Christians who are against the AWARE takeover have formed a Facebook group called Concerned Christians Against Fundamentalism. There are many non-Christian members in the group who have joined to show support and offer words of encouragement. Also in Facebook, one member, Gwee Li Siu, wrote a note about the saga on 20 April 2009:
CHRISTIANS AGAINST AWARE TAKEOVER!
Christians in Singapore, listen! You should not be this conflicted
about the AWARE debacle. It appears that a few churches have already
taken the opportunity to preach on the issue of homosexuality from the
pulpit. Some Christians have also been rattling on about it being time
to make a stand and be counted for what one truly believes.
So this is me making a stand right here. I have been a Bible-believing
Christian for 25 years now. I want first to acknowledge fellow
believers who, like me, are shocked, angered, and saddened by the
takeover and feel that their faith has been hijacked and their views
ignored. I know that a lot of such affected Christians are out there.
There is also another group which may not agree with the new team's
tactics but admires its fervour or sympathises with it for the heat it
has been getting.
But, most of all, I want to address a crucial third party: Christian
women who have been encouraged to stand up and be counted for their
beliefs. I wish to appeal to their good sense in these last hours. You
may be one of these and have even joined, or are planning to join,
AWARE to help swing the votes in favour of the new ex-co on Saturday.
Especially if I am describing you, please read on!
Yes, there are times when a Christian needs to make a courageous stand
– but, in every event, always ask yourself: For what cause is this?
What context does it serve? The current scenario is not one where we
are being asked what our beliefs on certain issues are or whether
Christianity and homosexuality are compatible or we are being mocked
or discriminated against. It is a simple context where a group of
well-meaning Christians infiltrated a secular organisation in order to
be in a position to dictate their own values in its daily running. In
this light, what a Christian may feel about issues like homosexuality
is besides the point!
As a secular body, AWARE rightly cannot have a vision that treats
women from different backgrounds through the outlook of just one
religious system. Indeed, I dare say that an appropriate Christian
response is to resist the actions of these Christians. Just as God
gave every person free choice and the opportunity to believe, we ought
to support the sanctity of this right for others to make up their own
minds and live their own lives. Just as we do not force the Christian
faith down someone's throat against his or her will, we should not
take over a non-religious organisation for the single purpose of
making others unlike us behave as we believe. To do this would be a
gross misapplication of the message of Jesus.
If you support the new ex-co's actions, be aware that you are sending
a string of possibly irreversible wrong signals to every Singaporean.
Consider carefully whether you are willing to shoulder the
responsibility of damages that would affect the longstanding good work
of Christians in Singapore. Since the government has chosen not to be
involved in the matter so far, whatever happens will be seen clearly
by all as the response of particular sectors of society.
Here is my short list of obvious implications:
[1] Support the new ex-co, and you are effectively saying that you
condone its quasi-corporate act of infiltration, with related
strategies of secrecy, disinformation, moral coercion, and
fear-mongering. You are saying that you support its
less-than-Christian covert moves more than traditionally Christian
ones like dialogue, open engagement, honesty, and clarity.
[2] Support the new ex-co, and we will go down a slippery road with
wide-ranging repercussions for all. Don’t believe for a moment that
the manoeuvring will stop here. What this invites others to see is
that infiltration is the most effective way for small groups of
like-minded individuals to seize power quickly -- and where will this
end? What is to stop any religious or ideological group from doing the
same to any social institution at every level? In the long run, who do
you think loses?
[3] Support the new ex-co, and you potentially make light of the
freedom that is God’s gift to every human being. Against your best
intentions, you may send out instead the message that we Christians
think that we know better than everyone else and that we are willing
to outflank, overpower, and overwhelm if we do not get our way.
[4] Support the new ex-co, and, if they stay and behave as predicted,
you will be directly responsible for undoing the trust that many
Christians have taken years to build with their non-Christian friends.
This is a trust built on mutual respect. You will have made the Gospel
of Christ more difficult to hear for years to come because people will
think that they know what it is about. You will have created a new
generation of Christ-haters.
This matter, in short, is not to be treated lightly. Jesus tells us
all to be "wise as serpents, and harmless as doves". There are times
to be passionate and helpful in a gungho way, but this is not the
time. Christians can be wrong about many things too. So please, by all
means, pray for the AWARE debacle to be resolved amicably and for
Christians in AWARE, but do not, in the name of our common faith, go
in blind support of other Christians because you are Christian!
Yours Truly,
Gwee Li Sui
Thursday, April 30, 2009
200 Foreign Workers Show Up at MOM
The Straits Times ran this story on 28 April 2009:
200 foreign workers show up at MOM
By Melissa Sim
When construction worker Feng Jinfu, 48, picked up his 'renewed' work permit on April 13, the China national had no idea that it was also the day the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) cancelled it.
Word has since got around among several construction industry workers like him. Thus for the third reported time in four months, MOM yesterday found its Havelock Road premises filled with a group of foreign workers wanting answers.
The 200 there yesterday also wanted their salaries and refunds on the deposits they claim to have paid their employers.
According to MOM, the reason the work permits were cancelled was because the employers had either failed to pay the foreign workers' levy, submit documents or physically produce the foreign workers.
MOM officers addressed the crowd yesterday, explaining that investigations were under way.
They also urged the workers to look for other jobs and report back next Tuesday. When about 130 of them refused to leave, the police were called in.
In a statement yesterday, MOM said the workers were 'uncooperative and behaved in a rowdy manner'. It added that it would refer the workers to the police if they were there again 'without prior appointments and without valid reasons'.
The workers, from Hokh Contract Services, Raffles Contractors and Neo-Built, were among the 800 who gathered at Kallang Pudding Road last week. About 40 from that group were taken to MOM to help with investigations. They said they were trying to get back the fees - at least $5,700 each - which they had paid on arrival here.
200 foreign workers show up at MOM
By Melissa Sim
When construction worker Feng Jinfu, 48, picked up his 'renewed' work permit on April 13, the China national had no idea that it was also the day the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) cancelled it.
Word has since got around among several construction industry workers like him. Thus for the third reported time in four months, MOM yesterday found its Havelock Road premises filled with a group of foreign workers wanting answers.
The 200 there yesterday also wanted their salaries and refunds on the deposits they claim to have paid their employers.
According to MOM, the reason the work permits were cancelled was because the employers had either failed to pay the foreign workers' levy, submit documents or physically produce the foreign workers.
MOM officers addressed the crowd yesterday, explaining that investigations were under way.
They also urged the workers to look for other jobs and report back next Tuesday. When about 130 of them refused to leave, the police were called in.
In a statement yesterday, MOM said the workers were 'uncooperative and behaved in a rowdy manner'. It added that it would refer the workers to the police if they were there again 'without prior appointments and without valid reasons'.
The workers, from Hokh Contract Services, Raffles Contractors and Neo-Built, were among the 800 who gathered at Kallang Pudding Road last week. About 40 from that group were taken to MOM to help with investigations. They said they were trying to get back the fees - at least $5,700 each - which they had paid on arrival here.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
One Cause for All Women
AWARE has changed the venue of its extraordinary general meeting again.
The meeting will now be held at Exhibition Hall 402, International Convention & Exhibition Centre, Suntec City, from 2pm-5pm on 2 May.
Admission and registration starts from 12pm.
Members are reminded to bring along their NRICs or passports for admission and registration purposes.
The old guard supporters made this video (please note that the venue info at the end of the video is no longer correct).
The meeting will now be held at Exhibition Hall 402, International Convention & Exhibition Centre, Suntec City, from 2pm-5pm on 2 May.
Admission and registration starts from 12pm.
Members are reminded to bring along their NRICs or passports for admission and registration purposes.
The old guard supporters made this video (please note that the venue info at the end of the video is no longer correct).
Reform Party Denies Talk of a Fall-Out
Today ran this story on 29 April 2009:
Reform Party denies talk of a fall-out
By Leong Wee Keat
THE Reform Party has denied talk of a falling-out between its secretary-general Kenneth Jeyaretnam and Mr Ng Teck Siong, who quit as chairman after receiving a no-confidence vote on Sunday.
Interim party chairman Edmund Ng stressed yesterday that the party is governed by the Central Executive Committee (CEC) decisions, and not by any one individual.
He also cited an interview thatMr Jeyaretnam — whose late father,Mr JB Jeyaretnam, founded the party with long-time ally Mr Ng Teck Siong — gave to 938Live on Monday.
The secretary-general had said: “Teck Siong has given many years of loyal service to my father and has done a good job of steering the party”, and his departure “shouldn’t be taken as a reflection of anything bad on him. Just that the majority of the CEC felt it’s time for new blood”.
Mr Jeyaretnam said “the door is always open” to Mr Ng Teck Siong, who has also quit the party.
In a press statement yesterday, the Reform Party said their ex-chairman was involved with different opposition parties for almost 30 years. In recent years, he was seen as assistant to the late Mr Jeyaretnam and, following the latter’s death last October, took over the party’s helm.
When contacted by Today, Mr Ng would only say he “is taking time to reflect” on the recent developments and might hold a press conference on a later date. Today understands the Reform Party will also call a press conference soon to announce its plans.
Reform Party denies talk of a fall-out
By Leong Wee Keat
THE Reform Party has denied talk of a falling-out between its secretary-general Kenneth Jeyaretnam and Mr Ng Teck Siong, who quit as chairman after receiving a no-confidence vote on Sunday.
Interim party chairman Edmund Ng stressed yesterday that the party is governed by the Central Executive Committee (CEC) decisions, and not by any one individual.
He also cited an interview thatMr Jeyaretnam — whose late father,Mr JB Jeyaretnam, founded the party with long-time ally Mr Ng Teck Siong — gave to 938Live on Monday.
The secretary-general had said: “Teck Siong has given many years of loyal service to my father and has done a good job of steering the party”, and his departure “shouldn’t be taken as a reflection of anything bad on him. Just that the majority of the CEC felt it’s time for new blood”.
Mr Jeyaretnam said “the door is always open” to Mr Ng Teck Siong, who has also quit the party.
In a press statement yesterday, the Reform Party said their ex-chairman was involved with different opposition parties for almost 30 years. In recent years, he was seen as assistant to the late Mr Jeyaretnam and, following the latter’s death last October, took over the party’s helm.
When contacted by Today, Mr Ng would only say he “is taking time to reflect” on the recent developments and might hold a press conference on a later date. Today understands the Reform Party will also call a press conference soon to announce its plans.
What Being Inclusive Means
This letter, by Josie Lau, President of Aware, was published in The Straits Times' Forum page on 28 April 2009:
What being inclusive means
I REFER to yesterday's article, 'Keep religion above 'petty politics', says Vivian'.
The Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) fully supports Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan's advice that our internal disputes should be settled among members. We agree it is important to hear a diversity of views and to discuss these views in a civil manner.
Aware is a secular organisation and we welcome women of all races and religions to be members. Our members' beliefs and the recent high-profile disputes should not be exploited in the public arena to serve controversial agendas.
The extraordinary general meeting on May 2 is a forum for genuinely interested parties to address issues relating to Aware, its contribution to matters relating to all women and how this affects society in general.
Aware's principle of inclusiveness is framed by reference to the purposes and objectives of this women's organisation. For example, Aware is not directly concerned with the rights of consumers, investors or the environment.
What about the interests of lesbians or what some call 'sexual orientation' or 'sexuality' rights? It depends on what interest is at stake. For example, we do not think lesbians should be discriminated against in the workplace, either in terms of promotion or pay; like every woman, they deserve equality of opportunity. The only relevant consideration is merit.
There is a world of difference between fair employment rights and claims to 'same-sex marriage'.
As an advocacy group, Aware seeks to maintain its relevance by allocating its limited resources to tackling the most pressing issues of the day impacting our women across the spectrum of society.
It is not helpful to use slogans like 'inclusive' to force acceptance of controversial claims on all Aware members, as if that belief were a prerequisite for membership; it is not.
Aware would like to contribute to pluralistic Singapore by providing a forum to address issues specifically so we can understand exactly what issues are at stake in order for dialogue to be meaningful. Aware is tolerant and inclusive enough to allow its members to hold their views on matters of controversy.
What being inclusive means
I REFER to yesterday's article, 'Keep religion above 'petty politics', says Vivian'.
The Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) fully supports Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan's advice that our internal disputes should be settled among members. We agree it is important to hear a diversity of views and to discuss these views in a civil manner.
Aware is a secular organisation and we welcome women of all races and religions to be members. Our members' beliefs and the recent high-profile disputes should not be exploited in the public arena to serve controversial agendas.
The extraordinary general meeting on May 2 is a forum for genuinely interested parties to address issues relating to Aware, its contribution to matters relating to all women and how this affects society in general.
Aware's principle of inclusiveness is framed by reference to the purposes and objectives of this women's organisation. For example, Aware is not directly concerned with the rights of consumers, investors or the environment.
What about the interests of lesbians or what some call 'sexual orientation' or 'sexuality' rights? It depends on what interest is at stake. For example, we do not think lesbians should be discriminated against in the workplace, either in terms of promotion or pay; like every woman, they deserve equality of opportunity. The only relevant consideration is merit.
There is a world of difference between fair employment rights and claims to 'same-sex marriage'.
As an advocacy group, Aware seeks to maintain its relevance by allocating its limited resources to tackling the most pressing issues of the day impacting our women across the spectrum of society.
It is not helpful to use slogans like 'inclusive' to force acceptance of controversial claims on all Aware members, as if that belief were a prerequisite for membership; it is not.
Aware would like to contribute to pluralistic Singapore by providing a forum to address issues specifically so we can understand exactly what issues are at stake in order for dialogue to be meaningful. Aware is tolerant and inclusive enough to allow its members to hold their views on matters of controversy.
Restore Reason, Civility to Debate
This letter, written by former AWARE President Constance Singam, was published in The Straits Times Forum page on 28 April 2009:
Restore reason, civility to debate
IN A climate of debate that has seen fear mongering, character assassination, heads of sub-committees sacked, employees fired, police called, votes of no confidence, churches weighing in and threats of violence, it is necessary to remind ourselves what being part of a civil society means.
A civil society is one where every citizen has an option to make her own life in a safe public sphere and where no one should be discriminated against or excluded because of her religion, class, race, sexuality, lifestyle, ideology or gender.
Given the political dominance of one party and Singapore's multicultural and multi-religious nature, groups like the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) are important for providing the expression of alternative views and hence for good governance.
The totality of Aware's work and the make-up of every executive committee (exco) since its formation are representative of a 'rainbow coalition'. However, and somewhat unfortunately, the current exco does not represent Singapore's racial and religious diversity. In that sense, one wonders to what degree it best represents civil society.
The second question is what are the tones and sensibilities of civil society? This is a far harder question to answer. But we have had clear, if unspoken, codes of conduct at Aware for many years. These codes have been replaced by mistrust, betrayal, misinformation and silence.
In this regard, character assassination of individuals shows the extent to which people will descend to sell their point of view. Misinformation about me is being circulated by text messages and the Internet that I have a homosexual brother and am working to turn Aware into a gay/lesbian organisation.
My maiden name is D'Cruz and my full married name is Thurairasingam and so Clarence Singam cannot be my brother (see http://sg.christianpost.com/dbase/society/1548/122336/3.htm ) .
