Gentle under the warmth of the sun
Sunday, 26 April 2009
Andrew Loh / Deborah Choo
South Bridge Road.
The old man parks his trolley by the side of the road as traffic rushes past him. The blistering heat in the late afternoon is relentless. He steps onto the kerb, and heads for the two trash containers put out by the nearby shops. He picks up two cardboard boxes, slits the bottoms open, and folds them. Walking back to his push-cart, he stacks them on top of the rest of the cardboards. The old man returns to the trash to look for discarded soft drink cans.
“Uncle, how are you,” Deborah says to him, apprehensive at his stern demeanour. He looks at us and seems a little bewildered. “Uncle, you’re collecting cardboards?” Deborah asks in Chinese. “Yes,” he replies. Dressed in a simple yellow t-shirt and a pair of brown shorts, his fair complexion hides his year of working on the streets of Singapore. As it turns out, the old man is very soft-spoken with gentle mannerisms. “I am 60 years old,” he tells us in his native Hokkien. We move in closer to hear him amidst the cacophony of noise from the traffic. His calloused hands, thick and rough fingers, and the lines on his face perhaps evidence of a lifetime of physical toil. “I used to work as a sweeper at Tiong Bahru market,” he says. He left because a new employer had taken over. That was a year ago. Now, he collects cardboards and sells them for 2.5 cents a kati.
He is on the streets seven to eight hours everyday, starting from 4pm. “Now prices [for cardboards] aren’t that good,” he explains. “And when it rains, I cannot collect them.” Thus he also collects drink cans to supplement his income. He ends his day at 11pm and takes a taxi home. “It costs about fifteen dollars for the trip to and from my house,” he says. We guess that he takes the taxi because he has to bring his trolley along. Our curious eyes spot a bunch of keys hanging from his belt. They’re for locking up his trolley at night, we later learned. He hopes to sell it, because it is rusty and rickety, for four or five dollars and get a new one. It will make pushing it easier, he says. That would be a great help under such scorching conditions during the day.
The old man lives in a room in a rented flat. It was recommended to him by a friend. It costs him $250 a month. Why doesn’t he rent one from the Housing and Development Board (HDB) which would be much cheaper? He explains that he has tried applying for one. But his application was rejected. “I am alone. So they say I cannot rent,” he tells us. “They say you must have a family or two people at least,” he says, indicating with his two fingers. Never married and thus has no children to depend on, he couldn’t find another person to apply with. However, he disclosed that he receives about $100 to $200 from the government through public assistance but does not want to elaborate further.
He makes a little more than $10 a day. After deducting his monthly expenses, he doesn’t have much left. He is living from hand to mouth. What if he is no longer able to fend for himself? “I will just go to the old folks’ home,” he says in a rather matter-of-fact manner. “What else can I do?”
He secures the cardboards on his trolley and prepares to move to his next collection point. He inspects the plastic bag holding the drink cans one more time to make sure everything is in place. “I have to go now,” he says. We thank him for speaking to us, as the small group of tourists and locals at the traffic lights continue to stare. “Take care, Uncle,” Andrew says to him. The old man smiles and soon he dissolves into the rest of the traffic – pushing his worn-down push cart along the streams of cars in the afternoon heat.
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Sunday, April 26, 2009
Aware: Put aside differences and move on
April 26, 2009
'Put aside differences and move on'
 |  | Madam Suseela Singaram says it is quite common to see challengers in any election and is not surprised by what happened at Aware. -- ST PHOTO: TERENCE TAN |
Union leader and committee member of the NTUC Women's Development Secretariat
'Coming from the union sector, I was not surprised by what happened at Aware. It is quite common to see challengers in any election. I have personally witnessed new groups coming in to challenge existing leaderships in unions. The new group may feel that there were things that were not done properly or they may think they can do a better job.
What surprised me about this saga was that new members were allowed to stand in the election. In some organisations, you must be a member for at least 12 months before you can contest. So this is something that the Aware leaders may need to look into.
