Members talk about EGM, its sex education programme and plans for future over dinner
| By Debbie Yong | ||
 |  | Presenting Aware's new exco: (Back row from left) Margaret Thomas (black T-shirt), Nancy Griffiths and Tan Joo Hymn (in orange). (Middle row from left) Chew I-jin (sleeveless top), Yap Ching Wi (beige shirt), Hafizah Osman, Martha Lee and Joanna D'Cruz. (Front, centre) Aware's new president Dana Lum. -- ST PHOTO: MUGILAN RAJASEGERAN |
ONE week after the Association of Women for Action & Research's (Aware) extraordinary general meeting on May 2, the newly elected committee members are still on a victorious high.
Of the 2,175 people who voted at the EGM, 1,414 gave a vote of no-confidence to Ms Josie Lau's team, which took office at the March 28 annual general meeting. After she announced her team's resignation at the EGM, elections were called and, by a show of hands, a new committee voted in.
| Poised and calm 'They did well. They all sat there for seven hours taking in all the criticism. Josie, especially, was very poised throughout. She had a little of a smile on whenever she was listening to someone speak. She opened the meeting as president and she returned to close it. And she read out the results clearly and calmly.' MS DANA LAM, president 'Upstanding' spinoffs from Aware saga  'SHUTUP and sit down!' - a phrase uttered during an outburst at Aware's recent extraordinary general meeting - has crossed over into advertising campaigns for Subaru cars and the Botak Jones chain of food outlets. Subaru's print advertisement reads: 'Once you are aware, you can't shut up and sit down.' Its radio advertisement has a customer scolding a car dealer for 'not being inclusive'. The latter responds by saying: 'Shut up and sit down.' |
After the EGM, the new exco - president Dana Lam, vice-president Chew I-Jin, honorary secretary Yap Ching Wi, assistant honorary secretary Corinna Lim, honorary treasurer Tan Joo Hymn, assistant honorary treasurer Lim Seow Yuin and committee members Hafizah Osman, Joanna D'Cruz, Martha Lee, Margaret Thomas, Nancy Griffiths and Nicole Tan - headed to the New York, New York restaurant in Suntec City to celebrate.
When The Sunday Times asked to catch up with them last week, Ms Lam extended a dinner invitation at Aware's premises at Dover Crescent last Friday. Nine of the 12 exco members were present and each was passionate in giving answers during the three-hour-long meeting.
Since the EGM, the group has met formally only once, and the five-hour meeting ran till 1am. But they see each other at the centre almost every day, said Ms Thomas. They addressed some of the issues and criticisms raised after the EGM.
Were the old guard supporters unruly at the EGM?
They disagreed and felt that their supporters were articulate, rational and spoke passionately.
'Isn't this what active citizenry is about?' said Ms Yap.
Ms Griffiths said the way the meeting was held played a part in rousing the crowd. The microphones for members of the floor were not working. Ms Lau made several appeals for security to step in.
At one point, then-exco member Sally Ang told the crowd to 'shut up and sit down'.
Ms Thomas said: 'With the microphones not working, people had to shout to get their point across and when your supporters hear you shouting, they get affected.' She added that members of the old guard made repeated attempts to calm the crowd.
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