I have emphasised that Aware will not be used as a platform for lesbian issues. I have stated categorically that Aware speaks for all women and we address issues of discrimination against all women. These are facts that can easily be verified. But facts are a casualty in this whole sad episode.
We must restore a sense of reason, civility and respect to a debate that is increasingly unproductive. This will surely be good, not just for Aware but for all women, families and Singaporeans.
In that sense, I am grateful for the statement by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, in yesterday's report, 'Keep religion above 'petty politics', says Vivian'.
* * *
FORUM NOTE: The writer was president of Aware before the society's AGM last month. She quit as its adviser following the fallout between veterans of the society and the new executive committee, comprising largely new members led by Ms Josie Lau.
Restore reason, civility to debate
IN A climate of debate that has seen fear mongering, character assassination, heads of sub-committees sacked, employees fired, police called, votes of no confidence, churches weighing in and threats of violence, it is necessary to remind ourselves what being part of a civil society means.
A civil society is one where every citizen has an option to make her own life in a safe public sphere and where no one should be discriminated against or excluded because of her religion, class, race, sexuality, lifestyle, ideology or gender.
Given the political dominance of one party and Singapore's multicultural and multi-religious nature, groups like the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) are important for providing the expression of alternative views and hence for good governance.
The totality of Aware's work and the make-up of every executive committee (exco) since its formation are representative of a 'rainbow coalition'. However, and somewhat unfortunately, the current exco does not represent Singapore's racial and religious diversity. In that sense, one wonders to what degree it best represents civil society.
The second question is what are the tones and sensibilities of civil society? This is a far harder question to answer. But we have had clear, if unspoken, codes of conduct at Aware for many years. These codes have been replaced by mistrust, betrayal, misinformation and silence.
In this regard, character assassination of individuals shows the extent to which people will descend to sell their point of view. Misinformation about me is being circulated by text messages and the Internet that I have a homosexual brother and am working to turn Aware into a gay/lesbian organisation.
My maiden name is D'Cruz and my full married name is Thurairasingam and so Clarence Singam cannot be my brother (see http://sg.christianpost.com/dbase/society/1548/122336/3.htm ) .
I have emphasised that Aware will not be used as a platform for lesbian issues. I have stated categorically that Aware speaks for all women and we address issues of discrimination against all women. These are facts that can easily be verified. But facts are a casualty in this whole sad episode.
We must restore a sense of reason, civility and respect to a debate that is increasingly unproductive. This will surely be good, not just for Aware but for all women, families and Singaporeans.
In that sense, I am grateful for the statement by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, in yesterday's report, 'Keep religion above 'petty politics', says Vivian'.
FORUM NOTE: The writer was president of Aware before the society's AGM last month. She quit as its adviser following the fallout between veterans of the society and the new executive committee, comprising largely new members led by Ms Josie Lau.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Kenneth Jeyaretnam Heads Reform Party
Today ran this story on 28 April 2009:
JBJ’s son heads Reform Party
MR KENNETH Jeyaretnam, 50, the elder son of the late Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam, has been appointed the secretary-general of the Reform Party that his father set up last June.
Mr Jeyaretnam, who joined the party last month, said after the meeting of the party’s Central Executive Committee on Sunday: “After choosing to go into politics, various offers were put to me but the stated philosophy of the Reform Party most closely matched my own philosophy.”
He added: “We have a lot of work going forward and it is humbling that so many people have demonstrated this level of confidence in me. I lookforward to serving them.”
Reform Party chairman Ng Teck Siong, 68, quit his post after a motion of no confidence in his leadership was passed by a majority vote at the Sunday night meeting. He has also tendered his resignation from the party.
Mr Ng, a long-time confidant of the late Mr Jeyaretnam who helped him establish the Reform Party, said that “in the interest of party renewal, this is an appropriate juncture” for him to step aside for fresh blood to take over the helm.
Mr Edmund Ng has been appointed as interim chairman and Mr Teo Kian Chye as interim Treasurer.
JBJ’s son heads Reform Party
MR KENNETH Jeyaretnam, 50, the elder son of the late Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam, has been appointed the secretary-general of the Reform Party that his father set up last June.
Mr Jeyaretnam, who joined the party last month, said after the meeting of the party’s Central Executive Committee on Sunday: “After choosing to go into politics, various offers were put to me but the stated philosophy of the Reform Party most closely matched my own philosophy.”
He added: “We have a lot of work going forward and it is humbling that so many people have demonstrated this level of confidence in me. I lookforward to serving them.”
Reform Party chairman Ng Teck Siong, 68, quit his post after a motion of no confidence in his leadership was passed by a majority vote at the Sunday night meeting. He has also tendered his resignation from the party.
Mr Ng, a long-time confidant of the late Mr Jeyaretnam who helped him establish the Reform Party, said that “in the interest of party renewal, this is an appropriate juncture” for him to step aside for fresh blood to take over the helm.
Mr Edmund Ng has been appointed as interim chairman and Mr Teo Kian Chye as interim Treasurer.
Unhappy Workers Who Turn Rowdy Cautioned
Today ran this story on 28 April 2009:
A stern warning for mob
By Lin Yanqin and Teo Xuanwei
CROWDS of unpaid, unhappy foreign workers seeking help have become a common sight at the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) Building in recent months.
But a mob of workers from China who turned rowdy yesterday elicited a stern warning from MOM: Break the law again, and not only will it delay your case, we’ll refer you to the police.
Some 200 workers from Raffles Contractors, Hokh Contract Services and Neo-Built Pte Ltd — the same group interviewed by MOM officers on Friday — had assembled at the Havelock Road premises in the morning seeking updates.
When asked to proceed to MOM’s Kim Seng Road office so their concerns could be investigated, about 40 did so, but 130 refused to leave.
“They were uncooperative and behaved in a rowdy manner, impeding the access of the public to MOM Building, and making a nuisance of themselves. These workers insisted on immediate resolution of their demands,” said MOM in a statement.
Despite numerous attempts at persuasion, the workers refused to leave, prompting MOM to call the police four hours later around 1.30pm.
When Today was there, officers in blue moved through the crowd, talking with workers who argued with them. Eventually, the workers were herded across the road where some still stood, refusing to budge.
“We have no money for food, and we can’t even pay for our rent anymore,” said Mr Xu, 40, from Zhejiang, who had worked for Hokh Contract Services for nine months before his contract was terminated. “They still owe me $3,000 in wages. I paid about 50,000 yuan ($11,000) to come here and work. What am I going to do?”
MOM repeated its assurance it was striving to “help workers sooner rather than later” on wage disputes, but such behaviour on their part was unproductive, only serving “to delay the resolution of their claims”.
“If these workers gather at MOM again without prior appointments and without valid reasons, MOM will immediately refer them to the police,” warned the ministry.
MOM added that it sought a “fair resolution” to all claims and thus, would need to establish the facts of the case before exploring a settlement between employers and workers.
A stern warning for mob
By Lin Yanqin and Teo Xuanwei
CROWDS of unpaid, unhappy foreign workers seeking help have become a common sight at the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) Building in recent months.
But a mob of workers from China who turned rowdy yesterday elicited a stern warning from MOM: Break the law again, and not only will it delay your case, we’ll refer you to the police.
Some 200 workers from Raffles Contractors, Hokh Contract Services and Neo-Built Pte Ltd — the same group interviewed by MOM officers on Friday — had assembled at the Havelock Road premises in the morning seeking updates.
When asked to proceed to MOM’s Kim Seng Road office so their concerns could be investigated, about 40 did so, but 130 refused to leave.
“They were uncooperative and behaved in a rowdy manner, impeding the access of the public to MOM Building, and making a nuisance of themselves. These workers insisted on immediate resolution of their demands,” said MOM in a statement.
Despite numerous attempts at persuasion, the workers refused to leave, prompting MOM to call the police four hours later around 1.30pm.
When Today was there, officers in blue moved through the crowd, talking with workers who argued with them. Eventually, the workers were herded across the road where some still stood, refusing to budge.
“We have no money for food, and we can’t even pay for our rent anymore,” said Mr Xu, 40, from Zhejiang, who had worked for Hokh Contract Services for nine months before his contract was terminated. “They still owe me $3,000 in wages. I paid about 50,000 yuan ($11,000) to come here and work. What am I going to do?”
MOM repeated its assurance it was striving to “help workers sooner rather than later” on wage disputes, but such behaviour on their part was unproductive, only serving “to delay the resolution of their claims”.
“If these workers gather at MOM again without prior appointments and without valid reasons, MOM will immediately refer them to the police,” warned the ministry.
MOM added that it sought a “fair resolution” to all claims and thus, would need to establish the facts of the case before exploring a settlement between employers and workers.
Healthcare Providers Step Up Infection Control Measures
ChannelNewsAsia ran this story on 28 April 2009:
Healthcare providers step up infection control measures
By Cheryl Lim
SINGAPORE: Healthcare providers in Singapore are stepping up control measures for infectious disease. This is part of a preparedness plan, should the global swine flu situation take a turn for the worse.
Infection control measures are already in place at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH). Patients and visitors to the Accident & Emergency (A&E) department and outpatient clinics are being screened for flu-like symptoms, as well as their travel histories to the United States, Mexico and Canada.
SGH has also strengthened infection control measures and will only allow two visitors to accompany patients to the A&E department.
It is also providing visitor registration to facilitate contact tracing, should this be needed.
Sources said hospitals are also discussing contingency plans, such as cancelling non-emergency surgeries, if more safeguards become necessary.
Public clinics or polyclinics have also taken similar steps. Masks are on hand in the waiting area for patients who are coughing or sneezing.
Parkway Health, the largest private healthcare provider here, has upped the gears on infection control as well. Patients entering the A&E department have to be checked for their temperature and their travel history.
Tan Poh Lan, CEO of Gleneagles Hospital, Parkway Health, said: "There will be things implemented like controlling the number of visitors to the hospital... (and) monitoring our staff movements within the system itself. We will then make sure that staff stay within one facility."
Healthcare providers step up infection control measures
By Cheryl Lim
SINGAPORE: Healthcare providers in Singapore are stepping up control measures for infectious disease. This is part of a preparedness plan, should the global swine flu situation take a turn for the worse.
Infection control measures are already in place at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH). Patients and visitors to the Accident & Emergency (A&E) department and outpatient clinics are being screened for flu-like symptoms, as well as their travel histories to the United States, Mexico and Canada.
SGH has also strengthened infection control measures and will only allow two visitors to accompany patients to the A&E department.
It is also providing visitor registration to facilitate contact tracing, should this be needed.
Sources said hospitals are also discussing contingency plans, such as cancelling non-emergency surgeries, if more safeguards become necessary.
Public clinics or polyclinics have also taken similar steps. Masks are on hand in the waiting area for patients who are coughing or sneezing.
Parkway Health, the largest private healthcare provider here, has upped the gears on infection control as well. Patients entering the A&E department have to be checked for their temperature and their travel history.
Tan Poh Lan, CEO of Gleneagles Hospital, Parkway Health, said: "There will be things implemented like controlling the number of visitors to the hospital... (and) monitoring our staff movements within the system itself. We will then make sure that staff stay within one facility."
Swine Flu Spreads, Containment Seen as 'Unfeasible'
AFP ran this story on 28 April 2009:
Swine flu spreads, containment seen as 'unfeasible'
MEXICO CITY - World health officials admitted they were powerless to halt the spread of swine flu and ratcheted up their pandemic alert level as the number of affected countries rose sharply on Tuesday.
As Mexico, epicentre of the outbreak, said 152 people were now believed to have died from the virus, the number of known cases in the US more than doubled while six other countries said they had confirmed their first casualties.
Authorities in Asia -- where memories of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003 remain fresh -- tried to contain the spread of the virus, screening air passengers from affected areas and advising against non-essential travel to Mexico.
But the World Health Organization (WHO) said border screenings "don't work," while the EU's health commissioner said there was no need for travel restrictions.
"Border controls do not work. Screening doesn't work," WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said in Geneva.
"If a person has been exposed or infected... the person might not be symptomatic at the airport," he said. "We learn as we go on. SARS was a huge learning experience for all of us."
The WHO raised its flu pandemic alert level from three to four on Monday night -- signalling a "significant increase in the risk of a pandemic."
Keiji Fukuda, acting WHO assistant director-general for health, security and the environment, said late Monday that given the widespread nature of the virus, all corners of the world are at potential risk.
"I think that in this age of global travel, where people move around in airplanes so quickly, there is no region to which this virus could not spread," Fukuda said.
The outbreak was too "widespread to make containment a feasible" strategy, he added.
Nevertheless, he stressed that the UN health agency did not recommend closing borders or restricting travel.
"With the virus being widespread... closing borders or restricting travel really has very little effects in stopping the movement of this virus," he said.
Fukuda's line was echoed by the European Union health commissioner Androulla Vassiliou who said that while precautionary measures were advisable, "at this juncture I don't see any point on restricting travelling."
But reflecting the split in how to deal with the outbreak, France joined Britain in advising against all but essential travel to Mexico.
The sense of gloom was compounded by predictions from leading experts that a pandemic was now all but inevitable.
"It is very likely we are at the beginning of a pandemic. We are near there," said Yuen Kwok-yung, head of microbiology at the University of Hong Kong.
And Dmitry Lvov, head of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Virology, said: "The risk of a pandemic in the world is very high."
The Mexican government meanwhile said the probable national death toll from the virus had risen to 152, while the number of cases under observation reached 1,614.
Faster and more effective laboratory tests for the flu were to begin Tuesday, Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said.
"We're in the decisive moment of the crisis. The number (of deaths) will continue rising," Cordova said.
Mexico City, home to around 20 million people, remained eerily quiet with the capital's zoos, museums, churches, courts and many restaurants closed.
British tour operators, including Thomas Cook, halted holidays to Mexico after two people who returned to Scotland from a honeymoon in the resort town of Cancun fell ill with the swine flu virus.
Apart from Britain, the only confirmed case of the virus in Europe was in Spain while suspected cases were being probed in Germany and Austria.
A total of 44 people are thought to have been infected in the United States while Canada has six cases.
And in a further illustration of its global reach, Israel and New Zealand both confirmed their first swine flu casualties.
In Asia, Thai medical authorities placed a woman in quarantine in hospital while South Korea investigated a "probable" victim. Australia meanwhile probed 70 possible cases.
WHO officials in China said they were investigating several people with suspicious symptoms, but played down the chances that any were likely infected.
"Swine flu is an international problem now, it's crossed two continents, it's got to be dealt with by international agreements," said British Prime Minister Gordon Brown as his government called a meeting of its COBRA crisis cell.
Swine flu spreads, containment seen as 'unfeasible'
MEXICO CITY - World health officials admitted they were powerless to halt the spread of swine flu and ratcheted up their pandemic alert level as the number of affected countries rose sharply on Tuesday.
As Mexico, epicentre of the outbreak, said 152 people were now believed to have died from the virus, the number of known cases in the US more than doubled while six other countries said they had confirmed their first casualties.
Authorities in Asia -- where memories of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003 remain fresh -- tried to contain the spread of the virus, screening air passengers from affected areas and advising against non-essential travel to Mexico.
But the World Health Organization (WHO) said border screenings "don't work," while the EU's health commissioner said there was no need for travel restrictions.
"Border controls do not work. Screening doesn't work," WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said in Geneva.
"If a person has been exposed or infected... the person might not be symptomatic at the airport," he said. "We learn as we go on. SARS was a huge learning experience for all of us."
