| Few straight answers in Aware interview | |||||
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IT WAS the first media interview given by the central figure of a controversial storm that has generated much public interest.
Ms Josie Lau, 48, the newly-appointed president of Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) had agreed to a recorded interview with Channel NewsAsia which was shown last night. To both the media and the public, this was an opportunity to get answers to burning questions. Had there been a 'constitutional coup'? What was Ms Lau's agenda for Aware? Why the split between the old guard and the new executive council? But 10 precious minutes of air-time on national television did little to give any fresh insights into the rife speculation of the new Exco's motives for taking over Aware. Perhaps that much was to be expected. When tough issues were brought up, they either gave PR-type answers or evaded it by beating around the bush. Nobody got closer to a clearer picture beyond what has been reported thus far.
It was an anti-climax following the dramatic dissension among the ranks of the society that has been played out in public for the last three weeks. If Ms Lau's answers weren't disappointing, they were sometimes ironic. Not quite what one would expect of a dynamic leader who took over the reins under such controversy. In the middle of the interview, Ms Lau herself asked a tough question: Has the organisation lost its focus? Her opinion? Aware has become too diversified. 'They are just moving into too many areas and not going into depth'. Her question and reply may well have applied to the way she and honorary treasurer Maureen Ong responded to the questions during the interview. Asked why she has agreed to talk now after refusing to be interviewed previously, Ms Lau said that under the Aware constitution, only the president could speak for Aware. So until she was appointed president, she could not say anything. As for not talking in the two days after being appointed president, she said she didn't want to engage in a tit-for-tat battle. 'The less said, the better sometimes,' she added. But the honorary secretary was more than happy to give her two cents' worth, blaming the press for adding to the pressure of selecting a new leader. As for the questions over the new guard's views towards issues like homosexuality, there was no straight answer. When asked what Aware would do if they find that a woman has been discriminated in a company because of her sexuality, Ms Lau skirted the issue by saying Aware is a secular organisation. She said: 'We are not there to push our personal beliefs or personal religious affiliations.' She added that sexual discrimination is a controversial topic which the Exco will have to discuss. |
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