Outnumbered and out-talked

makapaaa · May 3, 2009

<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>Outnumbered and out-talked
</TR><TR>Overwhelmed in terms of numbers and words, exco opts for a graceful exit </TR><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Jamie Ee Wen Wei
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Members of the executive committee under Ms Josie Lau taking questions during Aware's extraordinary general meeting yesterday. Jeers and sharp words flew thick and fast during a marathon meeting that began business-like, proceeded with highly charged verbal exchanges between the committee and supporters of the 'old guard', and ended with Ms Lau's 'new guard' opting to step down. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND LIM
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They started the meeting brisk and business-like, but just minutes into the extraordinary general meeting (EGM), it was clear that Ms Josie Lau's team was no match for the old guard and its supporters, who outnumbered and outspoke them.
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><STYLE type=text/css> #related .quote {background-color:#E7F7FF; padding:8px;margin:0px 0px 5px 0px;} #related .quote .headline {font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:10px;font-weight:bold; border-bottom:3px double #007BFF; color:#036; text-transform:uppercase; padding-bottom:5px;} #related .quote .text {font-size:11px;color:#036;padding:5px 0px;} </STYLE>'There were certain points where they lost their cool but to be fair, under such pressure, I think we would lose our cool as well. I think they were not given a fair chance to speak because every time they tried to say anything, they were either booed or jeered at. It was very difficult for them to speak. I felt really sorry for them.'
MS GWENDEL TUNG, in her 30s, who works in the financial sector

'They were just out of their depth. They could not hold their own on any issues. What they demonstrated today was that they did not understand what Aware stood for and what it is all about. They are totally incapable of leading the organisation.'
MS SERI SURIYANI, 37, a client director at a branding consultancy firm

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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>First, executive committee (exco) member Lois Ng, who was the master of ceremony, tried to assert herself by requesting Nominated MP Siew Kum Hong, who was seated among the women, to join the men on the other side of the auditorium.
Her request was met with loud protests by several old guard, who went up to the microphone to say that Mr Siew was their legal adviser and should be allowed to sit with them.
Then, when Ms Lau tried to give her speech, she was interrupted by the crowd. They shouted 'No!' when she introduced herself as the president of Aware.
As the meeting proceeded, she had to repeatedly shout 'Order, please!' to the crowd. Her exco members also took turns to ask security officers to escort those who were behaving in an unruly manner out of the hall.
Eyebrows were raised when assistant honorary secretary Sally Ang shouted at veteran Aware member Margaret Thomas to 'shut up and sit down'.
Ms Thomas had stood up to tell Ms Lau that she had exceeded her three minutes of speech time.
Ms Ang's comments sparked loud jeers and shouts from the crowd, and there were calls for her to be escorted out.
Ms Lau immediately apologised for Ms Ang's outburst. Later, Ms Ang also apologised to the crowd but not without warning them to let Ms Lau continue with her speech.
The crowd did not let the matter go.
When the floor was opened to the members, one member said she was appalled that such a comment was made in a grown-up setting.
'Today is the time to stand up and speak up, not shut up and sit down,' she said to the cheering crowd.
What left some members disappointed was how Ms Lau and her team did not seem to have answers to many of the questions asked, even though they kept asking the speakers to 'please give me the right of reply'.
They stuck mainly to statements that had already been released to the press. For instance, when they were asked about their stand on homosexuality, Ms Lau sidestepped the issue and maintained that Aware would remain a secular society that would provide support to homosexual women.
On several occasions, she and her team also had to turn to their lawyer when queried on many points in the constitution.
They also sought their lawyer's advice when the crowd refused to move on to the next item on the agenda.
Members were quick to latch on to anything the exco said.
When Ms Lau said her committee maintained an 'open-door' policy, the crowd began to question the exco on why it had changed the locks at the Aware centre.
The exco also had sharp words for the old guard.
When questioned by a member who asked why men were seen hanging around the Aware centre, honorary secretary Jenica Chua said: 'If the old exco is so keen on promoting women's rights and have women on par with men and even men supporting women's rights, I'm surprised that the old exco is pushing for men's voting rights. Yet, when men appear at the centre, they make a protest. I'm surprised.'
To that, the member said: 'I was expecting a credible, clever answer, but I didn't get it.'
Honorary treasurer Maureen Ong also started a heated and protracted debate when she told the crowd that the exco had spent a total of $90,000 since it took office.
'They were just out of their depth. They could not hold their own on any issue,' said Ms Seri Suriyani, 37, a client director at a branding consultancy firm.
Still, given the pressure it faced from the crowd, some felt the exco had performed credibly.
'I thought they fared very well in the face of a lot of opposition. They were calm and tried to maintain order,' said Ms Ng Ee Ling, 45, a teacher.
At about 8pm, when Ms Lau read out the results of the voting, she showed no hint of disappointment in her voice.
The other exco members also kept a stoic front, and when the crowd clamoured for them to step down, Ms Lau said the exco would consider resigning.
They then left the room to discuss the decision.
At 9pm, she stepped on to the stage again and calmly said: 'We have decided to graciously step down. We wish Aware all the best.' What are your views on the Aware saga? E-mail [email protected]