The WHO raised its flu pandemic alert level from three to four on Monday night -- signalling a "significant increase in the risk of a pandemic."
Keiji Fukuda, acting WHO assistant director-general for health, security and the environment, said late Monday that given the widespread nature of the virus, all corners of the world are at potential risk.
"I think that in this age of global travel, where people move around in airplanes so quickly, there is no region to which this virus could not spread," Fukuda said.
The outbreak was too "widespread to make containment a feasible" strategy, he added.
Nevertheless, he stressed that the UN health agency did not recommend closing borders or restricting travel.
"With the virus being widespread... closing borders or restricting travel really has very little effects in stopping the movement of this virus," he said.
Fukuda's line was echoed by the European Union health commissioner Androulla Vassiliou who said that while precautionary measures were advisable, "at this juncture I don't see any point on restricting travelling."
But reflecting the split in how to deal with the outbreak, France joined Britain in advising against all but essential travel to Mexico.
The sense of gloom was compounded by predictions from leading experts that a pandemic was now all but inevitable.
"It is very likely we are at the beginning of a pandemic. We are near there," said Yuen Kwok-yung, head of microbiology at the University of Hong Kong.
And Dmitry Lvov, head of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Virology, said: "The risk of a pandemic in the world is very high."
The Mexican government meanwhile said the probable national death toll from the virus had risen to 152, while the number of cases under observation reached 1,614.
Faster and more effective laboratory tests for the flu were to begin Tuesday, Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said.
"We're in the decisive moment of the crisis. The number (of deaths) will continue rising," Cordova said.
Mexico City, home to around 20 million people, remained eerily quiet with the capital's zoos, museums, churches, courts and many restaurants closed.
British tour operators, including Thomas Cook, halted holidays to Mexico after two people who returned to Scotland from a honeymoon in the resort town of Cancun fell ill with the swine flu virus.
Apart from Britain, the only confirmed case of the virus in Europe was in Spain while suspected cases were being probed in Germany and Austria.
A total of 44 people are thought to have been infected in the United States while Canada has six cases.
And in a further illustration of its global reach, Israel and New Zealand both confirmed their first swine flu casualties.
In Asia, Thai medical authorities placed a woman in quarantine in hospital while South Korea investigated a "probable" victim. Australia meanwhile probed 70 possible cases.
WHO officials in China said they were investigating several people with suspicious symptoms, but played down the chances that any were likely infected.
"Swine flu is an international problem now, it's crossed two continents, it's got to be dealt with by international agreements," said British Prime Minister Gordon Brown as his government called a meeting of its COBRA crisis cell.
NTUC FairPrice Donates $3.18m to Fund
Today ran this story on 28 April 2009:
NTUC FairPrice donates $3.18m to fund
The NTUC FairPrice Foundation is donating another $3.18 million to the Labour Movement’s U Care fund.
The fund, launched in March, aims to help low-wage workers, including those retrenched, ride out the recession. In total, the foundation has given $5.25 million to the fund.
NTUC said its social enterprises had set a target of $10 million for the U Care fund this year and with the foundation’s contribution, this goal has been achieved.
NTUC FairPrice donates $3.18m to fund
The NTUC FairPrice Foundation is donating another $3.18 million to the Labour Movement’s U Care fund.
The fund, launched in March, aims to help low-wage workers, including those retrenched, ride out the recession. In total, the foundation has given $5.25 million to the fund.
NTUC said its social enterprises had set a target of $10 million for the U Care fund this year and with the foundation’s contribution, this goal has been achieved.
MOE Issues Press Release Regarding AWARE's Sexuality Programme in Schools
The Ministry of Education (MOE) released a press release on 28 April 2009:
Reply to Recent Comments and Claims About AWARE’s Sexuality Education Programme in Schools
1. We refer to recent claims and comments about AWARE’s sexuality education programme in schools.
2. Sexuality education conducted in MOE schools is premised on the importance of the family and respect for the values and beliefs of the different ethnic and religious communities on sexuality issues. The aim is to help students make responsible values-based choices on matters involving sexuality.
3. Core programmes are delivered by teachers but schools do collaborate with other agencies in delivering additional modules. However, in doing so, schools must ensure that any programmes run by external agencies are secular and sensitive to the multi-religious make-up of our society. Parents can choose to opt their children out of these programmes.
4. Last year, 11 secondary schools engaged AWARE to run workshops for their students. The number of students involved in each school ranged from about 20 to 100, and each workshop lasted 3 hours. The objectives of these workshops were to provide students with accurate information on Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)/HIV, to help students understand the consequences of premarital sexual activity, and to equip students with skills such as decision-making and resisting negative peer pressure.
5. AWARE also conducted assembly talks, typically of 45-minute duration, for students in a few secondary schools. Some of the areas covered in the talks included body image, self-esteem, eating disorders, teenage pregnancies, sexual harassment and the role of women in today’s context.
6. The schools that engaged AWARE found that the content and messages of the sessions conducted were appropriate for their students and adhered to guidelines to respect the values of different religious groups. The schools did not receive any negative feedback from students who attended the workshops and talks or their parents.
7. In particular, MOE has also not received any complaint from parents or Dr Thio Su Mien, who was reported to have made specific claims about sexuality education in our schools. MOE has contacted Dr Thio Su Mien to seek clarifications and facts to substantiate her claims.
8. If parents and members of the public know of specific instances where guidelines have not been adhered to, they should report them directly to MOE to investigate. MOE recognises that sexuality education is sensitive. In conducting these programmes, the views of parents will be respected and values taught should not deviate from the social norms accepted by mainstream society in Singapore.
Reply to Recent Comments and Claims About AWARE’s Sexuality Education Programme in Schools
1. We refer to recent claims and comments about AWARE’s sexuality education programme in schools.
2. Sexuality education conducted in MOE schools is premised on the importance of the family and respect for the values and beliefs of the different ethnic and religious communities on sexuality issues. The aim is to help students make responsible values-based choices on matters involving sexuality.
3. Core programmes are delivered by teachers but schools do collaborate with other agencies in delivering additional modules. However, in doing so, schools must ensure that any programmes run by external agencies are secular and sensitive to the multi-religious make-up of our society. Parents can choose to opt their children out of these programmes.
4. Last year, 11 secondary schools engaged AWARE to run workshops for their students. The number of students involved in each school ranged from about 20 to 100, and each workshop lasted 3 hours. The objectives of these workshops were to provide students with accurate information on Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)/HIV, to help students understand the consequences of premarital sexual activity, and to equip students with skills such as decision-making and resisting negative peer pressure.
5. AWARE also conducted assembly talks, typically of 45-minute duration, for students in a few secondary schools. Some of the areas covered in the talks included body image, self-esteem, eating disorders, teenage pregnancies, sexual harassment and the role of women in today’s context.
6. The schools that engaged AWARE found that the content and messages of the sessions conducted were appropriate for their students and adhered to guidelines to respect the values of different religious groups. The schools did not receive any negative feedback from students who attended the workshops and talks or their parents.
7. In particular, MOE has also not received any complaint from parents or Dr Thio Su Mien, who was reported to have made specific claims about sexuality education in our schools. MOE has contacted Dr Thio Su Mien to seek clarifications and facts to substantiate her claims.
8. If parents and members of the public know of specific instances where guidelines have not been adhered to, they should report them directly to MOE to investigate. MOE recognises that sexuality education is sensitive. In conducting these programmes, the views of parents will be respected and values taught should not deviate from the social norms accepted by mainstream society in Singapore.
MOE Seeks Clarification on Claims on AWARE's Programmes
ChannelNewsAsia ran this story on 28 April 2009:
MOE seeks clarification on claims on AWARE's programmes
By Zhang Tingjun
SINGAPORE: The Education Ministry (MOE) has contacted Dr Thio Su Mien, who is the "feminist mentor" to the new exco in the Association of Women for Action & Research (AWARE), to clarify the claims she was reported to have made on the organisation's sexuality programmes.
In a statement, MOE said it had not received any complaints from parents or from Dr Thio about the programmes.
The AWARE saga has stretched out over the past weeks and Dr Thio's views have been reported widely. She has been quoted as saying that on AWARE's sexuality programme, homosexuality is now regarded as a neutral word, not a negative word.
Giving details, MOE said 11 secondary schools engaged AWARE to run workshops on sexuality last year. The organisation also conducted assembly talks on topics such as self esteem at a few schools.
Schools that engaged AWARE found its programme content appropriate for their students, adhering to MOE guidelines.
Speaking to reporters at a visit to Yishun Town Secondary School, Senior Minister of State for Education S Iswaran said sexuality education is taught primarily by teachers, but schools have the flexibility to bring in other organisations.
"The guiding principle for this is very simple. It uses the family as the basic building block, as the basic foundation and helps the students make values-based decision on the whole issue of sexuality and in a manner that's sensitive to the multi-racial, multi-religious environment.
"Clearly, there are different perspectives in our society so MOE takes a very deliberate and cautious approach," he said.
The Education Ministry added that if parents know of an instance where these guidelines have not been adhered to, they should go directly to the ministry.
MOE seeks clarification on claims on AWARE's programmes
By Zhang Tingjun
SINGAPORE: The Education Ministry (MOE) has contacted Dr Thio Su Mien, who is the "feminist mentor" to the new exco in the Association of Women for Action & Research (AWARE), to clarify the claims she was reported to have made on the organisation's sexuality programmes.
In a statement, MOE said it had not received any complaints from parents or from Dr Thio about the programmes.
The AWARE saga has stretched out over the past weeks and Dr Thio's views have been reported widely. She has been quoted as saying that on AWARE's sexuality programme, homosexuality is now regarded as a neutral word, not a negative word.
Giving details, MOE said 11 secondary schools engaged AWARE to run workshops on sexuality last year. The organisation also conducted assembly talks on topics such as self esteem at a few schools.
Schools that engaged AWARE found its programme content appropriate for their students, adhering to MOE guidelines.
Speaking to reporters at a visit to Yishun Town Secondary School, Senior Minister of State for Education S Iswaran said sexuality education is taught primarily by teachers, but schools have the flexibility to bring in other organisations.
"The guiding principle for this is very simple. It uses the family as the basic building block, as the basic foundation and helps the students make values-based decision on the whole issue of sexuality and in a manner that's sensitive to the multi-racial, multi-religious environment.
"Clearly, there are different perspectives in our society so MOE takes a very deliberate and cautious approach," he said.
The Education Ministry added that if parents know of an instance where these guidelines have not been adhered to, they should go directly to the ministry.
AWARE's EGM to Be Held at Singapore Expo
ChannelNewsAsia ran this story on 28 April 2009:
AWARE's extraordinary meeting to be held at Singapore Expo
By Cheryl Lim
SINGAPORE: The Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) has changed the venue of its extraordinary meeting to Singapore Expo Hall 2.
The meeting, which will be held on 2 May from 2-5pm, was originally scheduled to be held at the HSR building in Toa Payoh.
AWARE's new executive committee had previously said they were looking for a new venue to accommodate the association's growing members who are expected to turn up.
According to AWARE spokesperson Lois Ng, the association's membership has now hit "four-figures".
Members will have to produce their identification cards for admission and registration.
Foreigners who are members will be required to produce their passports for the same purposes.
The new executive committee has also appointed law firm Rajah & Tann to act as their legal advisers.
AWARE's extraordinary meeting to be held at Singapore Expo
By Cheryl Lim
SINGAPORE: The Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) has changed the venue of its extraordinary meeting to Singapore Expo Hall 2.
The meeting, which will be held on 2 May from 2-5pm, was originally scheduled to be held at the HSR building in Toa Payoh.
AWARE's new executive committee had previously said they were looking for a new venue to accommodate the association's growing members who are expected to turn up.
According to AWARE spokesperson Lois Ng, the association's membership has now hit "four-figures".
Members will have to produce their identification cards for admission and registration.
Foreigners who are members will be required to produce their passports for the same purposes.
The new executive committee has also appointed law firm Rajah & Tann to act as their legal advisers.
Vivian Balakrishnan: Some Suggestions for AWARE
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports wrote this note in his Facebook account on 27 April 2009:
Some Suggestions for AWARE
Many people have asked me about my views on the current controversy surrounding AWARE. I thought it may be useful to share some edited excerpts of an interview with the press yesterday.
AWARE is just one of the many organisations advancing the cause of women in Singapore. This is a problem the exco and the members have to solve themselves. Let me state categorically that at this point in time, the Government has no intention of intervening. Let them settle this democratically, according to their own rules, abiding with their constitution. The most that I would do at this stage perhaps is to give them some advice, and not just to AWARE but to all Singaporeans.
First, don't let a single issue hijack the agenda. We live in a multi-racial, diverse society. There will always be some issues where you cannot get everybody to agree on. We must be able to learn to live and let live, to agree to disagree and to do so agreeably. Don't let this single issue polarise and divide us and become the be-all and end-all of your social activism or of your organisation. If you allow these single issues to dominate and hijack your agenda, I think you're not going to succeed – it will ultimately be counter-productive.
Second, I think it is worth reiterating that because we live in a multi-religious society, it is potentially dangerous for religion to descend into the fray of petty politics - and more important than that, because we live in a multiracial and multi-religious society, we want to protect and nurture the special place religion has in our society. We don't want our religious organisations to be compromised or be damaged by the 'hurly-burly' of politicking which occurs on the ground. It's not a good idea to mix the two.
The third piece of advice I would like to give to all Singaporeans is that if you want to make meaningful change to our society, in the case of Singapore, you must always build a coalition. You must always make sure that your group has representation from all the different streams and segments that constitute Singapore. This is the only way to make meaningful change which would benefit all Singaporeans.
I hope we will bear these three points in mind: - don't let a single polarising issue hijack the agenda, keep religion above petty politics and create a representative coalition. We can then have a more mature civil society in which people can take ownership of the issue to achieve the common good, and still keep the unique cohesion and security of our open, tolerant and secular society, without worrying about unnecessary angst and anger. I think it is still possible and I encourage everyone to pay attention to the long term, the more important issues. There are many more important challenges facing us as a country, there are many more fundamental challenges facing our women. It'd be good if we can focus on that and not be distracted. I hope good sense prevails.
Some Suggestions for AWARE
Many people have asked me about my views on the current controversy surrounding AWARE. I thought it may be useful to share some edited excerpts of an interview with the press yesterday.
AWARE is just one of the many organisations advancing the cause of women in Singapore. This is a problem the exco and the members have to solve themselves. Let me state categorically that at this point in time, the Government has no intention of intervening. Let them settle this democratically, according to their own rules, abiding with their constitution. The most that I would do at this stage perhaps is to give them some advice, and not just to AWARE but to all Singaporeans.
First, don't let a single issue hijack the agenda. We live in a multi-racial, diverse society. There will always be some issues where you cannot get everybody to agree on. We must be able to learn to live and let live, to agree to disagree and to do so agreeably. Don't let this single issue polarise and divide us and become the be-all and end-all of your social activism or of your organisation. If you allow these single issues to dominate and hijack your agenda, I think you're not going to succeed – it will ultimately be counter-productive.
Second, I think it is worth reiterating that because we live in a multi-religious society, it is potentially dangerous for religion to descend into the fray of petty politics - and more important than that, because we live in a multiracial and multi-religious society, we want to protect and nurture the special place religion has in our society. We don't want our religious organisations to be compromised or be damaged by the 'hurly-burly' of politicking which occurs on the ground. It's not a good idea to mix the two.
