<TABLE id=msgUN cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD id=msgUNsubj vAlign=top>Coffeeshop Chit Chat - Long-time member and new exco lock horns</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right>
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</NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate noWrap align=right width="30%">4:52 am </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT noWrap align=right width="1%" height=20>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname noWrap width="68%">ALL <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right> (1 of 16) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft width="1%" rowSpan=4> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>12088.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Long-time member and new exco lock horns
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD>Why wasn't I told about the press conference, asks Chew I-Jin </TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- Author --></TD></TR><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Radha Basu, Senior Correspondent
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Assistant honorary treasurer Chew I-Jin, part of the old guard, in an exchange with exco members at the press conference. -- ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN
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IT WAS 7.20pm and 20 minutes past the scheduled start of yesterday's press conference.
The smartly attired new office bearers of the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) were just starting proceedings when a jeans-clad woman carrying a backpack burst into the room.
'Why do I know nothing about this press conference?...I am utterly disappointed and disgusted,' shouted Ms Chew I-Jin, 40, assistant honorary treasurer of the new committee.
Ms Chew is one of only two long-time Aware members in the new exco.
What followed was a brief war of words between her and Ms Lois Ng, 44, a new exco member and one of the panellists.
Ms Chew was upset that she had been left in the dark about the press conference at the Raffles Town Club, called by Aware president Josie Lau to talk about their difficulties with the old guard.
Instead, she had been told to attend an exco meeting at the Aware headquarters. She appeared at the press conference after someone alerted her to it.
She protested that she had been left out despite being a member of the new Aware committee.
Ms Ng told her the meeting had been called to address 'all the questions the media has about the new faces'.
She added: 'As you're an old guard member, and the old guard have had their field day giving the media stories upon stories which are totally and utterly inaccurate, this is our chance to talk to the media.
'So I would appreciate that you leave this room.'
Ms Chew stood her ground, saying that she was all for the new team explaining themselves to the media, and refused to leave.
She was allowed to stay, and took a seat, not with the panel, but with the journalists.
As the panellists attacked what they saw as the former leadership's preoccupation with promoting homosexuality, Ms Chew shook her head and interjected occasionally.
When one of the panellists wondered aloud why Aware was so keen to have male members and to even consider giving them the right to vote, Ms Chew called out: 'Yes, because we're inclusive.'
'What do you mean by 'inclusive'?' replied a panellist. 'Don't throw words at me. This is a women's organisation.'
After the meeting, Ms Chew said that the new leaders were drawing 'incredible, ludicrous conclusions' about the work of their predecessors.
She refuted the claim that Aware had degenerated into a 'single-objective organisation', presumably focused on homosexual rights.
The group had worked on issues such as sexual harassment in the workplace and more recently a study on the burdens singles face in an ageing society.
'What happened today was a far cry from the reasoned consensus of problem-solving Aware has had all along,' said Ms Chew.
She has not thrown in the towel just yet, but is unsure of the future. 'Josie had made a call for us to stand together,' she said. 'But after tonight, I am not sure whether I can continue.'
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</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD>Why wasn't I told about the press conference, asks Chew I-Jin </TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- Author --></TD></TR><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Radha Basu, Senior Correspondent
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- show image if available --></TD></TR><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
Assistant honorary treasurer Chew I-Jin, part of the old guard, in an exchange with exco members at the press conference. -- ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->
IT WAS 7.20pm and 20 minutes past the scheduled start of yesterday's press conference.
The smartly attired new office bearers of the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) were just starting proceedings when a jeans-clad woman carrying a backpack burst into the room.
'Why do I know nothing about this press conference?...I am utterly disappointed and disgusted,' shouted Ms Chew I-Jin, 40, assistant honorary treasurer of the new committee.
Ms Chew is one of only two long-time Aware members in the new exco.
What followed was a brief war of words between her and Ms Lois Ng, 44, a new exco member and one of the panellists.
Ms Chew was upset that she had been left in the dark about the press conference at the Raffles Town Club, called by Aware president Josie Lau to talk about their difficulties with the old guard.
Instead, she had been told to attend an exco meeting at the Aware headquarters. She appeared at the press conference after someone alerted her to it.
She protested that she had been left out despite being a member of the new Aware committee.
Ms Ng told her the meeting had been called to address 'all the questions the media has about the new faces'.
She added: 'As you're an old guard member, and the old guard have had their field day giving the media stories upon stories which are totally and utterly inaccurate, this is our chance to talk to the media.
'So I would appreciate that you leave this room.'
Ms Chew stood her ground, saying that she was all for the new team explaining themselves to the media, and refused to leave.
She was allowed to stay, and took a seat, not with the panel, but with the journalists.
As the panellists attacked what they saw as the former leadership's preoccupation with promoting homosexuality, Ms Chew shook her head and interjected occasionally.
When one of the panellists wondered aloud why Aware was so keen to have male members and to even consider giving them the right to vote, Ms Chew called out: 'Yes, because we're inclusive.'
'What do you mean by 'inclusive'?' replied a panellist. 'Don't throw words at me. This is a women's organisation.'
After the meeting, Ms Chew said that the new leaders were drawing 'incredible, ludicrous conclusions' about the work of their predecessors.
She refuted the claim that Aware had degenerated into a 'single-objective organisation', presumably focused on homosexual rights.
The group had worked on issues such as sexual harassment in the workplace and more recently a study on the burdens singles face in an ageing society.
'What happened today was a far cry from the reasoned consensus of problem-solving Aware has had all along,' said Ms Chew.
She has not thrown in the towel just yet, but is unsure of the future. 'Josie had made a call for us to stand together,' she said. 'But after tonight, I am not sure whether I can continue.'
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:p
