Ours is an ongoing narrative

Ours is an ongoing narrative

Weekend • April 18, 2009

Letter from Sabina-Leah Fernandez, Leigh Pasqual, Shivani Retnam, Tan Qiuyi

(Aware members and volunteers)

WE REFER to the comment, “Ladies, have you forgotten your narrative?” (April 13).

As Aware members and volunteers we were shocked by the planning and coordination behind the recent Executive Committee election.

It is always good to bring balance to any form of advocacy and any volunteer group — and we look forward to hearing new voices and new opinions, and debating issues in meetings to come. But while we’re thrilled that so many people are getting passionate and involved, we can’t help but ask: Why the secrecy? How long had this been in the works? What is the agenda?

Aware has done great work in its 20-odd years. Former NMP Kanwaljit Soin rallied in Parliament to change laws surrounding domestic violence, Aware presented the 2008 Cedaw shadow report to the United Nations, it runs programmes that educate women on financial independence, provides free legal advice and counselling to people in need, and actively campaigns against domestic abuse and marital rape.

The implication that over 20 years of work to remove discrimination against any gender or orientation has gone up in smoke is unfounded.

This exco takeover may have been a surprise, but it’s hardly the end.

Saleemah Ismail, president of Unifem Singapore, said: “Women today are standing on the shoulders of giants who came before us and waged wars in their time to make things better.” We tend to agree.

In Singapore, our giants are early parliamentarians like Sahora Ahmat, Chan Choy Siong and Seow Peck Leng, whose work on the legislative assembly led to the 1961 Women’s Charter, or founding members of Aware like Hedwig Anwar, Constance Singam, Kanwaljit Soin and Lena Lim. Nothing and no one can cancel out what these giants have done for women in Singapore.

http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=27546.1