Aware: Excerpts from Thursday's press conference by new leaders

Excerpts from Thursday's press conference by new leaders

'FEMINIST MENTOR' OR COUP LEADER?

SENIOR lawyer Thio Su Mien, 71, revealed on Wednesday that she became disturbed when she noticed what she felt was Aware's promotion of lesbianism and homosexuality. She then began urging women she knew to join Aware and reset its focus on women's issues. New Aware president Josie Lau is married to Dr Thio's nephew, Dr Alan Chin, who is an affiliate member of Aware. Like several of the women on Aware's new executive committee, Dr Thio attends the Anglican Church Of Our Saviour in Margaret Drive. She described herself as a 'feminist mentor' to working women, and at Thursday's press conference, was pressed on her role in the leadership grab at the Aware AGM.

Q: Dr Thio, why didn't you run for a position in the exco? You have such strong views about everything and you are speaking on their behalf.

Dr Thio: No, I'm speaking on my behalf.

Honorary treasurer Maureen Ong: I want to make a point clear. We are not puppets of Dr Thio. We are mature, thinking professional women. We joined Aware to stand for a cause that we believe in.

Q: Sure, but I still don't understand why Dr Thio didn't run for an exco position, someone with her qualifications and background?

Exco member Lois Ng: Honestly, Aware is too small an outfit for her. It's for newbies like us.

Q: But (was the leadership takeover) orchestrated, planned beforehand? Was she the organiser?

Aware president Josie Lau: I will place on record, no.

Dr Thio: No, no, it depends on what you mean by organiser. Actually it's kind of flattering, in a way...

What I did was that I put down, collected info, I sent to different people. So it's up to you. You want to join? You go and join. If you want me to help you, I will help you.

So I'm quite happy with that because you see, you suddenly discover that networking helps, that if there's a view we want, we network through the e-mail. And I certainly have come out from the Jurassic Age because I'm quite proficient with e-mail and it is an efficient way of educating people.

Q: Dr Thio, are you implying that you have thought of it for a long time, that you planned all this?

Dr Thio: No, no. No, no, I have better things to do than this, okay? I have to earn a living, I work and I do a lot of other things. But the idea came I think round about when (Aware held an AGM and only 29 people attended). So I said, what's happening?

HOW JOSIE LAU JOINED AWARE

AWARE president Josie Lau joined Aware in January after her husband's aunt, Dr Thio Su Mien, suggested it. Aware member Claire Nazar also asked her to join and help with Aware's marketing. Mrs Nazar was elected president at the AGM on March 28, but resigned after 11 days. Ms Lau was then appointed to the post. Asked why she joined Aware, this is what she said.

Aware president Josie Lau: I've been married to the (Thio) family for 20 years. We meet occasionally once or twice a year, during Christmas, Chinese New Year. And she (Dr Thio) has been nagging me for the last 15, 20 years: 'Are you doing something in the public, contributing back to the community? You have such a good life, everything, you're jet-setting all the time. When?' And I wasn't ready.

But now my kids are much older, I feel that it's time for me to contribute and when last year I personally was very, very taken aback by the (choice of the movie) Spider Lilies for Aware's premiere gala, that set me thinking: What actually is Aware doing?

I did not join Aware thinking that there will definitely be a new exco. I just knew that I was joining Aware and if I stood for election and got elected, this is the area where I think I can contribute.'

A CHURCH CONNECTION?

SIX of the women in Aware's new exco attend the Anglican Church Of Our Saviour in Margaret Drive. At the press conference, they were asked if there was a 'church connection' in the power grab at Aware.

Honorary treasurer Maureen Ong: No, the answer is no. We all attend Church Of Our Saviour. We joined the church at various different times. I didn't know any of these people until I got on to the committee.

Yes, we all attend the church. And really I only know Su Mien because I was invited by one of the people who attended her Tanglin fellowship to attend a talk that was given by Su Mien. And that was when I first met her. But I don't move in her circles. I'm a working mother. I don't move in her circles.

And I don't call Su Mien up. I didn't even know her mobile phone or home number until we got onto this committee and really, because of all the problems we're having - the death threats and so on - we went to our mentor to ask if she could help us in what we're trying to achieve. And that was only after we were appointed.'

She added that although Dr Thio held regular fellowship meetings at her home, she did not attend them because she had her own church cell group, which did not include any of the women on the Aware exco.

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