Also, I think the comments made by lawyer Thio Su Mien on Aware's comprehensive sexuality education programme at the new guard's press conference last Thursday will wake many parents up to the moral values that are being taught to their children in schools.
We are an Asian society, after all. Personally, I still believe in a one man, one woman, nuclear family concept. And it's not just Christians who believe that.
If what Dr Thio said about the programme is true, what was the Ministry of Education (MOE) doing to allow this in schools? You mean MOE did not filter such programmes? I'm shocked.
Aware is an established group. I've personally read their papers and seen their programmes, and what they have been doing is valuable to society. Whether it has lost its focus is best answered by the two warring groups.
I would encourage both sides to put aside their differences and move on, or the group will end up getting the wrong attention. Let the new leaders prove themselves, and if they don't do a good job, challenge them at the next AGM.'
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Aware: It was like a cocktail party
| Tussle For Aware CONTRASTS | |||||
| It was like a cocktail party | |||||
| It was a press conference that was markedly different from the one at Raffles Town Club the day before. Calm, cheerful, almost gleeful, the old guard of Aware met the media yesterday to give out their version of the facts. | |||||
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YOU could feel the difference, the moment you stepped out of the lift at the fifth floor of Junction8 office tower.
At 6pm yesterday, the press conference organised by the Aware veterans was about to begin. There was easy banter, cheerful chatter and warm smiles that lit up the room like a cocktail party. Unlike the tense, terse affair which was the press conference given by the new exco on Thursday, this one was decidedly different. You could almost smell the scent of victory. You could almost spot a hint of glee in the eyes of the old guard members. On Thursday night, the new exco had chaired an emotion-charged press conference at the Raffles Town Club that, among other things, was disrupted by a heckler. There were shouting matches as they stumbled over their answers and contradicted one another. At the end of it all, many questions were left hanging. They had messed up big time. And the old guard, experienced old hands that they were, knew it. In the office of the Women's Initiative for Ageing Successfully, a converted dance studio where the press conference was held, they moved about with ease and confidence, offering drinks and smiles aplenty. There was none of the distrust, fear and apprehension that hung in the air of the new exco's conference. 'We are not here for a tit-for-tat...' said former president Dr Kanwaljit Soin, as the press conference began. 'We are giving out fact sheets and letting the facts speak for themselves.' That set the tone for the evening - dignified, proper, yet casual. 'We do not have a lesbian desk, so to speak,' said DrSoin to laughter, as she used newsroom jargon to answer a reporter's question about whether the old exco was pro-homosexuality. As members of the panel took turns to speak up passionately about the saga, Dr Soin spoke again, to laughter: 'You may be here for a long time... we hope you have tah pao (slang for ordered out) your dinner.' Charm offensive The charm offensive was clearly on but for the old guard, many of whom have been at Aware for eons. The rapport between the panel of 11 Aware members and the media was apparent. Perhaps that was why the ugliness of the whole affair, the name-calling, the heckling, the dispute at the Aware centre that had required police intervention - twice - on Thursday night, was far from everyone's mind. Instead, it was the experience and the diversity of the old exco that stood out. The 11 panel members was made up of nine women and two men. They came dressed in saris and smart suits. There were Christians, Muslims and Sikhs. They had been quick on the uptake, organising this press conference immediately after the new exco spoke up. And they sat there, smiling, yet ready to draw swords.
3 questions on everyone's lips WAS OLD EXCO PRO-GAY? 'We are anti-discrimination. We are anti-anti-anything.' WHAT IS AT STAKE? 'What has happened at Aware is a threat to S'pore's pluralistic society.' ON DEATH THREATS 'We are very sorry that Josie (the new president) has received death threats. We do not think that such activities should take place in a civilised society.' |
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Aware: DR NOBODY Dr Thio who?
Tussle For Aware
DR NOBODY Dr Thio who?