The third piece of advice I would like to give to all Singaporeans is that if you want to make meaningful change to our society, in the case of Singapore, you must always build a coalition. You must always make sure that your group has representation from all the different streams and segments that constitute Singapore. This is the only way to make meaningful change which would benefit all Singaporeans.
I hope we will bear these three points in mind: - don't let a single polarising issue hijack the agenda, keep religion above petty politics and create a representative coalition. We can then have a more mature civil society in which people can take ownership of the issue to achieve the common good, and still keep the unique cohesion and security of our open, tolerant and secular society, without worrying about unnecessary angst and anger. I think it is still possible and I encourage everyone to pay attention to the long term, the more important issues. There are many more important challenges facing us as a country, there are many more fundamental challenges facing our women. It'd be good if we can focus on that and not be distracted. I hope good sense prevails.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Workers Protest Against Unpaid Wages in Singapore
AFP ran this story on 27 April 2009:
Workers protest against unpaid wages in Singapore
SINGAPORE - More than 100 construction workers from China gathered outside Singapore's manpower ministry Monday to complain about unpaid wages and cancellation of their work permits, witnesses said.
The workers sat for about two hours at the steps of the ministry, at a busy intersection near the Chinatown district, and shouted at ministry officials and police officers to air their grievances.
There was no violence, an AFP reporter at the scene said.
At one point, police warned the workers to disperse within five minutes or face arrest. They left but regrouped across a road from the ministry, and voluntarily dispersed about an hour later.
Workers interviewed by AFP said they had not been paid their wages after their Chinese 'boss' absconded with the money. They also complained that their work permits had been cancelled without warning.
Comment from the manpower ministry on the workers' complaints was not immediately available.
Some of the workers told officials that they had not committed any crime and could not be arrested, but police told them they were illegally trespassing on government property.
'The government should punish the company, not punish us by cancelling our permits. We just want our compensation so we can go back to China,' construction worker Zhou Qing Ren, 40, told AFP.
'We have got no money to eat now and no proper place to stay,' another worker shouted.
Singapore is tightening its rules on outdoor protests as it prepares to host its largest international summit, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' forum, in November.
Analysts said the laws against outdoor protests can also be applied to deal with any outbreaks of public frustration amid the city-state's worst recession in more than 40 years.
An estimated one million foreigners live in Singapore, representing more than 20 percent of the total population, which is predominantly ethnic Chinese.
Workers protest against unpaid wages in Singapore
SINGAPORE - More than 100 construction workers from China gathered outside Singapore's manpower ministry Monday to complain about unpaid wages and cancellation of their work permits, witnesses said.
The workers sat for about two hours at the steps of the ministry, at a busy intersection near the Chinatown district, and shouted at ministry officials and police officers to air their grievances.
There was no violence, an AFP reporter at the scene said.
At one point, police warned the workers to disperse within five minutes or face arrest. They left but regrouped across a road from the ministry, and voluntarily dispersed about an hour later.
Workers interviewed by AFP said they had not been paid their wages after their Chinese 'boss' absconded with the money. They also complained that their work permits had been cancelled without warning.
Comment from the manpower ministry on the workers' complaints was not immediately available.
Some of the workers told officials that they had not committed any crime and could not be arrested, but police told them they were illegally trespassing on government property.
'The government should punish the company, not punish us by cancelling our permits. We just want our compensation so we can go back to China,' construction worker Zhou Qing Ren, 40, told AFP.
'We have got no money to eat now and no proper place to stay,' another worker shouted.
Singapore is tightening its rules on outdoor protests as it prepares to host its largest international summit, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' forum, in November.
Analysts said the laws against outdoor protests can also be applied to deal with any outbreaks of public frustration amid the city-state's worst recession in more than 40 years.
An estimated one million foreigners live in Singapore, representing more than 20 percent of the total population, which is predominantly ethnic Chinese.
Countering the Propaganda of AWARE’s New Exco
Sgpolitics.net ran this commentary on 26 April 2009:
Countering the contradictions and poorly conceived propaganda of AWARE’s new Exco
Written by Ng E-Jay
It seems that AWARE’s new Exco cannot even tell a proper lie, nor are
they able to spin even a half-credible propaganda story.
EXAMPLE 1:
AWARE’s Vice-President Charlotte Lim told TODAY newspaper that Ms
Josie Lau was “touched by the outpouring of support and the
well-wishes from colleagues and members of the public“, and that
“people were giving her the thumbs-up all the time“. (TODAY, “Job
safe, but future of AWARE chief will be known on May 2″, 18 April
2009)
However, in the press conference on 23 April 2009, Ms Josie Lau said:
“So far I’ve kept a very stoic and dignified silence … … And this is
actually something that could have been resolved internally between
the Old Guard and the New Guard in a very polite and civil way. But
that has not happened. I’ll tell you so far I’ve only been appointed
President for about a week and I’ve only been an Exco member for about
3 weeks. But to date I’ve only been met with hostility, intimidation.
I felt so bullied I tell you.“. (See here.)
So in a mere span of five days (18 April to 23 April), Ms Josie Lau
has gone from being touched by an outpouring of public support for her
takeover, to being treated ONLY with hostility and intimidation.
EXAMPLE 2:
In an interview with Channel News Asia on 20 April 2009, Ms Josie Lau
said: “AWARE has become too diversified … … They are just moving into
too many areas and not going into depth.”
And yet at the press conference on 23 April 2009, the new Exco
lambasted the old guard for losing its focus and “steering AWARE into
becoming a single purpose organisation“. (Channel News Asia, “New exco
wants to bring AWARE back to its original cause“, 24 April 2009,
1:50am)
Can this motley crew of wannabes at least get their propaganda story
straight? Has AWARE become too diversified in its activities, or has
it become too narrow?
EXAMPLE 3:
During the press conference on 23 April 2009, AWARE’s new Exco
desperately tried to paint the picture that the old guard promoted
lesbianism, by citing the screening of the Taiwanese lesbian movie,
Spider Lilies, at its charity gala two years ago, and organizing a
lesbian-friendly Mother’s Day event in 2006.
Former Aware president Constance Singam clarified the next day that
movies screened at charity events over the years included Singapore
Dreaming, Mrs Henderson Presents, The Soong Sisters, Summer Snow and
Paradise Road, none of which have anything to do with lesbianism. In
fact, Singapore Dreaming is a 2006 film set in Singapore that most
decidedly embraces family values.
According to Constance Singam, Spider Lilies was about the
relationship between a tattoo artist and a Web camera woman. She said:
“One of my exco members ― a mother of three boys ― told me the two
protagonists’ sexuality was secondary. It was a film about love,
companionship and longing.”
The new Exco’s tendency to cherry-pick facts and circumstances to suit
their own propaganda whilst ignoring the mountain of evidence
suggesting otherwise is strongly indicative that their real intention
is not to help AWARE, but to destroy it.
EXAMPLE 4:
The new leadership has also made the outrageous allegation that the
old guard of AWARE used Comprehensive Sexuality Education (see here)
as a front for promoting lesbianism and sexual freedom.
Constance Singam clarified during the old guard’s press conference
that the CSE programme was a comprehensive one, designed to provide
teens with information in a non-judgmental way. She said: “We do not
teach kids to impart judgment, we just give them information … … Their
values come from their family, and their religion. Words like
‘homosexuality’, ’sexy’ and ‘virginity’ are neutral words because
AWARE is non-judgmental.”
This is an introduction to the CSE programme posted on AWARE’s website:
In 2007 AWARE developed and began conducting Comprehensive Sexuality
Education (CSE) workshops in secondary schools and welfare homes
around Singapore. CSE is a holistic sexual education program designed
for young women. It aims to replace the silence and shame associated
with sexuality with practical information and skills. By bringing
sexuality into the open, young people are more likely to make wise,
realistic, and informed decisions based on principles of human rights
and gender equality. Given the potential risks inherent in sexual
activity, we owe it to young people to help them safeguard their own
futures. Research shows that comprehensive sexuality education is
effective in providing young women and men with the tools, knowledge,
skills, attitudes, and values to make responsible choices about their
sexual health.
Netizens like myself have absolutely no clue how this programme could
remotely be associated with encouraging lesbianism.
Far from it being a front to promote lesbianism and sexual freedom,
CSE teaches youths to make informed decisions about sex, including the
ability to say “no”. International reports have shown that
comprehensive sex education is much more effective than
abstinence-only education in encouraging abstinence, lowering the
rates of unwanted pregnancies, and reducing STI transmission rates
(see here).
CONCLUSION:
Josie Lau and her motley crew must have been insane if they had ever
thought they could dish out such poorly conceived propaganda and
falsehoods and hope to get away with it.
Had this coup been orchestrated in the days without the internet,
possibly few people could have credibly challenged them, given limited
access to real-time information.
But today, anyone with determination and an internet connection can
take apart their lies and expose them for what they are.
Josie Lau and her gang are trying to destroy an organization that has
helped many women in distress, including victims of spousal abuse and
sexual harassment, and pregnant teens, simply because they do not
accept diversity in the modern world, and desire to impose their own
values and beliefs upon others.
The innocent victims of this whole saga are all those women in genuine
distress who are unable to receive help because of the inconsiderate
and bigoted attitudes of a group of women who are prepared to
disregard the suffering of others in their pursuit of ideological
purity.
Countering the contradictions and poorly conceived propaganda of AWARE’s new Exco
Written by Ng E-Jay
It seems that AWARE’s new Exco cannot even tell a proper lie, nor are
they able to spin even a half-credible propaganda story.
EXAMPLE 1:
AWARE’s Vice-President Charlotte Lim told TODAY newspaper that Ms
Josie Lau was “touched by the outpouring of support and the
well-wishes from colleagues and members of the public“, and that
“people were giving her the thumbs-up all the time“. (TODAY, “Job
safe, but future of AWARE chief will be known on May 2″, 18 April
2009)
However, in the press conference on 23 April 2009, Ms Josie Lau said:
“So far I’ve kept a very stoic and dignified silence … … And this is
actually something that could have been resolved internally between
the Old Guard and the New Guard in a very polite and civil way. But
that has not happened. I’ll tell you so far I’ve only been appointed
President for about a week and I’ve only been an Exco member for about
3 weeks. But to date I’ve only been met with hostility, intimidation.
I felt so bullied I tell you.“. (See here.)
So in a mere span of five days (18 April to 23 April), Ms Josie Lau
has gone from being touched by an outpouring of public support for her
takeover, to being treated ONLY with hostility and intimidation.
EXAMPLE 2:
In an interview with Channel News Asia on 20 April 2009, Ms Josie Lau
said: “AWARE has become too diversified … … They are just moving into
too many areas and not going into depth.”
And yet at the press conference on 23 April 2009, the new Exco
lambasted the old guard for losing its focus and “steering AWARE into
becoming a single purpose organisation“. (Channel News Asia, “New exco
wants to bring AWARE back to its original cause“, 24 April 2009,
1:50am)
Can this motley crew of wannabes at least get their propaganda story
straight? Has AWARE become too diversified in its activities, or has
it become too narrow?
EXAMPLE 3:
During the press conference on 23 April 2009, AWARE’s new Exco
desperately tried to paint the picture that the old guard promoted
lesbianism, by citing the screening of the Taiwanese lesbian movie,
Spider Lilies, at its charity gala two years ago, and organizing a
lesbian-friendly Mother’s Day event in 2006.
Former Aware president Constance Singam clarified the next day that
movies screened at charity events over the years included Singapore
Dreaming, Mrs Henderson Presents, The Soong Sisters, Summer Snow and
Paradise Road, none of which have anything to do with lesbianism. In
fact, Singapore Dreaming is a 2006 film set in Singapore that most
decidedly embraces family values.
According to Constance Singam, Spider Lilies was about the
relationship between a tattoo artist and a Web camera woman. She said:
“One of my exco members ― a mother of three boys ― told me the two
protagonists’ sexuality was secondary. It was a film about love,
companionship and longing.”
The new Exco’s tendency to cherry-pick facts and circumstances to suit
their own propaganda whilst ignoring the mountain of evidence
suggesting otherwise is strongly indicative that their real intention
is not to help AWARE, but to destroy it.
EXAMPLE 4:
The new leadership has also made the outrageous allegation that the
old guard of AWARE used Comprehensive Sexuality Education (see here)
as a front for promoting lesbianism and sexual freedom.
Constance Singam clarified during the old guard’s press conference
that the CSE programme was a comprehensive one, designed to provide
teens with information in a non-judgmental way. She said: “We do not
teach kids to impart judgment, we just give them information … … Their
values come from their family, and their religion. Words like
‘homosexuality’, ’sexy’ and ‘virginity’ are neutral words because
AWARE is non-judgmental.”
This is an introduction to the CSE programme posted on AWARE’s website:
In 2007 AWARE developed and began conducting Comprehensive Sexuality
Education (CSE) workshops in secondary schools and welfare homes
around Singapore. CSE is a holistic sexual education program designed
for young women. It aims to replace the silence and shame associated
with sexuality with practical information and skills. By bringing
sexuality into the open, young people are more likely to make wise,
realistic, and informed decisions based on principles of human rights
and gender equality. Given the potential risks inherent in sexual
activity, we owe it to young people to help them safeguard their own
futures. Research shows that comprehensive sexuality education is
effective in providing young women and men with the tools, knowledge,
skills, attitudes, and values to make responsible choices about their
sexual health.
Netizens like myself have absolutely no clue how this programme could
remotely be associated with encouraging lesbianism.
Far from it being a front to promote lesbianism and sexual freedom,
CSE teaches youths to make informed decisions about sex, including the
ability to say “no”. International reports have shown that
comprehensive sex education is much more effective than
abstinence-only education in encouraging abstinence, lowering the
rates of unwanted pregnancies, and reducing STI transmission rates
(see here).
CONCLUSION:
Josie Lau and her motley crew must have been insane if they had ever
thought they could dish out such poorly conceived propaganda and
falsehoods and hope to get away with it.
Had this coup been orchestrated in the days without the internet,
possibly few people could have credibly challenged them, given limited
access to real-time information.
But today, anyone with determination and an internet connection can
take apart their lies and expose them for what they are.
Josie Lau and her gang are trying to destroy an organization that has
helped many women in distress, including victims of spousal abuse and
sexual harassment, and pregnant teens, simply because they do not
accept diversity in the modern world, and desire to impose their own
values and beliefs upon others.
The innocent victims of this whole saga are all those women in genuine
distress who are unable to receive help because of the inconsiderate
and bigoted attitudes of a group of women who are prepared to
disregard the suffering of others in their pursuit of ideological
purity.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Government Won't Interfere in AWARE Saga
ChannelNewsAsia ran this story on 26 April 2009:
Government won't interfere in AWARE saga
By S Ramesh/Cheryl Lim
SINGAPORE: The government has no intention of intervening in the saga involving AWARE (Association of Women for Action and Research).
Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Vivian Balakrishnan, said this on the sidelines of his visit to Nee Soon South on Sunday.
The problems facing AWARE are not a national one, so it is best for the organisation to settle them democratically and according to its constitution.
But still, the minister feels that Singaporeans can learn some lessons from the AWARE saga. The first is not to let a single issue hijack an organisation's agenda.
