| By Elizabeth Soh and Teo Wan Gek | ||
 |  | Aware President Josie Lau from the new commitee (left) and Aware Ex-president Constance Singham from the old committee. -- ST PHOTOS: LIM WUI LIANG, MUGILAN RAJASEGERAN |
The atmosphere in the meeting room on the 4th floor of Suntec Suntec City Convention Centre, packed with 2,000 members, was highly charged.
Boos and jeers greeted new Aware executive committee president Josie Lau when she stood up to make her opening remarks.
Ms Lau, who brought in a new executive committee on March 28, was repeatedly interrupted in her address by the audience, differentiated by the old guard members in white tee-shirts and new guard in red shirts.
She had to ask the security guards to control the unruly members and send them out of the meeting hall.
Before she began her address, Ms Lau raised the already charged temperature a notch higher when she asked Nominated MP Siew Kum Hoong to move to the associate members' section, which is for male members. Mr Siew, an associate member since last October and an ardent supporter of the old guard commitee, refused to budge. He and his wife showed up at 1am and were barred from entering the meeting hall earlier by the new guard volunteers.
Press photograhers and camera crew who used flash lights were also told to leave the room when the meeting proper got underway.
On the advice of Ms Lau's legal counsel, the microphones were left on so that members from both groups could speak. At previous meetings, the mikes were turned off when the old guard members tried to speak.
The opening was also marked by an ugly outburst from Ms Sally Ang from the new executive committee, when she angrily shouted to the jeering audience to 'shut up and sit down!' The crowd booed and insisted that she leave the meeting.
Ms Lau intervened and apologised for Ms Ang's outburst. Ms Ang was not subdued. She turned on the booing members again and told them to let Ms Lau continue speaking.
Hours before the EGM opened at 2pm in the fourth floor hall at the Suntec City Convention Centre, the battle lines were visibly drawn, with two distinct camps all set to slug it out.
In a scene reminiscent of the recent Bangkok protests, the new guard volunteers came wearing red shirts with the words 'Pro woman, pro family, pro Singapore' emblazoned on the back of their shirts, while the old guard volunteers wore white shirts with the words 'We are Aware' and handed out packages with badges and pamphlet explaining the vote of no confidence against the new committee.
When Aware's ex-President Mrs Constance Singam arrived, along with former Assistant Honorary Treasury Chew I-Jin, the old guard supporters hugged and greeted her warmly.
Ms Yap Ching Wi, from the old guard camp, told reporters that the event organisers that the registration time had been pushed to 12.30pm, instead of noon as earlier scheduled. Registration eventually started at 12.15pm. By 12.50pm, the queue was snaking from the fourth floor to the third floor of the convention centre.
The male members, who are accredited as associate members, sat separately from the women members as they are not allowed to vote.
Mrs Hedwig Anuar , a former Aware President, told The Straits Times that 'Aware is supposed to be secular, but it looks like religion has crept in'. But she said that 'overall the crowd is fantastic'.
Police officers have been deployed outside the meeting venue.
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