She burst onto the Aware stage at the press conference of the new guard, claiming to have 'mentored' most of them. But most of the old guard don't even remember who she was SHE gave herself the grand title of 'Feminist Mentor', claiming to have been involved with Aware in its early days. 26 April 2009
SHE gave herself the grand title of 'Feminist Mentor', claiming to have been involved with Aware in its early days.
But at yesterday's press conference, few claimed to know her.
On Thursday night, Dr Thio Su Mien, a former law dean, made a surprise appearance at the press conference of the new exco at Raffles Town Club.
She sat at one end of the table, denying suggestions that she was the mastermind of the takeover at Aware.
Her appearance added a new twist to the already convoluted saga.
Dr Thio is the mother of Nominated Member of Parliament Thio Li-ann, who has spoken up strongly against homosexuality in Parliament.
'I'm not sure. I know who are the founding members of Aware and I don't remember seeing Dr Thio at any of the meetings or her name mentioned,' said former president Dr Kanwaljit Soin, who was a founding member of the 24-year-old Aware.
She added to laughter: 'But I'm not known for a good memory. I have not heard of Dr Thio as a feminist but, you know, we do have closet feminists.'
The microphone was passed to founding member Ms Lai Ah Eng.
Laughter
'I do not recall... what's her name...' began Ms Lai earnestly, before turning to the rest of the panel, which broke out in laughter.
When reminded, Ms Lai prepared to continue what she was trying to say, but was interrupted by Dr Soin.
'Should we delete that?' she said, turning to legal advisor Dr Mark Goh in mock horror.
'No, we should leave that!' came the reply.
Ms Lai went on to explain that she was not familiar with Dr Thio, although she has read articles written by her.
Panel members mentioned that they have heard her name before, here and there, but no way was she the Feminist Mentor she claimed to be.
'I know of her... I might have met her at one or two social occasions, but I don't know her,' said Dr Soin.
'It is important to have a institutional memory of Aware, of what Aware did in the past 24 years, instead of allowing one particular item, as raised by Dr Thio, to be the sole criteria by which Aware is judged,' said Ms Lai.
The answers were quickly snuffed out by MrGoh, who interjected halfway, saying that the panel was not here to discuss Dr Thio.
Despite further probes by the media, the topic quickly moved on to other related matters.
'As a staunch Roman Catholic, I'm disturbed by this act that seems to be motivated by Christians...' said veteran member Corrina Lau, rebutting Dr Thio's stance that the old exco was pro-homosexuality.
'Christianity is about love.'
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Aware: He's our 'legal adviser'
| Tussle For Aware MR CONTRARY | |||||
| He's our 'legal adviser' | |||||
| He sat impassively while the ladies smiled and joked. Just as the new guard had a mysterious figure, the new guard had a new character of its own. Who is he? | |||||
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TWO press conferences, two mysterious characters, both dressed in black, sitting at far ends of the table, seemingly apart, yet keeping an invisible hold on things.