Dr Balakrishnan said: "There will always be some issues where you cannot get everybody to agree. We need to be able to learn to live and let live, to agree to disagree, and to do so agreeably. But don't let these single issues polarise or divide us and become the be-all and end-all of your social activism or your organisation."
The minister also emphasised that it is important for all Singaporeans to remember and also remain sensitive to the fact that they are living in a multi-racial and multi-religious society.
That's another lesson that must be learnt from the AWARE episode. So it is important for organisations to keep religion above the fray of petty politics.
Dr Balakrishnan said: "We want to protect and nurture the special place religion has in our society. We don't want our religious organisations to be compromised or be damaged by the hurly-burly of politicking which appears on the ground. It is not a good idea."
Lastly, Dr Balakrishnan said, if organisations want to make meaningful change to Singapore society, they must ensure representation from all segments which constitute the group.
He said there are many more challenges facing Singapore and women. It would be good to focus on them and not get distracted.
Separately, Law Minister K Shanmugam also said it is for the members of AWARE to sort out their problems.
He said the Societies Act clearly spells out how associations should conduct their affairs and the association's constitution also regulates arrangements between members.
He said: "The rules are all clear and one assumes that they will act according to the law and to their own internal constitution. I think it's premature to comment on what we might or might not do. We don't really get involved in this. It is for the members to sort it out."
Government won't interfere in AWARE saga
By S Ramesh/Cheryl Lim
SINGAPORE: The government has no intention of intervening in the saga involving AWARE (Association of Women for Action and Research).
Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Vivian Balakrishnan, said this on the sidelines of his visit to Nee Soon South on Sunday.
The problems facing AWARE are not a national one, so it is best for the organisation to settle them democratically and according to its constitution.
But still, the minister feels that Singaporeans can learn some lessons from the AWARE saga. The first is not to let a single issue hijack an organisation's agenda.
Dr Balakrishnan said: "There will always be some issues where you cannot get everybody to agree. We need to be able to learn to live and let live, to agree to disagree, and to do so agreeably. But don't let these single issues polarise or divide us and become the be-all and end-all of your social activism or your organisation."
The minister also emphasised that it is important for all Singaporeans to remember and also remain sensitive to the fact that they are living in a multi-racial and multi-religious society.
That's another lesson that must be learnt from the AWARE episode. So it is important for organisations to keep religion above the fray of petty politics.
Dr Balakrishnan said: "We want to protect and nurture the special place religion has in our society. We don't want our religious organisations to be compromised or be damaged by the hurly-burly of politicking which appears on the ground. It is not a good idea."
Lastly, Dr Balakrishnan said, if organisations want to make meaningful change to Singapore society, they must ensure representation from all segments which constitute the group.
He said there are many more challenges facing Singapore and women. It would be good to focus on them and not get distracted.
Separately, Law Minister K Shanmugam also said it is for the members of AWARE to sort out their problems.
He said the Societies Act clearly spells out how associations should conduct their affairs and the association's constitution also regulates arrangements between members.
He said: "The rules are all clear and one assumes that they will act according to the law and to their own internal constitution. I think it's premature to comment on what we might or might not do. We don't really get involved in this. It is for the members to sort it out."
Older Workers Most at Risk
Today ran this story on 25 April 2009:
Older workers most at risk
By Lin Yanqin with additional reporting by Teo Xuanwei
FOREIGNERS are being laid off at a much faster rate than locals, while those with tertiary education aged 40 and above are at the highest risk of being retrenched as the recession takes its toll on companies.
These trends were confirmed by the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) final report on labour for 2008, released on Friday.
Redundancies among foreign nationals rose 158 per cent last year, more than twice the 72 per cent rate for locals. However, locals still accounted for the majority of all redundancies, at 61 per cent.
And unlike in previous recessions when the less educated were most likely to be laid off, mature residents with tertiary qualifications were the most vulnerable group last year, “with above-average risk of retrenchment and below-average re-employment”, the report said.
The trends are likely to persist in the coming months, although much depends on how different sectors perform as the downturn pans out, economists said.
Employers will probably still lay off foreigners before locals — partly because the Government’s implementation of policies such as the Jobs Credit Scheme has “tilted the balance in favour of locals”, they said.
“The Government hasn’t sat around waiting for the numbers to show them the warning signs, so the various policies have helped partly in shielding local workers,” explained CIMB-GK economist Song Seng Wun.
But if the downturn persists and it likely will, it is only a matter of time before more locals get axed, they warned. Layoffs surged to a record quarterly high of 9,410 workers in the fourth quarter of last year, nearly triple the 3,180 layoffs in the preceding quarter. For the whole of 2008, redundancies hit 16,880 workers.
Retrenchments have not hit the highs of previous recessions in 1998 and 2001, but Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong said the situation would likely worsen this year.
“The redundancy numbers (for Q1 2009) will be released shortly, but I think this first quarter is going to be worse than the last quarter of 2008,” he told reporters on Friday during a visit to Resorts World Sentosa.
“Given that the slowdown in the economy is going to last a while, I think the labour market will remain soft for a few quarters,” he said.
But there are still many jobs available, he stressed, citing the ramping up of recruitment by Resorts World as an example, noting that the resort operator had said it would make hiring locals its priority. And helping firms cut operating costs and encouraging locals to upgrade their skills will keep the scale of redundancies manageable, he said.
On a brighter note, seven in 10 locals retrenched in the third quarter of last year were re-employed by December, which possibly reflected the more realistic expectations of job seekers amid a weak labour market.
Not surprisingly, companies cited the recession as the top reason for laying off workers, affecting four in 10 (41 per cent) retrenched. This was followed closely by business restructuring (39 per cent), according to the MOM report.
As an Economist Intelligence Unit survey reported by Today last month showed, six in 10 companies said the slowdown offered an opportunity to streamline their businesses.
The MOM report also showed that after five years of gradually reducing their share of retrenchment, small and medium enterprises — those with 25 to 199 workers — stepped up the pace of layoffs as the recession continued to bite. They accounted for 78 per cent of the layoffs last year, up 4.1 percentage points.
After Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong highlighted the need to increase training capacity, Mr Gan said on Friday the MOM would tweak schemes like the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience to enhance their relevance and impact.
How job losses pan out this year will depend on employers’ “perception of the depth of the downturn”, Mr Song said. “Those who think a recovery is in sight ... will not retrench. But those who anticipate it will get worse will probably decide to restructure.”
Older workers most at risk
By Lin Yanqin with additional reporting by Teo Xuanwei
FOREIGNERS are being laid off at a much faster rate than locals, while those with tertiary education aged 40 and above are at the highest risk of being retrenched as the recession takes its toll on companies.
These trends were confirmed by the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) final report on labour for 2008, released on Friday.
Redundancies among foreign nationals rose 158 per cent last year, more than twice the 72 per cent rate for locals. However, locals still accounted for the majority of all redundancies, at 61 per cent.
And unlike in previous recessions when the less educated were most likely to be laid off, mature residents with tertiary qualifications were the most vulnerable group last year, “with above-average risk of retrenchment and below-average re-employment”, the report said.
The trends are likely to persist in the coming months, although much depends on how different sectors perform as the downturn pans out, economists said.
Employers will probably still lay off foreigners before locals — partly because the Government’s implementation of policies such as the Jobs Credit Scheme has “tilted the balance in favour of locals”, they said.
“The Government hasn’t sat around waiting for the numbers to show them the warning signs, so the various policies have helped partly in shielding local workers,” explained CIMB-GK economist Song Seng Wun.
But if the downturn persists and it likely will, it is only a matter of time before more locals get axed, they warned. Layoffs surged to a record quarterly high of 9,410 workers in the fourth quarter of last year, nearly triple the 3,180 layoffs in the preceding quarter. For the whole of 2008, redundancies hit 16,880 workers.
Retrenchments have not hit the highs of previous recessions in 1998 and 2001, but Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong said the situation would likely worsen this year.
“The redundancy numbers (for Q1 2009) will be released shortly, but I think this first quarter is going to be worse than the last quarter of 2008,” he told reporters on Friday during a visit to Resorts World Sentosa.
“Given that the slowdown in the economy is going to last a while, I think the labour market will remain soft for a few quarters,” he said.
But there are still many jobs available, he stressed, citing the ramping up of recruitment by Resorts World as an example, noting that the resort operator had said it would make hiring locals its priority. And helping firms cut operating costs and encouraging locals to upgrade their skills will keep the scale of redundancies manageable, he said.
On a brighter note, seven in 10 locals retrenched in the third quarter of last year were re-employed by December, which possibly reflected the more realistic expectations of job seekers amid a weak labour market.
Not surprisingly, companies cited the recession as the top reason for laying off workers, affecting four in 10 (41 per cent) retrenched. This was followed closely by business restructuring (39 per cent), according to the MOM report.
As an Economist Intelligence Unit survey reported by Today last month showed, six in 10 companies said the slowdown offered an opportunity to streamline their businesses.
The MOM report also showed that after five years of gradually reducing their share of retrenchment, small and medium enterprises — those with 25 to 199 workers — stepped up the pace of layoffs as the recession continued to bite. They accounted for 78 per cent of the layoffs last year, up 4.1 percentage points.
After Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong highlighted the need to increase training capacity, Mr Gan said on Friday the MOM would tweak schemes like the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience to enhance their relevance and impact.
How job losses pan out this year will depend on employers’ “perception of the depth of the downturn”, Mr Song said. “Those who think a recovery is in sight ... will not retrench. But those who anticipate it will get worse will probably decide to restructure.”
AWARE’s Public Education Officer Quits
Today ran this story on 25 April 2009:
Aware’s public education officer quits
By Esther Ng
SHE was barely two months into the job before Aware’s centre manager Schutz Lee was sacked.
The reasons, according to Aware vice-president Charlotte Wong: Insubordination, blocking the president’s email and poor performance — allegations rebutted by Ms Lee.
“It was mostly performance-based,” Ms Wong told Today. She said she was alerted to Ms Lee’s performance by volunteer Lilian Wong who had helped out during the transition.
“Let me give you an example: I’ve been receiving irate calls from people, who, when signing up as ordinary members online, got a ‘student membership’ message,” said Ms Wong. “They were not students, but this problem has been ongoing for some time. As vice-president, I am concerned about these things.”
The association has student, ordinary, associate and life memberships.
On Friday, Ms Lee refuted the charges. “Firstly, I’m not a techie person. If there’s a problem, I’ll call the vendor,” she said, adding that the problem had existed for almost a year and she had got the vendor to look into it.
As to the charge of locking Aware president Josie Lau out of the organisation’s email system, Ms Lee said: “Charlotte comes to the office every day unlike Josie. On April 17, Charlotte asked me for the password to the president’s email. I gave her the password, the same one which I had given to (former president) Constance Singam — this was around 4.30pm. She spent around half-an-hour trying to access the email, but couldn’t.”
So, Ms Lee contacted their webmaster, who “created a password immediately” and gave it to Ms Wong before the vice-president left the premises.
As for insubordination,Ms Wong said Ms Lee corrected the president when she was making a statement to the media on April 15. Ms Lau had told the press that she was “delighted to have been elected”, at which point, Ms Lee pointed out that Ms Lau had been “appointed”.
Ms Lee, 41, said she had worked with many chief executives as a public relations consultant and marketing director, and it was her job to correct them when they were wrong.
“Is this insubordination?” she asked.
Ms Lee’s contract was due to expire on May 31.
The acrimonious exit ofMs Lee saw Aware’s public education executive Joanna D’Cruz also throw in the towel on Friday.
Said Ms D’Cruz: “It was the way they fired Schutz so easily. I was scared — this is my first job. I’m quite outspoken and I don’t like confrontations ... I don’t want to be fired.”
Aware has appointed a new manager, Ms Magdalene Teo, a member of Church of Our Saviour.
Aware’s public education officer quits
By Esther Ng
SHE was barely two months into the job before Aware’s centre manager Schutz Lee was sacked.
The reasons, according to Aware vice-president Charlotte Wong: Insubordination, blocking the president’s email and poor performance — allegations rebutted by Ms Lee.
“It was mostly performance-based,” Ms Wong told Today. She said she was alerted to Ms Lee’s performance by volunteer Lilian Wong who had helped out during the transition.
“Let me give you an example: I’ve been receiving irate calls from people, who, when signing up as ordinary members online, got a ‘student membership’ message,” said Ms Wong. “They were not students, but this problem has been ongoing for some time. As vice-president, I am concerned about these things.”
The association has student, ordinary, associate and life memberships.
On Friday, Ms Lee refuted the charges. “Firstly, I’m not a techie person. If there’s a problem, I’ll call the vendor,” she said, adding that the problem had existed for almost a year and she had got the vendor to look into it.
As to the charge of locking Aware president Josie Lau out of the organisation’s email system, Ms Lee said: “Charlotte comes to the office every day unlike Josie. On April 17, Charlotte asked me for the password to the president’s email. I gave her the password, the same one which I had given to (former president) Constance Singam — this was around 4.30pm. She spent around half-an-hour trying to access the email, but couldn’t.”
So, Ms Lee contacted their webmaster, who “created a password immediately” and gave it to Ms Wong before the vice-president left the premises.
As for insubordination,Ms Wong said Ms Lee corrected the president when she was making a statement to the media on April 15. Ms Lau had told the press that she was “delighted to have been elected”, at which point, Ms Lee pointed out that Ms Lau had been “appointed”.
Ms Lee, 41, said she had worked with many chief executives as a public relations consultant and marketing director, and it was her job to correct them when they were wrong.
“Is this insubordination?” she asked.
Ms Lee’s contract was due to expire on May 31.
The acrimonious exit ofMs Lee saw Aware’s public education executive Joanna D’Cruz also throw in the towel on Friday.
Said Ms D’Cruz: “It was the way they fired Schutz so easily. I was scared — this is my first job. I’m quite outspoken and I don’t like confrontations ... I don’t want to be fired.”
Aware has appointed a new manager, Ms Magdalene Teo, a member of Church of Our Saviour.
A Defence Tinged With Regret
Today ran this story on 25 April 2009:
A defence tinged with regret
By Teo Xuanwei
TEARS welled up as she related how “saddened” she felt that it happened under her watch. Ms Constance Singam, the immediate past-president at the Association of Women for Action and Research, was visibly shaken when she said the “fundamental value of trust” in the women’s advocacy group was “gone”, following its very public leadership tussle.
And the implications for civil society arising from the dramatic events unfolding within the group, such as the death threats said to have been sent to the new leadership, were keenly felt as well.
“We are saddened and sorry. That’s not how we want civil society to operate,” said Dr Kanwaljit Soin, a founding member. “We don’t know who gave it to her and we don’t think such actions should take place in a civilised society.”
But the “Old Guard” firmly defended the way they ran Aware. In a heated 90-minute press conference on Friday, 10 members, accompanied by a legal adviser, responded to the newly-elected committee’s barbs that the feminist organisation has become pro-gay and pro-lesbian, among other things.
A press statement was issued to account for each activity listed by the current Exco to support their claims.
Responding to allegations that its comprehensive sexuality education programme promotes homosexuality, the Old Guard said information about lesbianism only constituted a “very small percentage of the whole package”.
Other elements included risks of unsafe sex and how to deal with peer pressure, for instance. Such activities were a bid to respond to the “changing needs of women”.