makapaaa · May 3, 2009

<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>Booted out, but Josie Lau's team will stay on
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They were booted out, but the executive committee headed by Josie Lau said last night that they would remain members of Aware.
In fact, they would even be willing to serve as volunteers if the newly elected executive committee would have them, they said.
Ms Lau, 48, and her team members Jenica Chua, 35, Lois Ng, 44, Sally Ang, 60, Irene Yee, 38, Maureen Ong, 55, and Charlotte Wong, 63, received an overwhelming vote of no-confidence from the 3,000 people at the extraordinary general meeting.
The eighth remaining exco member, Ms Peggy Leong, did not attend yesterday's meeting.
Speaking at a press conference called after they lost the no-confidence vote resoundingly at the EGM, Ms Lau said members of her team would gladly volunteer their services as they had all joined Aware to contribute in specific areas.
She, for one, had wanted to contribute to marketing the women's group and their hotline, which she said received only a small number of calls.
Other than Ms Lau, who had a ready smile and was calm and composed, the six others with her looked tired and wore a stoic look.
They explained why they had disappeared for half an hour to decide if they should resign.
The members gathered in the meeting had given them only five minutes to make up their minds.
Ms Lau and her team left to meet elsewhere, and when they did not return, rumours flew that they had slipped out of the building.
Ms Lau said five minutes were hardly enough.
'We had to consider the legal advice we were given,' said Ms Ong, who was the honorary treasurer.
Ms Lau added: 'But in the end, we decided to step down as the members have spoken and we want to respect members' feedback.'
When asked if her group was likely to mount a legal contest of the proceedings, she said no.
She repeated her call that Aware should go back to its original objective, which is the advancement of women in the social, political and economic spheres.
The group also made a point that they did not think the 3,000 Aware members who turned up yesterday represented the general population of women.
Ms Lau said Singapore society is 'by and large conservative', suggesting that Aware was of a more liberal bent.
Ms Chua added: 'Do the 3,000 today represent the views of two million women in Singapore? Based on today's expression of thoughts, in my personal opinion, (they) may not.'

=> 66% thingy?

Ms Lau also stressed that the group had not coordinated the takeover of Aware, and insisted that the members had been elected through an annual general meeting.
She noted that Ms Ng, for example, had garnered over 80 per cent of the vote during the March 28 AGM because of her speech on why she wanted to serve on the exco.
After the press conference, a smiling Ms Lau said she was fine when The Sunday Times asked her if it had been hard to take the stinging criticisms throughout yesterday's marathon meeting.
'I am fine, I am okay,' she said, as her friends called out to her to go for dinner.
Sandra Davie

makapaaa · May 3, 2009

<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>'Feminist mentor' responds to jibes
</TR><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Sandra Davie, Senior Writer
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Dr Thio Su Mien addressing the crowd at Suntec yesterday. Amid loud boos and jeering, she held up a 2007 book Aware had published on the women's movement here and said she felt 'very charmed' to have been mentioned in it. -- ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA
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Senior lawyer Thio Su Mien stood up to respond to the jibes on why she had declared herself the 'feminist mentor' of the women who seized control of the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) in March.
She had called herself that when she revealed on April 23 her key role in bringing about Aware's sudden leadership change.
Dr Thio, Ms Josie Lau and five others on the executive committee booted out yesterday all attend the Anglican Church of Our Saviour in Margaret Drive.
Yesterday, amid loud boos and objections, she held up a 2007 book that Aware had published on the women's movement here and pointed out that she was mentioned as the first woman dean of the Law Faculty - from 1969 to 1971 - at the then-University of Singapore.
Holding up the book, she said she felt 'very charmed' to have been included.
As the booing and jeering continued, Dr Thio told the crowd: 'Show some respect to your elders.'
Someone in the audience responded: 'You have to earn respect.'
Dr Thio had sent out e-mail messages encouraging women to join Aware and change it, but she maintained yesterday it was no 'covert operation'.
Old guard leaders had said that most of the people who came to the March 28 annual general meeting were unknown new faces, and they voted solidly for unknown new faces who took over without saying who they were, or why they were in Aware.
But Dr Thio yesterday accused long-time members of having fallen asleep.
'You were not interested in your organisation...So don't blame others...don't blame other people. You are not interested. You are not interested!'
She wanted to continue, but she was drowned out by chants of 'Your three minutes are up, three minutes, three minutes.'
Later, she told The Sunday Times she was surprised by the 'anger' and 'vehemence' she felt from the Aware members. 'It's very scary,' she said. 'What is happening to women in Singapore?'