On Thursday night, at the press conference of the new exco, Dr Thio Su Mien, mother of Nominated Member of Parliament Thio Li-ann, was a picture of calm and serenity amid the red eyes and quivering voices of the exco members. Last night, a man sat sternly at one end of the long table, where 10 members of Aware sat smiling. He was Mr Mark Goh, a lawyer, introduced by the old exco as 'our legal adviser'. They had promised openness and transparency. It made the presence of the man odd and unexpected. Before the press conference began, he had given a briefing to all the members of the old exco, largely out of sight of reporters, who had taken their seats inside the room. Throughout the two-hour-plus press conference, Mr Goh sat there, dressed in a no-nonsense attire of black shirt and ripped jeans, watching the proceedings with hawk eyes. Amid the easy banter and pally jokes, he listened, mostly stoic. From time to time, as the ladies elaborated on their answers for the media, venturing into uncertain territory, they slowly turned their eyes to him, looking for approval. Silence would mean approval. Disapproval would come in a short, sharp interjection. Former president Dr Kanwaljit Soin was describing the takeover when she paused in mid-sentence, looked to Mr Goh, and finally finished wrapping up her sentence cautiously: '...shall I say it... a slightly stealthy takeover...' Later, when The New Paper probed the panel on the relationship of Dr Thio to the old exco, Mr Goh stopped the panelists' answers in mid-sentence. 'We are not here to talk about Dr Thio,' he said curtly. His was the steel beneath the ladies' smiles. Later, as the media congregated to interview MsSchutz Lee, the Aware Centre manager who was sacked on Thursday night, Mr Goh stood beside her, stern like a bouncer. He stopped her in mid-sentence once, as she was elaborating on the reasons behind her sacking, saying that whatever she had just said would be off the record. Mr Censor? Then, leaning over a reporter from Today newspaper, he said: 'Strike that out.' The man was there for good reason. 'In this potential war of words, we do not want to say anything that will open us up to legal action,' said former Aware vice-president Margaret Thomas. Dr Thio is, after all, a former law dean and her daughter a law professor at the National University of Singapore. 'The openness and transparency is still there,' explained Ms Thomas. 'We have nothing to hide. We make available the facts... these are the values that Aware has held on to throughout the years. 'If it is something we are able to talk about, we will. But if we are not able to, we will also say so openly.' But for a couple of hours last night, it almost didn't seem so. |
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Aware: 'Girls told how to say no to sex'
Tussle For Aware
CONTROVERSY
'Girls told how to say no to sex'
Aware's school sexuality programme told children it's okay to be gay, say its new leaders. But what was really being taught in schools? Teachers and parents also give their views
ONE of his students was taunted, bullied and called a 'bapok' (effeminate) by his schoolmates.
By Liew Hanqing
26 April 2009
ONE of his students was taunted, bullied and called a 'bapok' (effeminate) by his schoolmates.
This incident prompted Alex, a secondary school teacher, to seek help in educating students on the social aspects of sex and sexuality.
So he called Aware.
Alex declined to be named because teachers are not allowed to speak to the press without permission.
The secondary school in the East where Alex teaches is among the 12 schools here which run Aware's Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) programme.
The programme has been questioned by Aware's new leadership. Members are unhappy that it seems to promote in schools the message that homosexuality is acceptable.
In an ice-breaker activity used in the programme, students are advised that words such as 'homosexual', 'pre-marital' and 'anal sex' are considered neutral - neither positive nor negative.
Said Alex: 'The issue is not how these words are being classified. The important thing is educating students that homosexuality is something real and that they should not look down on somebody just because he or she is homosexual.'
He added that it was important that sexuality education programmes should discourage indiscriminate sexual experimentation among students.
Alex said the programme is pitched at Secondary 2 students at his school, many of whom are from the Normal (Technical) stream.
He said such programmes are necessary because students are beginning to experiment with sex at a much younger age than before.
He said: 'In the past, smoking was what kids used to experiment with at Sec2. Now, it's sex.'
Alex said female students who had attended the CSE programme had told him they were told how to say 'no' to sex. They also went through hands-on activities like learning to use a condom.
He added that the speakers did not delve much into the issue of homosexuality. Male students and teachers were also not allowed to attend the talk for girls.
Alex said he felt sexuality education programmes - regardless of who runs them - are important for students at a young age.
In the past five years alone, more than 20 of his students have had abortions, he said.
He said: 'Students need to be educated on the consequences of their actions and to know that even if they do get into a bad situation, there is a way out.'
But Mr Koh Yong Chiah, principal of Jurong Junior College, feels differently.
Eastern values
He told The New Paper: 'Ultimately, Singapore is still a society that follows Eastern moral values.
'From a human rights perspective, I am not against it (homosexuality), but I feel it is not right to tell students in school that homosexuality is okay.'
He added, however, that it is acceptable to educate students against stopping people from being in homosexual relationships.
