Why the Need to Muscle Your Way Into the Executive Committee?

The Straits Times ran this story on 18 April 2009:

Why the need to muscle your way into the executive committee'

The 160 Aware members who have called for an extraordinary general meeting yesterday issued this response to the statement by new president Josie Lau:

WE ARE astonished that the new Exco is asking the 'old guard' to disclose our motives and objectives! Our motives and objectives have been fully visible for nearly 25 years in the policies and programmes that have been carried out by Aware, and which we want to see continued.

It is the motives of the new Exco that have not been made clear. Our initial questions remain: What do you want to do in Aware that is fundamentally different from what was already being done?

On Wednesday the new Exco released a statement saying they want to 'honour' the work of past Aware members and intend to 'build' on the solid foundations laid by the founders.

This raises the question: If you think the work Aware has done all these years is so good and you want to 'honour' and 'build' on it, why the need to muscle your way onto the Exco? Such a tactic suggests there may be a hidden agenda that may be contrary to the stance and ethos of Aware.

Various developments since the AGM have only deepened our concerns about the motivations of the new Exco.

Braema Mathi, a past Aware president, was informed in a curt e-mail on Thursday April 16 that her term of office as chair of the Cedaw (Convention for the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women) sub-committee had ended on March 28, the day of the AGM. She was told to hand over all work in progress to the Exco on Friday April 17.

Braema headed the Cedaw sub-committee for five years and, with special training by the International Women's Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific, presented Aware's shadow Cedaw report at the United Nations two years ago. She has extensive experience of the Cedaw process and to dismiss her services midway during the writing of the current report seems counter-productive.

We noted with alarm DBS Bank's statements in the last two days about the professional conduct of the new Aware president. It is highly unusual for a company to issue such media releases and in particular to make a statement such as this: 'We are disappointed that Josie knowingly disregarded DBS' staff code of conduct twice. Such an attitude is not one that DBS, or any other organisation, can condone in a leader.'

We were further alarmed by media reports that the new Aware president led the marketing team in DBS's credit card campaign last year which supported the evangelical Christian organisation Focus on the Family. Aware is a secular organisation that embraces diversity of race, age, religion, culture and sexuality. It must remain so.


STATEMENT 'SELECTIVE AND INACCURATE'

'My first response is that her statement is so selective and inaccurate. She said old guard Chew I-Jin's position was not contested. I-Jin was first nominated for vice-president (but she was challenged by a newcomer and lost). She has devoted 15 years to Aware and often VPs go on to become presidents.

She was subsequently nominated for the minor post of Assistant Honorary Treasurer and that was uncontested.'

Former Aware vice-president Margaret Thomas, 57


WHY IT WAS HEARTBREAKING

'Josie asks if the old guard harbours an alternative agenda and says we should disclose our motives and objectives fully and honestly.

'They should answer that themselves. I joined Aware because I love it that these women worked so hard to propagate values of acceptance and all-inclusiveness, regardless of race, religion, sex or sexuality.

'I attended the AGM and it was heartbreaking when I stood up and asked if they understood the principles behind Aware. They did not answer.

'And then I asked a very blunt question. I said: 'Do you accept homosexuality?' And Jenica Chua stood up and said categorically: 'No.'

'I was flabbergasted.'

Singapore permanent resident Nancy Griffiths, 56, a mother of two and an Aware member since 2002