makapaaa · May 3, 2009

<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>The awareness to right a wrong
</TR><TR>Hundreds of women joined Aware to make their voices heard after group's takeover </TR><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Radha Basu, Senior Correspondent
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Members of the old guard of Aware were voted in last night to replace Ms Josie Lau's executive committee. Writer Dana Lam, 57, (centre, in pink dress under the T-shirt), who once led Aware, has been elected president. Some of the new committee members are (back row from left) Tan Joo Hymn, Hafizah Osman, Chew I-jin, Constance Singam, Nancy Griffiths, Nicole Tan, Martha Lee, Margaret Thomas, (front row from left) Yap Ching Wi, Lim Seow Yuin and Joanna D'Cruz. -- ST PHOTO: LIM SIN THAI
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Until recently, many of them had no more than a passing knowledge of the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware).
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><STYLE type=text/css> #related .quote {background-color:#E7F7FF; padding:8px;margin:0px 0px 5px 0px;} #related .quote .headline {font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:10px;font-weight:bold; border-bottom:3px double #007BFF; color:#036; text-transform:uppercase; padding-bottom:5px;} #related .quote .text {font-size:11px;color:#036;padding:5px 0px;} </STYLE>'The feeling in the room was electrifying. I still can?t get over the fact that we got Aware back. It is a great moral victory.'
MRS CONSTANCE SINGAM, past president of Aware

'It has been a privilege to be part of this whole effort to save Aware.'
MS DANA LAM, newly elected president of Aware

... more

Speaking Up
A former chief's concern

'You have not been open and honest with us from the beginning. I am concerned that if you remain in office, you will change the fundamental nature of Aware.'
Former Aware president Zaibun Siraj, on Ms Josie Lau's team

... more

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>But concerned over what they saw as a stealthy takeover of a secular organisation by a group of Christian women, hundreds of women signed up as Aware members to put right what they felt was a grave wrong.
And yesterday, they spoke clearly, in a resounding vote of no confidence in Aware's five-week-old leadership.
Several spoke up at the Aware extraordinary general meeting, questioning Ms Josie Lau and her team, as well as their mentor, veteran lawyer Thio Su Mien, who had encouraged women to take over Aware.
Internet executive Hafizah Osman, 39, pointed out that Ms Lau and her executive committee (exco) members were all of the same race and faith.
'Where is the diversity?' asked the mother of two, who wore a pink headscarf.
'As a Muslim woman, I have no faith that you can represent my voice, my views, my faith.'
Business development manager Siddy Zb, 45, said that the new Aware team contravened the spirit of the Singapore pledge, which promises to build a democratic society based on justice and equality for all.
'This is not about the new guard or old guard,' she said. 'You deliberately left out the old guard who were on your committee at meetings,' she said. 'Is that equality?'
The new exco's stand against homosexuality also generated heated debate.
Associate Professor Chitra Sankaran, 49, from the National University of Singapore, who teaches a module in feminism, said that she felt compelled to join Aware last month as she thought the new committee would harm its international stature.
She rose to point out that according to modern feminist theory, you cannot speak about one marginalised group - in this case women - without speaking for all marginalised groups, including racial, religious and sexual minorities.
Observing that Aware had won widespread respect in the region, she said: 'Please do not undermine Aware's international credibility with your thoughtless actions.'
Public relations executive Meera N, 23, spoke up, saying: 'I am not a raging lesbian, but I believe you have no right to tell us who to love. It's ridiculous. You have to be pro-choice.'
She too joined Aware recently, to be heard.
Undergraduate May Yee, 21, defended Aware's sexuality education programme, which has faced flak from the new guard for a chart in which homosexuality is treated as neutral.
She said she had had a Christian education and added: 'I did not come out of the system learning to judge people. For people to make informed choices, they must have information.'
Arguing for parents to give their children access to optional school-based sexuality education programmes, she said: 'The alternative is the Internet and it's much harder, especially without adult guidance.'
Many women who described themselves as Christians also said they disagreed with the new exco, with some chiding them for 'un-Christian behaviour'.
Actress Irene Ang, who runs a talent agency, criticised the new exco for changing the locks on the Aware office and asked: 'How can you change the locks and say your doors are open?'
Ms Dale Edmonds, a mother who described herself as a 'traditional Christian', also spoke passionately in favour of Aware's sexuality education programme and its other programmes.
She said that as an 18-year-old she had received free legal advice from Aware and it helped her get out of a bad marriage.
'They helped me when I needed help badly. Now I want to do what I can do help them back,' she said.
Although the Josie Lau team had several hundred women supporters in the room, hardly any stood up to speak during the proceedings.
From their seats, some of them would call out: 'How rude, how rude.' [email protected]