Another secondary school teacher took a more moderate stand, suggesting that the programme be targeted at older students, who are 'more ready to discuss and learn about sexuality issues'.
She said that many schools - including her own - now run sexuality workshops for Sec2 students, in tandem with their sex education curriculum.
She said: 'But learning about the biological aspect of sex is different from learning about sexuality and its social implications.
'I would be apprehensive about telling teenagers to take a stand about homosexuality at such a young age.'
She added that it would, however, be a good move to equip teachers with the necessary counselling skills should students approach them to talk about issues related to sex and homosexuality.
Parents The New Paper spoke to had mixed responses to the CSE programme.
Ms Doreen Pang, 44, who has a 17-year-old son, said she 'would not accept' school sexuality programmes which consider homosexuality acceptable.
She said in Mandarin: 'I believe the schools should still educate students on traditional family values.
'Homosexuality is something that cannot be changed, but schools should not be telling children that it is okay.'
Another parent, Mr Leonard Wee, 45, who has a daughter in Sec3, said he had nothing against students being educated on homosexuality.
He said: 'It's very real, and we can't just pretend it doesn't exist. Classifying certain buzz words as 'neutral' isn't going to tip straight students over the edge and turn them gay.
'The most important thing is that students are taught how to behave responsibly when it comes to sex and that they know what they are getting themselves into.'
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CONTROVERSY
'Girls told how to say no to sex'
Aware's school sexuality programme told children it's okay to be gay, say its new leaders. But what was really being taught in schools? Teachers and parents also give their views
ONE of his students was taunted, bullied and called a 'bapok' (effeminate) by his schoolmates.
By Liew Hanqing
26 April 2009
ONE of his students was taunted, bullied and called a 'bapok' (effeminate) by his schoolmates.
This incident prompted Alex, a secondary school teacher, to seek help in educating students on the social aspects of sex and sexuality.
So he called Aware.
Alex declined to be named because teachers are not allowed to speak to the press without permission.
The secondary school in the East where Alex teaches is among the 12 schools here which run Aware's Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) programme.
The programme has been questioned by Aware's new leadership. Members are unhappy that it seems to promote in schools the message that homosexuality is acceptable.
In an ice-breaker activity used in the programme, students are advised that words such as 'homosexual', 'pre-marital' and 'anal sex' are considered neutral - neither positive nor negative.
Said Alex: 'The issue is not how these words are being classified. The important thing is educating students that homosexuality is something real and that they should not look down on somebody just because he or she is homosexual.'
He added that it was important that sexuality education programmes should discourage indiscriminate sexual experimentation among students.
Alex said the programme is pitched at Secondary 2 students at his school, many of whom are from the Normal (Technical) stream.
He said such programmes are necessary because students are beginning to experiment with sex at a much younger age than before.
He said: 'In the past, smoking was what kids used to experiment with at Sec2. Now, it's sex.'
Alex said female students who had attended the CSE programme had told him they were told how to say 'no' to sex. They also went through hands-on activities like learning to use a condom.
He added that the speakers did not delve much into the issue of homosexuality. Male students and teachers were also not allowed to attend the talk for girls.
Alex said he felt sexuality education programmes - regardless of who runs them - are important for students at a young age.
In the past five years alone, more than 20 of his students have had abortions, he said.
He said: 'Students need to be educated on the consequences of their actions and to know that even if they do get into a bad situation, there is a way out.'
But Mr Koh Yong Chiah, principal of Jurong Junior College, feels differently.
Eastern values
He told The New Paper: 'Ultimately, Singapore is still a society that follows Eastern moral values.
'From a human rights perspective, I am not against it (homosexuality), but I feel it is not right to tell students in school that homosexuality is okay.'
He added, however, that it is acceptable to educate students against stopping people from being in homosexual relationships.
Another secondary school teacher took a more moderate stand, suggesting that the programme be targeted at older students, who are 'more ready to discuss and learn about sexuality issues'.
She said that many schools - including her own - now run sexuality workshops for Sec2 students, in tandem with their sex education curriculum.
