Singaporeans (e.g. forum contributors, online commentators, people signing up for AWARE etc) are clear psychological/emotional signposts or 'OB markers'.

Like I said earlier, I think religious tolerance is one of my favourite qualities of Singapore. This is something we have built up painstakingly over the years. It is a practical symbol of an inclusive society. I personally do not condone anyone who or any organisation which attempts to upset (in even the tiniest act-blur manner) this little fragile ecosystem we have built and been protecting.