Aware: EOGM moved to Suntec

April 30, 2009

Aware saga

EOGM moved to Suntec

By Wong Kim Hoh, Senior Writer
		Aware's former president and founding member Margaret Thomas at a press conference -- ST PHOTO: MUGILAN RAJASEGERAN

THE police have stepped in to stop the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) from holding its extraordinary general meeting at the Singapore Expo in Changi on Saturday.

So the meeting, shaping up to be a clash between supporters of the former and new leaders of the women's group, will now be held at Suntec City's Exhibition Hall 402 instead.

'The police have taken this step because of the strong possibility that a coming together of members and supporters of the opposing camps at the same venue may result in law and order problems. There have been reports of death threats, intimidation and harassment over the last two weeks. There are also reports that both groups are mobilising their supporters for the meetings,' says police spokesman Inspector Mohamed Hamizyam. Resolve dispute within group's context 'They have an organisation, own mandate, own Constitution. They need to resolve it in that context. 'The only concern, I think, which other people may have and which may get a lot of Singaporeans exercised about, is whether they have other agendas or other issues coming up, which I think caused other Singaporeans to sit up. Other than that, within the context of the Constitution, I think it's for them to sort it out. ... more

It was the second change of venue announced by Aware in two days, and the latest twist in a month-long series of events since a group of newcomers grabbed the leadership.

The change also came amid a growing online buzz that Aware's meeting would coincide with a large Christian conference at the Singapore Expo.

The police said on Wednesday night that it advised Singapore Expo not to allow Aware's application to hold its meeting there. A spokesman said: 'The police have taken this step because of the strong possibility that a coming together of members and supporters of the opposing camps at the same venue may result in law and order problems.

'There have been reports of death threats, intimidation and harassment over the last two weeks. There are also reports that both groups are mobilising their supporters for the meeting.'

The police said the Expo management was understood to have offered Aware another venue - at the Changi Exhibition Centre - but Aware announced last night that it will go to Suntec City.

Aware spokesman Lois Ng, a member of the new leadership, said its event organiser, Ape Communications, had only said that there were problems with the booking. Aware only learnt yesterday afternoon that the venue had been withdrawn 'for law and order reasons'.

Aware had about 300 members when its March 28 annual general meeting saw a large group of new members showing up and electing a team of unknowns into power. A group of 160 members led by the former leaders has called for the EGM and hopes to table a vote of no confidence in the new committee.

The weeks since the AGM have seen the old and new leadership clashing repeatedly over the way the newcomers seized power, and charges by the new team that Aware had been promoting lesbianism and homosexuality.

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