She said: 'But learning about the biological aspect of sex is different from learning about sexuality and its social implications.
'I would be apprehensive about telling teenagers to take a stand about homosexuality at such a young age.'
She added that it would, however, be a good move to equip teachers with the necessary counselling skills should students approach them to talk about issues related to sex and homosexuality.
Parents The New Paper spoke to had mixed responses to the CSE programme.
Ms Doreen Pang, 44, who has a 17-year-old son, said she 'would not accept' school sexuality programmes which consider homosexuality acceptable.
She said in Mandarin: 'I believe the schools should still educate students on traditional family values.
'Homosexuality is something that cannot be changed, but schools should not be telling children that it is okay.'
Another parent, Mr Leonard Wee, 45, who has a daughter in Sec3, said he had nothing against students being educated on homosexuality.
He said: 'It's very real, and we can't just pretend it doesn't exist. Classifying certain buzz words as 'neutral' isn't going to tip straight students over the edge and turn them gay.
'The most important thing is that students are taught how to behave responsibly when it comes to sex and that they know what they are getting themselves into.'
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Aware: 'We can't pretend it doesn't exist'
| Tussle For Aware | |||||
| 'We can't pretend it doesn't exist' | |||||
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HOMOSEXUALITY. Taboo? Or should students be made aware?
The issue has been a bone of contention between the old and new guard, with the latter citing its inclusion in a sex awareness course for students as unnacceptable. In particular, the new leadership is outraged by the treatment of the topic in the Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) programme run by Aware over the past two years. In CSE, students are told in an ice-breaker activity that words such as 'homosexual', 'pre-marital' and 'anal-sex' are considered neutral. Aware's new committee said that by deeming these terms neutral, the programme seems to promote the message that homosexuality is acceptable. The old guard swiftly rubbished this in a press conference yesterday. The talk on homosexuality, said veteran members, constitutes only a very small part of the workshop. And the reason the workshop raises the topic of homosexuality is because it is a real issue that teenagers have deal with. The course does not want to alienate teenagers who are confused and need some help understanding their sexuality. Said former Aware president Kanwaljit Soin : 'Homosexuality exists in society and Aware cannot be an ostrich and bury its head in the sand and pretend it doesn't exist.' She said if the issue was not addressed, many confused young people would be deprived of help. 'But we don't go and say it is a good thing to be a lesbian,' Dr Soin added. The CSE workshop, developed in 2007, was designed for teenagers between 12 and 18years old. Former Aware president Constance Singam said Aware wanted to start the programme to address the alarming rise in teenage pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and abortions. 'This affects the women and we wanted to help them and we are not going to discriminate against anyone who needs our help.' The workshop has been conducted in 12 secondary schools and welfare homes and has reached nearly 500 students over 24 sessions since November. Each workshop consists of games, role-playing, discussions and a presentation. The workshop offers information to girls on sexually transmitted diseases, HIV and contraceptives. Sexuality aside, the programme also helps women to talk about what they think constitutes a healthy or an unhealthy relationship. The programme is not vetted by the Ministry of Education (MOE). Schools and teachers select who they think will benefit most from the workshop. 'They either put up a notice in the school or teachers select who they think will benefit most from the workshop,' said Aware's MsDheeksha Vasundhra, a trained social worker who worked on the content of the CSE programme. She said parents are also given an opt-out form if they do not want their child to attend the programme. Aware member Veronica Wong, who also helped develop the education programme in January 2007, said that the programme underwent stringent audit processes. Said Ms Wong: 'I had to present my concept and materials to a panel of auditors comprising parents and school counsellors. 'The programme aims to empower teenagers with all the information so they know they have alternative choices.' MOE has a sexuality programme for students, called Breaking Down Barriers (BDB). It is taught to all Secondary 3 students. It does not have a dedicated timeslot. Instead, various aspects of the subject are built into lessons on health education, science, and civic and moral education. |
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