“Homosexuality exists. We cannot be ostriches and bury our heads and pretend it doesn’t exist. We have to address the issue,” said Dr Soin.
The common refrain from the 10 on Friday to refute claims that Aware has deviated from its original aims: It was set up as a “secular” and “inclusive” civil society. It does not seek to “impose values”, said Dr Soin.
“We are anti-discrimination. We are anti anti-anything,” Ms Singam said passionately.
The current crisis at Aware is also not about “women fighting against women”, the group noted, but should instead serve as a wake-up call for all civil society actors.
As advocates for issues that would benefit society, civil societies are “responsible for being transparent and accountable”, said Dr Soin.
The right way to go about advancing an issue was to work together within the organisation even when there were differing viewpoints, she added, and not “stealthily taking over”, as the focus eventually turned on the new Exco.
Dr Soin said: “There seems to be an ideological divide. It would have been more easily bridged if they had come in as members, gave us their viewpoints, see what they feel is objectionable and argue with us.”
The new Exco has not stated in exact terms what its agenda is and how it is going to carry it out, she added.
This demand, which had been made since the issue was reported, has now led to an online petition to opposed the new Exco at the upcoming extraordinary general meeting on May 2 — started by one of its founding members, Vivian Wee.
The Old Guard described the petition as “an expression of how civil society works”.
That more than 500 Singaporeans and foreigners have signed up is an indication they are “not happy with how things have worked out” since the elections, said Dr Soin.
Declining to speculate on whether the bid to overthrow the Exco would be successful, Ms Margaret Thomas, a founding member and past vice-president, said the Old Guard would have a slate of new candidates ready.
Ms Dana Lam, a past president, also took issue with the current Exco’s firing of staff. Noting that Aware has always been run by “dedicated” volunteers, she said: “We are not a corporation. We don’t hire and fire.”
Behind the barbs against the new Exco, however, there remained that notable a tinge of regret about the current crisis at Aware.
The Old Guard were sideswiped because it has traditionally been “too trusting” and “welcomed all new blood”, said Dr Soin.
A defence tinged with regret
By Teo Xuanwei
TEARS welled up as she related how “saddened” she felt that it happened under her watch. Ms Constance Singam, the immediate past-president at the Association of Women for Action and Research, was visibly shaken when she said the “fundamental value of trust” in the women’s advocacy group was “gone”, following its very public leadership tussle.
And the implications for civil society arising from the dramatic events unfolding within the group, such as the death threats said to have been sent to the new leadership, were keenly felt as well.
“We are saddened and sorry. That’s not how we want civil society to operate,” said Dr Kanwaljit Soin, a founding member. “We don’t know who gave it to her and we don’t think such actions should take place in a civilised society.”
But the “Old Guard” firmly defended the way they ran Aware. In a heated 90-minute press conference on Friday, 10 members, accompanied by a legal adviser, responded to the newly-elected committee’s barbs that the feminist organisation has become pro-gay and pro-lesbian, among other things.
A press statement was issued to account for each activity listed by the current Exco to support their claims.
Responding to allegations that its comprehensive sexuality education programme promotes homosexuality, the Old Guard said information about lesbianism only constituted a “very small percentage of the whole package”.
Other elements included risks of unsafe sex and how to deal with peer pressure, for instance. Such activities were a bid to respond to the “changing needs of women”.
“Homosexuality exists. We cannot be ostriches and bury our heads and pretend it doesn’t exist. We have to address the issue,” said Dr Soin.
The common refrain from the 10 on Friday to refute claims that Aware has deviated from its original aims: It was set up as a “secular” and “inclusive” civil society. It does not seek to “impose values”, said Dr Soin.
“We are anti-discrimination. We are anti anti-anything,” Ms Singam said passionately.
The current crisis at Aware is also not about “women fighting against women”, the group noted, but should instead serve as a wake-up call for all civil society actors.
As advocates for issues that would benefit society, civil societies are “responsible for being transparent and accountable”, said Dr Soin.
The right way to go about advancing an issue was to work together within the organisation even when there were differing viewpoints, she added, and not “stealthily taking over”, as the focus eventually turned on the new Exco.
Dr Soin said: “There seems to be an ideological divide. It would have been more easily bridged if they had come in as members, gave us their viewpoints, see what they feel is objectionable and argue with us.”
The new Exco has not stated in exact terms what its agenda is and how it is going to carry it out, she added.
This demand, which had been made since the issue was reported, has now led to an online petition to opposed the new Exco at the upcoming extraordinary general meeting on May 2 — started by one of its founding members, Vivian Wee.
The Old Guard described the petition as “an expression of how civil society works”.
That more than 500 Singaporeans and foreigners have signed up is an indication they are “not happy with how things have worked out” since the elections, said Dr Soin.
Declining to speculate on whether the bid to overthrow the Exco would be successful, Ms Margaret Thomas, a founding member and past vice-president, said the Old Guard would have a slate of new candidates ready.
Ms Dana Lam, a past president, also took issue with the current Exco’s firing of staff. Noting that Aware has always been run by “dedicated” volunteers, she said: “We are not a corporation. We don’t hire and fire.”
Behind the barbs against the new Exco, however, there remained that notable a tinge of regret about the current crisis at Aware.
The Old Guard were sideswiped because it has traditionally been “too trusting” and “welcomed all new blood”, said Dr Soin.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
AWARE Saga: A New Militancy Emerges
The Straits Times ran this article on 25 April 2009:
Aware saga: A new militancy emerges
Tolerance is critical in the public sphere in a multi-religious society
By Chua Mui Hoong
THE battle lines have been drawn. And it is not just between Aware's
new executive committee and its old guard.
The leading women's advocacy group saw a stunning leadership change
when newcomers captured nine of 12 executive committee posts at the
group's annual general meeting on March 28. Older members questioned
their motives as well as the sudden influx of new members who joined
Aware just months before the AGM.
Four members of the new exco held a press conference on Thursday
evening. At the same time as the press conference was proceeding at
Raffles Town Club, an exco meeting was called at Aware's Dover Road
premises. The new team sacked the Aware centre's manager, a paid
employee, changed the locks at the Aware office and had a stand-off
with old guard members who turned up later.
Some see this episode as a 'catfight' among ambitious women. Others
see it as a tussle for control of a prominent women's advocacy group,
three of whose presidents have served as Nominated Members of
Parliament.
With four of the new exco members attending the same church - and
having the same 'feminist mentor' in the shape of lawyer Thio Su Mien
- and all espousing 'pro-family', anti-gay sentiments, some are
calling this a fight between the Christian Right and the Gay Lobby.
There is also an intra-Christian element here. For even within the
Christian community, there is concern about religious zeal spilling
over into the public sphere and giving Christianity an unduly
aggressive image in peaceful, multi-religious Singapore.
Some of the new exco members have been reportedly threatened, with one
receiving a death threat. Even if that were the act of an eccentric,
threats of violence against activists should never be condoned and
Singaporeans must be firm in denouncing such behaviour.
There is such a cauldron of emotions swirling over this issue that it
is hard to take a cool look at it. But that is precisely what is
needed - a hard-headed look at why this issue has roiled so many people.
At the risk of stating the obvious, religion mixed with socio-
political controversies is always a combustible combination.
Especially when faiths are interpreted in a fundamentalist way.
Tolerance and accommodation are critical attitudes for people of
different faiths to adopt towards one another in the public sphere.
Religion can be divisive, especially when it insists on a religiously-
informed view on any particular social, moral or cultural issue.
Secular, multi-religious societies must draw a line between what is
acceptable and what is not in the public domain. There is nothing
objectionable about zeal for one's faith per se. But action aimed at
invalidating or challenging other religions or enforcing a particular
religious view on everyone can have harmful social and political
consequences in a multi-religious society.
It is especially troublesome when people go beyond spreading their
religious beliefs to attempting to legislate their preferred moral
practices. For example, they may believe that the moral values their
church subscribes to should govern civil law. So if their church says
homosexuality and abortion are grievous sins, then the laws of the
land should outlaw such practices, even if many other people do not
agree.
The so-called Christian Right has made its presence felt in recent
years: in opposing the setting up of casinos, and in lobbying against
a motion to repeal section 377A of the Penal Code which criminalises
sex between males.
While other religions too have been vocal on these issues, they have
adopted a live-and-let-live attitude, preferring to preach to their
own flock than convert others. The Christian Right is more organised,
vocal about claiming public space for debate, and savvy in using
constitutional means to advance its causes.
Concern over just where religious and social zeal will lead the new
Aware leadership is the reason many have reacted strongly to news of
its grab for power. Many are concerned that this group has established
a benchmark for religiously inspired activism that may well be
emulated by people of other faiths.
It would have been different if the group and its mentor Dr Thio had
been upfront about their association. It would have been even better
if they had formed their own organisation to propagate their social
plans.
But their decision, from the looks of it, to use Aware as a convenient
organisation to launch their cause has raised eyebrows. While the new
group was properly elected, its method has sown mistrust. They were
not a model of transparent organisation.
In recent years, much attention, for good reason, has been focused on
Islamic fundamentalism, given the violence of militant groups claiming
Islam as their inspiration. But religious fundamentalism of all kinds
can do harm - not necessarily to the physical body but certainly to
the body politic of a multi-faith society - if it invalidates others'
faiths and seeks to use the law to suppress the practices of minority
groups.
Singapore has long guarded its public sphere and common space
zealously to keep it free from religious strife. We should be no less
vigilant in guarding against new forms of militancy that may harm the
body politic.
Aware saga: A new militancy emerges
Tolerance is critical in the public sphere in a multi-religious society
By Chua Mui Hoong
THE battle lines have been drawn. And it is not just between Aware's
new executive committee and its old guard.
The leading women's advocacy group saw a stunning leadership change
when newcomers captured nine of 12 executive committee posts at the
group's annual general meeting on March 28. Older members questioned
their motives as well as the sudden influx of new members who joined
Aware just months before the AGM.
Four members of the new exco held a press conference on Thursday
evening. At the same time as the press conference was proceeding at
Raffles Town Club, an exco meeting was called at Aware's Dover Road
premises. The new team sacked the Aware centre's manager, a paid
employee, changed the locks at the Aware office and had a stand-off
with old guard members who turned up later.
Some see this episode as a 'catfight' among ambitious women. Others
see it as a tussle for control of a prominent women's advocacy group,
three of whose presidents have served as Nominated Members of
Parliament.
With four of the new exco members attending the same church - and
having the same 'feminist mentor' in the shape of lawyer Thio Su Mien
- and all espousing 'pro-family', anti-gay sentiments, some are
calling this a fight between the Christian Right and the Gay Lobby.
There is also an intra-Christian element here. For even within the
Christian community, there is concern about religious zeal spilling
over into the public sphere and giving Christianity an unduly
aggressive image in peaceful, multi-religious Singapore.
Some of the new exco members have been reportedly threatened, with one
receiving a death threat. Even if that were the act of an eccentric,
threats of violence against activists should never be condoned and
Singaporeans must be firm in denouncing such behaviour.
There is such a cauldron of emotions swirling over this issue that it
is hard to take a cool look at it. But that is precisely what is
needed - a hard-headed look at why this issue has roiled so many people.
At the risk of stating the obvious, religion mixed with socio-
political controversies is always a combustible combination.
Especially when faiths are interpreted in a fundamentalist way.
Tolerance and accommodation are critical attitudes for people of
different faiths to adopt towards one another in the public sphere.
Religion can be divisive, especially when it insists on a religiously-
informed view on any particular social, moral or cultural issue.
Secular, multi-religious societies must draw a line between what is
acceptable and what is not in the public domain. There is nothing
objectionable about zeal for one's faith per se. But action aimed at
invalidating or challenging other religions or enforcing a particular
religious view on everyone can have harmful social and political
consequences in a multi-religious society.
It is especially troublesome when people go beyond spreading their
religious beliefs to attempting to legislate their preferred moral
practices. For example, they may believe that the moral values their
church subscribes to should govern civil law. So if their church says
homosexuality and abortion are grievous sins, then the laws of the
land should outlaw such practices, even if many other people do not
agree.
The so-called Christian Right has made its presence felt in recent
years: in opposing the setting up of casinos, and in lobbying against
a motion to repeal section 377A of the Penal Code which criminalises
sex between males.
While other religions too have been vocal on these issues, they have
adopted a live-and-let-live attitude, preferring to preach to their
own flock than convert others. The Christian Right is more organised,
vocal about claiming public space for debate, and savvy in using
constitutional means to advance its causes.
Concern over just where religious and social zeal will lead the new
Aware leadership is the reason many have reacted strongly to news of
its grab for power. Many are concerned that this group has established
a benchmark for religiously inspired activism that may well be
emulated by people of other faiths.
It would have been different if the group and its mentor Dr Thio had
been upfront about their association. It would have been even better
if they had formed their own organisation to propagate their social
plans.
But their decision, from the looks of it, to use Aware as a convenient
organisation to launch their cause has raised eyebrows. While the new
group was properly elected, its method has sown mistrust. They were
not a model of transparent organisation.
In recent years, much attention, for good reason, has been focused on
Islamic fundamentalism, given the violence of militant groups claiming
Islam as their inspiration. But religious fundamentalism of all kinds
can do harm - not necessarily to the physical body but certainly to
the body politic of a multi-faith society - if it invalidates others'
faiths and seeks to use the law to suppress the practices of minority
groups.
Singapore has long guarded its public sphere and common space
zealously to keep it free from religious strife. We should be no less
vigilant in guarding against new forms of militancy that may harm the
body politic.
AWARE Veterans Set the Record Straight
The Online Citizen ran this story on 25 April 2009:
AWARE Veterans Set the Record Straight
Darren Boon
In a press conference on Friday evening, several veteran stalwarts from AWARE turned up to clarify several issues and accusations raised by the new AWARE team a day earlier.
Apart from the familiar faces of Dana Lim and Constance Singam, was Dr Kanwaljit Soin who broke her silence in public on the AWARE debacle. Dr Soin was one of the founding members of AWARE, and the president of AWARE from 1991 to 1993. She had also served as a Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) in Singapore from 1992 to 1996.
“As far as I know AWARE has not deviated from its original purpose,” Dr Soin said.
Dr Soin had made it clear that AWARE had been founded on the principle of inclusiveness, and clarified the misconception of AWARE being pro-gay. “We cannot condemn, deny or exclude any woman because of her sexual orientation, because she’s been abused by her husband or because she’s a single mother. And so we accept people for what they are,” she said.
Dr Soin said that AWARE is an organisation for women that supports the idea of women choosing the lives they want in another founding principle of ‘Women’s Lives, Women’s Choices’ or ‘Women’s Choices, Women’s Lives’. Dr Soin added that AWARE will offer support to women who approach the organisation for assistance.
Corinna Lim rubbished the talk that the screening of the lesbian movie Spider Lilies showed that AWARE is single-focused and gay-oriented. Lim pointed out that AWARE had also participated in other movie screenings such as the wholesome local family film Singapore Dreaming.
Lim explained that film distributors have approached AWARE to tie-up for charity events and sees this as a good fundraising activity for AWARE. Terms and conditions vary requiring AWARE to sometimes purchase advance tickets or publicising the membership, with AWARE taking a small profit.
