Exco of women's group steps down after raucous seven-hour meeting and control goes back to the veterans
| By Wong Kim Hoh, Senior Writer | ||
 |  | Outgoing exco members (from left) Charlotte Wong, Maureen Ong, Sally Ang, president Josie Lau and Lois Ng return on stage to announce their resignation. 'We have decided to graciously step down. We wish Aware all the best,' said Ms Lau. While her team was in a room deliberating its options, the members decided to hold their own elections and voted in a new slate of office bearers. -- ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA |
Nearly 3,000 people attended an extraordinary general meeting and over nearly seven action-packed hours, blasted away at the team of unknowns which snatched the Aware leadership on March 28. Then they voted resoundingly to oust the team led by DBS Bank vice-president Josie Lau and inspired by senior lawyer Thio Su Mien. The final tally that they should go: 1,414 to 761.
Live Blog Outnumbered, and out-talked THEY started the meeting brisk and business-like, but just minutes into the extraordinary general meeting (EGM), it was clear that Ms Josie Lau's team was no match for the old guard and its supporters, who outnumbered and outspoke them. First, executive committee (exco) member Lois Ng, who was the master of ceremony, tried to assert herself by requesting Nominated MP Siew Kum Hong, who was seated among the women, to join the men on the other side of the auditorium. Booted out, but Josie Lau's team will stay on  THEY were booted out, but the executive committee headed by Josie Lau said last night that they would remain members of Aware.In fact, they would even be willing to serve as volunteers if the newly elected executive committee would have them, they said. |
Even then, Ms Lau and her team did not step down immediately. They consulted their lawyer, ignored calls to resign, then were told they could retire for five minutes to decide.
When they did not return, the meeting elected a new executive committee headed by former president Dana Lam. It was half an hour before Ms Lau and her exco reappeared to say that they had decided to step down.
Saturday's meeting at Suntec City Hall 402 drew Aware founders, past presidents and long-time members, as well as many women who joined only in recent weeks.
Many said they had been moved by the tumultuous events since March 28, when a team of new members seized nine of the 12 positions on the exco.
New president Claire Nazar quit 11 days later, to be succeeded by Ms Lau. It then emerged that several of the new leaders attended the Anglican Church of Our Saviour, and were strongly against homosexuality.
Then, Dr Thio revealed that she had encouraged the women to join and change Aware because she felt it was promoting lesbianism and homosexuality. In particular, she attacked an Aware sexuality programme for schools, saying it too promoted homosexuality. She called herself a 'feminist mentor'.
Over the past five weeks, the Aware exco shrank from 12 to eight as members resigned. There were only seven present yesterday, as the eighth, Ms Peggy Leong, did not attend.
Saturday's marathon meeting, which started at 2.30pm, was dominated by Aware stalwarts and their supporters, who criticised the newcomers and Dr Thio for the way they took over the association, disregarded older members and sacked staff. They also criticised the team's lack of diversity.
Ms Lau's team had several hundred supporters at the meeting, but mostly the sparring was done between the audience and the exco, and Dr Thio. There were some tense moments at the start of the meeting, when Nominated Member of Parliament Siew Kum Hong was told to sit with the men and expatriates in one side of the hall. He refused, saying that he was there as a legal adviser for the old guard.
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