Offer of olive branch by AWARE President Josie Lau Meng Lee failed to convince sceptics

Offer of olive branch by AWARE President Josie Lau Meng Lee failed to convince sceptics; Old Guards gathering troops to fight back

In spite holding out an olive branch to disgrunted AWARE members during her interview with CNA “Talking Point” last Saturday, many remained sceptical of the agenda of new AWARE President Josie Lau.

During the interview, Ms Josie Lau says her priority is to reconcile members of the Association of Women And Research (Aware) following the controversial leadership change on March 28. (read report here)

She hopes that an extraordinary general meeting to be held soon will provide an opportunity for an open discussion.

‘The team has clearly fissured. I want to operate such that my members can support me, and we can all disagree in an agreeable environment,’ she said.

Josie claimed that she knew her new exco members only lately though 6 out of 9 of them attend Anglican Church of Our Savior at Margaret Drive.

Josie also made use of the interview to criticize the old exco for failing to bring AWARE forward after 24 years by highlighting its dwindling membership under the stewardship of the previous presidents.

She said change was needed because Aware had lost its focus and diversified too much, going into too many different areas. The result was that it did not have enough depth.

‘Like any good corporation, if you have diversified too much, consolidate,’ she said. ‘And as with any new committee, we know that resources are always limited, (so) let’s take a look and review what is done in the past that is good, let’s keep that, and what new ideas we have, bring on.’

More ominously, Josie chose to skirt the question about her new exco’s stance on sexuality when she could be more forthcoming with an answer to allay lingering doubts about their anti-homosexuality agenda.

Near the end of the programme Ms Lau was asked how her exco would respond to a woman facing discrimination at work because of her sexuality.

She replied: ‘Aware is a secular organisation. We are not there to push our personal religious beliefs. We do not discriminate against anyone of particular religion, whether you are a man or woman.

‘Talking about sexual discrimination, it is a very controversial topic, and the new exco will have to take a new look at this and see what is the role we want to take.’

Unfortunately, the old guard may not give Josie and her new committee much time to discuss about the role they are going to take.

Emails have been circulated to the community urging Singaporeans to join AWARE to “make their votes count”.

A facegroup has been set up to draw public attention to their cause here
“If you are female, or care about the people around you who are female, i.e: your mothers, wives, sisters or daughters, please join us and help spread the word.
Currently, a group of unknowns have taken over AWARE, the leading advocacy group for gender equality in Singapore. We have reason to believe that they do not act in the best interest of all women. They definitely have an agenda, or they would not have executed such a despicable and underhanded act of staging a coup.

If they want to push their agenda, let them form their own organisation.

If they truly care so much about women’s rights, they should work WITH AWARE, not against them.

If there is nothing sinister about their actions, they should stop their silence and explain to us why they did what they did and what are their plans for the future.

If they do not have anything to hide, they could have simply said “We will continue to do the good work that AWARE has been doing and improve on it.”

Instead, they have simply said “No comment”

As long as they continue to keep silent, we will continue to believe that their agenda differs from the current AWARE mission and we need to work together to get these group of people out of AWARE’s ex-co.

In order to help ensure that AWARE maintains in safe hands, a group of people are gathering women to sign up as members of AWARE. If you are a woman in Singapore and are keen to help maintain the mission statement of AWARE, please turn up during the coming EOGM to cast your vote.

Ordinary members who were previously inactive now felt compelled to speak out against the “hostile takeover” of AWARE:

“If you’ve read the Straits Times, TODAY, or have been in contact with an AWARE member recently, you’ll be aware of what has happened to our organisation. 150 members have recently submitted a petition to the new ExCo for an Extraordinary General Meeting to ask the new team about their motives and plans for the organisation. So far they have already removed chairpeople from key AWARE committees.

We are concerned what they’ll do about key aware programmes that don’t align with their undisclosed agenda. The EGM has been scheduled by the new ExCo for Saturday, May 2.(Happens to be on a holiday weekend, so we’re worried people won’t be able to attend…) Please attend and support the old guard of AWARE. We may have a vote of no confidence so we need you there. Rally as many of your friends to join AWARE and come to the meeting. This is extremely important if you care about the future of women’s issues in this country.”

It appears that the new exco’s reticence on feminism and their plans for AWARE’s future continues to be its Achilles Heel as it struggles to win over disaffected members who are still reeling from shock over the controversy which the organization now find itself embroiled in.

Another member expressed doubts over the sudden increase in AWARE’s membership this year:

“From January - March of this year, AWARE’s membership increased by over 100 members. Many of the new members submitted applications on photocopied forms, suggesting they had been given out at a large meeting. These new members showed up en mass at AWARE’s Annual General Meeting on March 28 and voted themselves in nine of twelve Executive Committee positons. They now hold the majority and decision-making power.

None of these women had volunteered with AWARE before. When asked of their opinions on feminism their responses were noncommital. When asked about their plans for the future of AWARE, they also had little to say.

Several are members of a very anti-gay church and have been public about their hostility towards gays. Rumor has it that this takeover was stragetically planned because AWARE is an open and welcoming place for women, regardless of class, race, or sexuality.

In the little time these women have been in charge of AWARE, they have fired the highly respected chairs of several important subcommittees. These subcomms were conducting research for the United Nations and for Singapore, and now that research is in danger.”

Did the new exco win the election square and fair or is it a pre-mediated “constitutional coup” to seize control of Singapore’s leading women advocacy group?

Are the old guards hypocrites in employing the same method to oust their adversaries? Is this becoming a battle between the Christian conservatives and the secular liberals?

Regardless of the outcome, the acrimony resulting from the fallout will leave a bitter taste in the mouths of those involved for a long time to come.

Nevertheless, it may turn out to be a blessing in disguise for AWARE and Singapore civil society as previously apathetic members are galvanized and empowered to stake a claim to its ownership for their own beliefs and values.

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