Dr Soin also explained there’s a need to address the issue of homosexuality in its sexual education programmes if the programmes are to be comprehensive: “AWARE cannot be an ostrich and buries it head and pretends that it [homosexuality] doesn’t exist. But we don’t go out with this programme and say it’s okay to be lesbian.”
Constance Singam said that the sexual education programmes were introduced in the context of the increasing number of teenage sex, pregnancies and abortions three to four years ago.
“AWARE is not a religious organisation. We do not impose religious values,” Singam said.
She added: “What we are offering are the facts. Kids need space for open discussion where they can get facts, examine themselves, and that is the purpose, objective.”
Dana Lam explained that the education programme had been developed over a period of time with pilot workshops conducted with parental knowledge and involvement. “And we have received good feedback,” she said. “The mention of homosexuality is so miniscule compared to the whole topic.”
Meanwhile, the veterans have also clarified its process for its selection of trainers. In the pre-selection process, candidates have to go through an interview and essay-writing round. After the training programme, the trainers have to go through examinations.
AWARE has so far provided its sexual education training programmes to 12 schools, some of which had approached AWARE to conduct the programmes. The veterans also clarified that the schools have full knowledge of the programmes with teachers having seen and vetted the them before they were given the go ahead. An opt-out form is also provided for those who do not feel comfortable participating in the programmes.
The old guards clarified that teachers and social workers have audited the programme and AWARE has its own auditing process and when necessary made modifications.
Dr Soin also defended her decision to allow associate male members in AWARE. “I realise we cannot change the world for women until we bring the men on board. So we have to work with men hand in hand to change society into a more equal, compassionate and inclusive society.”
The claim that the old guards’ AWARE was trying to get men into the organisation was “inaccurate”, they said. The issue of giving men voting rights first surfaced at the 2008 AGM. A motion was tabled for this purpose but it was defeated. However, it was brought up again at the AGM in March 2009 where the new exco was voted in. At this meeting, the “election took the bulk of the time” and the issue was not debated.
Meanwhile Dr Soin said while she knows who the founding members of AWARE were, she is unaware of any involvement of Dr Thio Su Mien.
“I’ve not heard of Dr Thio Su Mien as being a feminist, so this was a little bit of a surprise for me. But then, we always have closet feminists,” Dr Soin said to laughter from those present.
In her tenure as an NMP in 1995, Dr Soin tabled a Family Violence Bill as a Private Member’s Bill in parliament. The Bill would allow for the protection of victims against family violence and marital rape and police intervention. Although the bill fell through, the issue on family violence has gained public awareness and prominence. The Women’s Charter was later amended by the Singapore government in 1997 and adapted principles and concepts from the proposed Family Violence Bill which gave women more protection from violence.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
AWARE Veterans Set the Record Straight
Darren Boon
In a press conference on Friday evening, several veteran stalwarts from AWARE turned up to clarify several issues and accusations raised by the new AWARE team a day earlier.
Apart from the familiar faces of Dana Lim and Constance Singam, was Dr Kanwaljit Soin who broke her silence in public on the AWARE debacle. Dr Soin was one of the founding members of AWARE, and the president of AWARE from 1991 to 1993. She had also served as a Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) in Singapore from 1992 to 1996.
“As far as I know AWARE has not deviated from its original purpose,” Dr Soin said.
Dr Soin had made it clear that AWARE had been founded on the principle of inclusiveness, and clarified the misconception of AWARE being pro-gay. “We cannot condemn, deny or exclude any woman because of her sexual orientation, because she’s been abused by her husband or because she’s a single mother. And so we accept people for what they are,” she said.
Dr Soin said that AWARE is an organisation for women that supports the idea of women choosing the lives they want in another founding principle of ‘Women’s Lives, Women’s Choices’ or ‘Women’s Choices, Women’s Lives’. Dr Soin added that AWARE will offer support to women who approach the organisation for assistance.
Corinna Lim rubbished the talk that the screening of the lesbian movie Spider Lilies showed that AWARE is single-focused and gay-oriented. Lim pointed out that AWARE had also participated in other movie screenings such as the wholesome local family film Singapore Dreaming.
Lim explained that film distributors have approached AWARE to tie-up for charity events and sees this as a good fundraising activity for AWARE. Terms and conditions vary requiring AWARE to sometimes purchase advance tickets or publicising the membership, with AWARE taking a small profit.
Dr Soin also explained there’s a need to address the issue of homosexuality in its sexual education programmes if the programmes are to be comprehensive: “AWARE cannot be an ostrich and buries it head and pretends that it [homosexuality] doesn’t exist. But we don’t go out with this programme and say it’s okay to be lesbian.”
Constance Singam said that the sexual education programmes were introduced in the context of the increasing number of teenage sex, pregnancies and abortions three to four years ago.
“AWARE is not a religious organisation. We do not impose religious values,” Singam said.
She added: “What we are offering are the facts. Kids need space for open discussion where they can get facts, examine themselves, and that is the purpose, objective.”
Dana Lam explained that the education programme had been developed over a period of time with pilot workshops conducted with parental knowledge and involvement. “And we have received good feedback,” she said. “The mention of homosexuality is so miniscule compared to the whole topic.”
Meanwhile, the veterans have also clarified its process for its selection of trainers. In the pre-selection process, candidates have to go through an interview and essay-writing round. After the training programme, the trainers have to go through examinations.
AWARE has so far provided its sexual education training programmes to 12 schools, some of which had approached AWARE to conduct the programmes. The veterans also clarified that the schools have full knowledge of the programmes with teachers having seen and vetted the them before they were given the go ahead. An opt-out form is also provided for those who do not feel comfortable participating in the programmes.
The old guards clarified that teachers and social workers have audited the programme and AWARE has its own auditing process and when necessary made modifications.
Dr Soin also defended her decision to allow associate male members in AWARE. “I realise we cannot change the world for women until we bring the men on board. So we have to work with men hand in hand to change society into a more equal, compassionate and inclusive society.”
The claim that the old guards’ AWARE was trying to get men into the organisation was “inaccurate”, they said. The issue of giving men voting rights first surfaced at the 2008 AGM. A motion was tabled for this purpose but it was defeated. However, it was brought up again at the AGM in March 2009 where the new exco was voted in. At this meeting, the “election took the bulk of the time” and the issue was not debated.
Meanwhile Dr Soin said while she knows who the founding members of AWARE were, she is unaware of any involvement of Dr Thio Su Mien.
“I’ve not heard of Dr Thio Su Mien as being a feminist, so this was a little bit of a surprise for me. But then, we always have closet feminists,” Dr Soin said to laughter from those present.
In her tenure as an NMP in 1995, Dr Soin tabled a Family Violence Bill as a Private Member’s Bill in parliament. The Bill would allow for the protection of victims against family violence and marital rape and police intervention. Although the bill fell through, the issue on family violence has gained public awareness and prominence. The Women’s Charter was later amended by the Singapore government in 1997 and adapted principles and concepts from the proposed Family Violence Bill which gave women more protection from violence.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Govt Should Ensure Aware Stays Secular
The Straits Times published this letter by Ravi Govindan in the Forum page on 24 April 2009:
Govt should ensure Aware stays secular
I REFER to the change in leadership of the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware). The technicalities of the society's leadership tussle are not an issue for most of us as it is an internal affair.
Of public concern is the implication of the leadership takeover, part of which was reflected by Ms Hafizah Osman in her letter on Monday, 'Passive supporters galvanised into action'.
Ms Hafizah was concerned that Aware was moving towards being an organisation of exclusion. I share her concern. To the neutral public, Aware serves a vital national purpose because it has pursued its aim of gender equality, regardless of race, religion or sexual preference, in a transparent, all-embracing way.
Because of its generosity of spirit and service to all, Aware has been a force for national good. My concern is whether the new leadership will continue this spirit of inclusiveness. Already, sexual minorities among the women have been forewarned that the new Aware agenda will exclude their voice.
While I am a conservative Asian family man, and firmly believe in the heterosexual definition of a married couple as the nucleus of a Singaporean family, I am, like Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, realistic enough to appreciate the importance of accommodating non-heterosexual citizens in an all-inclusive Singapore.
The old Aware's spirit of non-judgmental activism and generosity reflects the charity and kindliness of the civil society we are trying to build.
Part of the secular strength of Aware previously was that it comprised leaders from multi-religious backgrounds - Muslims, Catholics, Hindus and Buddhists. The new leaders are largely mono-religious and appear to hold singularly exclusive views about religion, social and family behaviour and sexual mores.
What are the checks and balances, for instance, to ensure that women who are at a low and vulnerable point in their lives, and who turn to Aware for help, are not turned towards religious rather than practical answers?
I hope the Government, particularly the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, will closely watch developments to ensure transparency and provide the necessary safeguards.
Ms Hafizah also wrote: 'Twenty-four years of serious work may now be threatened by a group of women whose religious affiliation may lead to an exclusionary Aware.'
I would add that government or independent guarantees must be in place to ensure that the wronged, the troubled and the abused whom the new Aware assists, should not have to be targets of proselytisation in order to receive the secular aid they need.
Govt should ensure Aware stays secular
I REFER to the change in leadership of the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware). The technicalities of the society's leadership tussle are not an issue for most of us as it is an internal affair.
Of public concern is the implication of the leadership takeover, part of which was reflected by Ms Hafizah Osman in her letter on Monday, 'Passive supporters galvanised into action'.
Ms Hafizah was concerned that Aware was moving towards being an organisation of exclusion. I share her concern. To the neutral public, Aware serves a vital national purpose because it has pursued its aim of gender equality, regardless of race, religion or sexual preference, in a transparent, all-embracing way.
Because of its generosity of spirit and service to all, Aware has been a force for national good. My concern is whether the new leadership will continue this spirit of inclusiveness. Already, sexual minorities among the women have been forewarned that the new Aware agenda will exclude their voice.
While I am a conservative Asian family man, and firmly believe in the heterosexual definition of a married couple as the nucleus of a Singaporean family, I am, like Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, realistic enough to appreciate the importance of accommodating non-heterosexual citizens in an all-inclusive Singapore.
The old Aware's spirit of non-judgmental activism and generosity reflects the charity and kindliness of the civil society we are trying to build.
Part of the secular strength of Aware previously was that it comprised leaders from multi-religious backgrounds - Muslims, Catholics, Hindus and Buddhists. The new leaders are largely mono-religious and appear to hold singularly exclusive views about religion, social and family behaviour and sexual mores.
What are the checks and balances, for instance, to ensure that women who are at a low and vulnerable point in their lives, and who turn to Aware for help, are not turned towards religious rather than practical answers?
I hope the Government, particularly the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, will closely watch developments to ensure transparency and provide the necessary safeguards.
Ms Hafizah also wrote: 'Twenty-four years of serious work may now be threatened by a group of women whose religious affiliation may lead to an exclusionary Aware.'
I would add that government or independent guarantees must be in place to ensure that the wronged, the troubled and the abused whom the new Aware assists, should not have to be targets of proselytisation in order to receive the secular aid they need.
Petition Against New Aware
The Straits Times ran this story on 24 April 2009:
Petition against new Aware
By Derrick Ho
CLOSE to 400 people have signed an online petition opposing the new leadership at the Assocation of Women for Action and Research (Aware).
The petition calls for the support of the 'Save Aware Campaign', and urges supporters to attend an extraordinary general meeting (EOGM) to consider a vote of no confidence in the new executive committee.
The EOGM is scheduled for next Saturday afternoon from 2 to 5pm.
The petition, citing various blogs and media sources, accuses the new leaders of orchestrating a 'hostile' takeover to further their own agenda. It also claims that the the new guard is linked to 'fundamentalist churches'.
A vote of no confidence would mean that that the current exco has lost the mandate and confidence of its members to continue as serving and that it has not acted the best interest of the organisation.
It will also imply that it is inadequate to further the organisation's objectives, according to the campaign's website. All members of the current exco will then be removed from their positions on the and a replacement exco will have to be elected to serve for the remainder of the current term.
The petition urges supporters of the campaign to sign up as members of Aware so that they will be able to vote during the EOGM. Non-members have no voting rights.
Membership at Aware has soared over the past two weeks with over 200 new members.
Petition against new Aware
By Derrick Ho
CLOSE to 400 people have signed an online petition opposing the new leadership at the Assocation of Women for Action and Research (Aware).
The petition calls for the support of the 'Save Aware Campaign', and urges supporters to attend an extraordinary general meeting (EOGM) to consider a vote of no confidence in the new executive committee.
The EOGM is scheduled for next Saturday afternoon from 2 to 5pm.
The petition, citing various blogs and media sources, accuses the new leaders of orchestrating a 'hostile' takeover to further their own agenda. It also claims that the the new guard is linked to 'fundamentalist churches'.
A vote of no confidence would mean that that the current exco has lost the mandate and confidence of its members to continue as serving and that it has not acted the best interest of the organisation.
It will also imply that it is inadequate to further the organisation's objectives, according to the campaign's website. All members of the current exco will then be removed from their positions on the and a replacement exco will have to be elected to serve for the remainder of the current term.
The petition urges supporters of the campaign to sign up as members of Aware so that they will be able to vote during the EOGM. Non-members have no voting rights.
Membership at Aware has soared over the past two weeks with over 200 new members.
More Foreigners Let Go First
The Straits Time ran this story on 24 April 2009:
More foreigners let go first
MORE foreign workers were laid off last year than locals as the economic slowdown hit companies hard.
Redundancies in 2008 rose faster in percentage terms for foreigners - at 153 per cent - than locals, at 72 per cent, according to a report released by Ministry of Manpower's Research and Statistics Department on Friday.
It said although locals formed the majority - 61 per cent - of the redundancies in 2008, their share came down from 70 per cent from a year ago.
On the other hand, the foreign share of total redundancies rose to a new high of 39 per cent, slightly more than the proportion of foreigners in Singapore's workforce, which was 36 per cent as at last December.
Companies cited the recession and economic downturn as the top reason, affecting four in 10 (41 per cent) workers retrenched, followed closely by business restructuring (39 per cent), said the report.
Over a fifth (22 per cent) cited high labour cost, and another 20 per cent blamed high operating cost.
'This was unlike in 2007 when the top reasons for retrenchment were the discontinuation of the production line and business reorganization,' said the report.
Due to the global nature of the current recession, the number of workers retrenched in exercises involving businesses relocating overseas fell from 1,520 in 2007 to a record low of 1,260 in 2008. They accounted for only 9.1 per cent of workers retrenched in private establishments, compared to 20 per cent in 2007.
The report said mature residents with tertiary education were the most vulnerable groups last year, 'with above-average risk of retrenchment and below-average re-employment.'
'This was unlike the previous downturns when the less educated were the most vulnerable,' it noted.
The 'Redundancies and Re-employment, 2008' report is available online on the Ministry of Manpower's website at http://www.mom.gov.sg/mrsd/publication.
More foreigners let go first
MORE foreign workers were laid off last year than locals as the economic slowdown hit companies hard.
Redundancies in 2008 rose faster in percentage terms for foreigners - at 153 per cent - than locals, at 72 per cent, according to a report released by Ministry of Manpower's Research and Statistics Department on Friday.
It said although locals formed the majority - 61 per cent - of the redundancies in 2008, their share came down from 70 per cent from a year ago.
On the other hand, the foreign share of total redundancies rose to a new high of 39 per cent, slightly more than the proportion of foreigners in Singapore's workforce, which was 36 per cent as at last December.