Watchman · May 3, 2009

Till now, I have no idea what they are selling ?

makapaaa · May 3, 2009

<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>Men play active role in meeting
</TR><TR>Some offer loud support, others pepper new exco with queries </TR><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Debbie Yong
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They were relegated to the sidelines, but that did not stop these men from cheering and jeering along with the women at the meeting yesterday. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND LIM
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It was a women's meet but the issue of men came to the fore repeatedly.
Barely minutes after the meeting started yesterday, a woman raised an objection.
She asked: Why was Nominated MP Siew Kum Hong, a man, allowed to be seated on the right side of the hall, a section reserved for women who were eligible to vote.
Like ordinary members, men can pay $40 annually to join the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) as associate members, but they have no voting rights and cannot be elected to the executive committee.
Even so, about 300 or so men - many of whom signed up on the spot - attended yesterday's meeting. They sat on the left side of the hall together with foreign women, who were also not allowed to vote.
While the crowd rumbled with cheers and jeers, Mr Siew remained in his seat in the fifth row, unflinching. A member from the old guard clarified that Mr Siew, who joined Aware last October, served as its legal adviser and should be allowed to remain. The grumbles then died down and the meeting started.
Although the atmosphere among the men in the crowd was calm at first, it grew more lively as the afternoon passed. Several chuckled when the Aware exco members exchanged sharp remarks with female members on the floor.
'She was a man in her previous life. Short and sharp,' joked one man loudly when Ms Josie Lau addressed the audience, causing several men around him to snigger.
There were generally two types of men: Young, articulate men in their 20s or 30s who went to see the issues of civil society being discussed, and men in their 40s to 50s who were mostly fathers and went with their wives.
About two-thirds of the men seemed to be supporters of the old guard. They cheered and pumped their fists when anyone made rebuttals to the points laid out by the team led by Ms Lau. Some heckled and booed as passionately as the women.
'You should get out,' yelled one man to Ms Lau's team.
At one point, the men broke into sonorous chants of 'Where were you?' when former Aware president Constance Singam asked Ms Lau's team where it had been in the group's two decades of existence.
Several men also volunteered as ushers, helping with registration and the distribution of free bottles of water, sandwiches and flowers.
Some men arrived after 3pm and were not allowed to register and denied entry. They kept vigil outside the hall.
'It's very frustrating to hear loud cheers and noise inside and be able to only peep through the door cracks,' said fresh graduate Ed Chan, 30, who stood by the entrance for more than seven hours.
Those who supported the veteran Aware members generally wore white T-shirts with the words 'We are Aware' printed in red.
Those who supported MsLau's committee wore red shirts with the word 'Aware' printed in black.
Analyst C.F. Lam, 47, who was wearing a red shirt, said he was attending the meet 'to defend family values'.
Referring to Aware's Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) programme, which Ms Lau's team had criticised for promoting homosexuality, he said: 'I pay taxes and I want to know what my children are being taught in school. If they are being taught the wrong things, we should speak up.'
Another father, Mr Farid Hamid, 45, took a different stance.
Addressing the crowd during the question-and-answer session held while the votes were being counted, he identified himself as a Muslim father of three girls.
He said he would be 'proud' for his teenage daughters to go through the CSE programme as 'they need to make informed choices, not submit to dogma'.
The issue of male membership was also brought up for scrutiny.
On the accusation that the inclusion of male members has become a mask for male homosexual activists to forward their cause, former chairman of Aware's male chapter, Mr Tan Wah Kiat, 37, said: 'The only masks I wear are SKIIs (facial masks) and I share those with my wife.'
In response, Ms Lau turned to the exco's appointed legal counsel from Rajah & Tann and asked if the Aware Constitution provided for a men's chapter.
When the lawyer said it did not, former Aware president Braema Mathi replied that 'there are feminist men today' and that 'they should be equal partners in the feminist movement'.
But not all the talk was serious.
Several men who took the microphone also elicited much laughter and jeers.
One joked that he was inspired by the meeting to 'write a book and call it Women Are From Mars And Men Are From Venus'.
Trainer Marshall Lee, 47, said of the heated atmosphere: 'One woman I was sitting next to hissed at me as though she was Catwoman. I feel so harassed. Don't harass me. I am only a man.' [email protected]

singveld · May 3, 2009

so does not mean that religious trash was boot out by lesbian and gay?

i like it.

po2wq · May 3, 2009

makapaaa said:
Outnumbered and out-talked ...

out-lawed ... oso? ...

Outnumbered and out-talked

makapaaa

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makapaaa

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makapaaa

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makapaaa

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Watchman

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makapaaa

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singveld

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po2wq

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