Companies cited the recession and economic downturn as the top reason, affecting four in 10 (41 per cent) workers retrenched, followed closely by business restructuring (39 per cent), said the report.
Over a fifth (22 per cent) cited high labour cost, and another 20 per cent blamed high operating cost.
'This was unlike in 2007 when the top reasons for retrenchment were the discontinuation of the production line and business reorganization,' said the report.
Due to the global nature of the current recession, the number of workers retrenched in exercises involving businesses relocating overseas fell from 1,520 in 2007 to a record low of 1,260 in 2008. They accounted for only 9.1 per cent of workers retrenched in private establishments, compared to 20 per cent in 2007.
The report said mature residents with tertiary education were the most vulnerable groups last year, 'with above-average risk of retrenchment and below-average re-employment.'
'This was unlike the previous downturns when the less educated were the most vulnerable,' it noted.
The 'Redundancies and Re-employment, 2008' report is available online on the Ministry of Manpower's website at http://www.mom.gov.sg/mrsd/publication.
Errant Employers Detected
The Straits Times ran this story on 24 April 2009:
Errant employers detected
By Melissa Sim
THE Manpower Ministry's taskforce to detect errant employers early has turned up at least 48 companies since it was set up in January.
Five of the companies came to light this week when the media found out that more than 800 of their workers had had their work permits cancelled abruptly.
The taskforce was set up to detect employer malpractice early, before salary arrears accumulate and workers are stranded without work or proper accommodation.
It monitors employers who default on foreign worker levies and housing rents, indications of cash-flow problems. It also analyses information from inspections and intelligence received.
The creation of the taskforce came in the wake of numerous media reports late last year about foreign workers, especially those in the marine industry, who were left without work as business began drying up, or had not been paid salaries.
The two cases which surfaced this week shared similar characteristics.
On Thursday, more than 800 workers from three construction companies - Hokh Contract Services, Raffles Contractors and Neo-Built - gathered outside the building of their agent's office and complained that their work permits had been cancelled.
On Friday, the Chinese workers were at Mactech Industrial Building in Kallang Pudding Road again, trying to claim about $5,700 worth of fees they had paid for their passage to Singapore. Some said they had been here less than a month.
The second case involves 80 foreign workers from construction-related firms Alva Engineering and ACS Builders Construction, who told The Straits Times on Sunday that their permits had also been abruptly cancelled. These Bangladeshi workers had been in Singapore no longer than six months and many claimed they had not been paid for the little work - one to two months' worth - they had done.
Errant employers detected
By Melissa Sim
THE Manpower Ministry's taskforce to detect errant employers early has turned up at least 48 companies since it was set up in January.
Five of the companies came to light this week when the media found out that more than 800 of their workers had had their work permits cancelled abruptly.
The taskforce was set up to detect employer malpractice early, before salary arrears accumulate and workers are stranded without work or proper accommodation.
It monitors employers who default on foreign worker levies and housing rents, indications of cash-flow problems. It also analyses information from inspections and intelligence received.
The creation of the taskforce came in the wake of numerous media reports late last year about foreign workers, especially those in the marine industry, who were left without work as business began drying up, or had not been paid salaries.
The two cases which surfaced this week shared similar characteristics.
On Thursday, more than 800 workers from three construction companies - Hokh Contract Services, Raffles Contractors and Neo-Built - gathered outside the building of their agent's office and complained that their work permits had been cancelled.
On Friday, the Chinese workers were at Mactech Industrial Building in Kallang Pudding Road again, trying to claim about $5,700 worth of fees they had paid for their passage to Singapore. Some said they had been here less than a month.
The second case involves 80 foreign workers from construction-related firms Alva Engineering and ACS Builders Construction, who told The Straits Times on Sunday that their permits had also been abruptly cancelled. These Bangladeshi workers had been in Singapore no longer than six months and many claimed they had not been paid for the little work - one to two months' worth - they had done.
Friday, April 24, 2009
LKY World City Prize
The Straits Times ran this story on 24 April 2009:
LKY World City Prize
By Jessica Cheam
WHAT does it take to become a world-class city?
Innovative planning projects, policies and solutions that show foresight and good governance, it seems.
These are the qualities that Singapore is looking for in a new award it is launching: the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize.
Speaking at the annual Asia Society conference in Ho Chi Minh City, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said on Friday that the biennial award seeks to recognise individuals and organisations that have made outstanding contributions to the creation of vibrant, liveable and sustainable cities.
'Through this prize, we hope to facilitate the sharing of best practices in urban solutions and spur further innovation in the area of sustainable urban development and city excellence,' said Mr Mah.
Nominations will commence in June when the Prize is formally launched at the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize Awards Ceremony, he added.
LKY World City Prize
By Jessica Cheam
WHAT does it take to become a world-class city?
Innovative planning projects, policies and solutions that show foresight and good governance, it seems.
These are the qualities that Singapore is looking for in a new award it is launching: the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize.
Speaking at the annual Asia Society conference in Ho Chi Minh City, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said on Friday that the biennial award seeks to recognise individuals and organisations that have made outstanding contributions to the creation of vibrant, liveable and sustainable cities.
'Through this prize, we hope to facilitate the sharing of best practices in urban solutions and spur further innovation in the area of sustainable urban development and city excellence,' said Mr Mah.
Nominations will commence in June when the Prize is formally launched at the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize Awards Ceremony, he added.
Lawyer's Key Role in Aware Coup
The Straits Times ran this story on 24 April 2009:
Lawyer's key role in Aware coup
By Zakir Hussain
Dr Thio said she began monitoring Aware's about a year ago and was
disturbed by what she saw as signs that it was promoting lesbianism
and homosexuality.
SENIOR lawyer Thio Su Mien yesterday revealed the key role she played
in bringing about the change of leadership at the Association of Women
for Action and Research (Aware).
Appearing at a press conference called at short notice by some of the
association's new leaders, she said she was alarmed to discover that
Aware had lost sight of its original purpose and become pro-lesbian
and pro-homosexual.
Dr Thio, 71, a born-again Christian who runs her own law firm, is the
mother of Nominated Member of Parliament Thio Li-ann and her nephew,
Dr Alan Chin, is married to new Aware president Josie Lau.
She was the first woman dean of the Law Faculty at the then-University
of Singapore, from 1969 to 1971.
Introducing herself as a 'feminist mentor' to working women, she said
she began monitoring Aware's affairs about a year ago.
Disturbed by what she saw as signs that it was promoting lesbianism
and homosexuality, she began urging women she knew to challenge
Aware's attempts to redefine marriage and families.
Yesterday, the new Aware leaders said that they and their families had
been threatened and even received death threats, and they have
reported them to the police.
Dr Thio said: 'I feel kind of responsible for these difficulties they
are going through, because I was the one who mentored them over the
years.'
She said she had been teaching and counselling some of them in
different groups for up to 10 years.
She was 'absolutely outraged' that a group of women who just wanted to
contribute to society are now facing 'ferocious attacks'.
'I don't understand what has become of our people,' she added.
Dr Thio explained that her concern about the direction that Aware was
taking was partly prompted by a letter from a parent who was concerned
that the society was promoting a homosexual agenda.
He wrote to the Today newspaper in 2007 to ask why Aware's choice of a
movie for a charity show was Spider Lilies, about two lesbians who
fall in love.
Dr Thio said she went on to discover that in Aware's comprehensive
sexuality education programme, which is taken to schools,
homosexuality is regarded as a neutral word, not a negative word.
'I started thinking, 'Hey, parents, you better know what's
happening,'' she said.
'I talked to parents. I said: You better do something about this,
otherwise your daughter will come back and say, 'Mum, I want to marry
my girlfriend.'
'Or your son will say: 'Dad, I want to marry my boyfriend.''
These parents were flabbergasted, she said, adding that such sexuality
education was taking place in the United States and Europe and was not
new.
'What is happening in society is that we are redefining marriage, we
are redefining families,' she said.
'So I'm a concerned citizen and if people are so ignorant, I think I
want to teach them.'
Pointing out that Aware's programme was already in 30 schools, she
said: 'The suggestion is that in this programme, young girls from 12
to 18 are taught that it's okay to experiment with each other.
'And this is something which should concern parents in Singapore. Are
we going to have an entire generation of lesbians?'
Insisting that she was not anti-homosexual, she said: 'I have nothing
against lesbians or homosexuals personally. On a personal front, I've
ministered, I've counselled them.
'They are in pain. And very often from families where you have abusive
fathers, they do things with their daughters and the daughters revolt,
rebel against society.
'We understand this is what it's all about.'
Dr Thio said that Aware was formed 26 years ago by her contemporaries
and friends, and had done great work in many areas.
But she noted that its membership had dropped from about 700 in 1998
to around 200 in 2006.
She was dismayed that at the annual general meeting in 2008, there was
a move to give men the right to vote 'in a women's organisation where
the objective is to represent all the women of Singapore'.
Only 25 people attended that AGM. The motion was defeated, but
reappeared on the agenda at the AGM last month.
She then started looking into the affairs of Aware to see what was
going on at the organisation set up by her friends.
She said that there were many women's issues that needed to be looked
into, and cited the need to ensure that retrenched women are dealt
with fairly.
'I find to my dismay that Aware seems to be only very interested in
lesbianism and the advancement of homosexuality, which is a man's
issue,' she said.
She felt this matter had to be discussed, but Aware should focus on
going back to look after all women in Singapore.
'Can we re-focus on the excellent objectives of Aware? Go back to its
original purpose for it being an NGO?' she asked.
Lawyer's key role in Aware coup
By Zakir Hussain
Dr Thio said she began monitoring Aware's about a year ago and was
disturbed by what she saw as signs that it was promoting lesbianism
and homosexuality.
SENIOR lawyer Thio Su Mien yesterday revealed the key role she played
in bringing about the change of leadership at the Association of Women
for Action and Research (Aware).
Appearing at a press conference called at short notice by some of the
association's new leaders, she said she was alarmed to discover that
Aware had lost sight of its original purpose and become pro-lesbian
and pro-homosexual.
Dr Thio, 71, a born-again Christian who runs her own law firm, is the
mother of Nominated Member of Parliament Thio Li-ann and her nephew,
Dr Alan Chin, is married to new Aware president Josie Lau.
She was the first woman dean of the Law Faculty at the then-University
of Singapore, from 1969 to 1971.
Introducing herself as a 'feminist mentor' to working women, she said
she began monitoring Aware's affairs about a year ago.
Disturbed by what she saw as signs that it was promoting lesbianism
and homosexuality, she began urging women she knew to challenge
Aware's attempts to redefine marriage and families.
Yesterday, the new Aware leaders said that they and their families had
been threatened and even received death threats, and they have
reported them to the police.
Dr Thio said: 'I feel kind of responsible for these difficulties they
are going through, because I was the one who mentored them over the
years.'
She said she had been teaching and counselling some of them in
different groups for up to 10 years.
She was 'absolutely outraged' that a group of women who just wanted to
contribute to society are now facing 'ferocious attacks'.
'I don't understand what has become of our people,' she added.
Dr Thio explained that her concern about the direction that Aware was
taking was partly prompted by a letter from a parent who was concerned
that the society was promoting a homosexual agenda.
He wrote to the Today newspaper in 2007 to ask why Aware's choice of a
movie for a charity show was Spider Lilies, about two lesbians who
fall in love.
Dr Thio said she went on to discover that in Aware's comprehensive
sexuality education programme, which is taken to schools,
homosexuality is regarded as a neutral word, not a negative word.
'I started thinking, 'Hey, parents, you better know what's
happening,'' she said.
'I talked to parents. I said: You better do something about this,
otherwise your daughter will come back and say, 'Mum, I want to marry
my girlfriend.'
'Or your son will say: 'Dad, I want to marry my boyfriend.''
These parents were flabbergasted, she said, adding that such sexuality
education was taking place in the United States and Europe and was not
new.
'What is happening in society is that we are redefining marriage, we
are redefining families,' she said.
'So I'm a concerned citizen and if people are so ignorant, I think I
want to teach them.'
Pointing out that Aware's programme was already in 30 schools, she
said: 'The suggestion is that in this programme, young girls from 12
to 18 are taught that it's okay to experiment with each other.
'And this is something which should concern parents in Singapore. Are
we going to have an entire generation of lesbians?'
Insisting that she was not anti-homosexual, she said: 'I have nothing
against lesbians or homosexuals personally. On a personal front, I've
ministered, I've counselled them.
'They are in pain. And very often from families where you have abusive
fathers, they do things with their daughters and the daughters revolt,
rebel against society.
'We understand this is what it's all about.'
Dr Thio said that Aware was formed 26 years ago by her contemporaries
and friends, and had done great work in many areas.
But she noted that its membership had dropped from about 700 in 1998
to around 200 in 2006.
She was dismayed that at the annual general meeting in 2008, there was
a move to give men the right to vote 'in a women's organisation where
the objective is to represent all the women of Singapore'.
Only 25 people attended that AGM. The motion was defeated, but
reappeared on the agenda at the AGM last month.
She then started looking into the affairs of Aware to see what was
going on at the organisation set up by her friends.
She said that there were many women's issues that needed to be looked
into, and cited the need to ensure that retrenched women are dealt
with fairly.
'I find to my dismay that Aware seems to be only very interested in
lesbianism and the advancement of homosexuality, which is a man's
issue,' she said.
She felt this matter had to be discussed, but Aware should focus on
going back to look after all women in Singapore.
'Can we re-focus on the excellent objectives of Aware? Go back to its
original purpose for it being an NGO?' she asked.
Death Threat Allegedly Received by AWARE Exco Member
Today ran this story on 24 April 2009:
Death threat allegedly received by exco member
By Zul Othman
THE controversy at the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) has taken a vicious turn, with death threats apparently having been issued to the husband of new president Josie Lau, and to honorary secretary Jenica Chua.
At a two-hour press conference last night at the Raffles Town Club — where passions boiled over and revelations came one after the other — Ms Lau described her one-week presidency as nothing short of emotional.
“So far I have kept a stoic and dignified silence … (but) to date I have only been met with hostility and intimation. My family received death threats and it is now a police case. Each day, I fear for the safety for my children and my family,” she said with passion.
Today understands that Ms Chua and Ms Lau’s husband, Dr Allan Chin, received the threat on April 14, and made a police report on the same day.
“The person who sent the threat said he has joined a jihadist group and ... will find ways to harm my loved ones,” said a visibly upsetMs Chua. “And all I did was join a women’s association. I couldn’t sleep for many nights.”
Ms Chua also said three days ago, someone had written to her company about her involvement in Aware and asked them to take action against her.
Ms Lau said she still couldn’t comprehend why their election to Aware’s executive committee at the March 28 annual general meeting “has sparked this sort of irrational fear”
“I feel so indignant. All I wanted to do was serve the community and be a member of Aware to push for the cause of women. Do I deserve this a death threat? What has Singapore become?”
Ms Lau, who was appointed to the post of president at an exco meeting last week, also claimed that she had been locked out of the organisation’s email system by the secretariat.
“I have confronted the secretariat and the person has been fired,” revealed Ms Lau. “All we wanted was to push forward and get going with our work. But they didn’t allow us, instead badgering us all the time.”
Also at the press conference was self-described “feminist mentor” Dr Thio Su Mien, who said she was “absolutely outraged” that the new exco had been “ferociously attacked”.
The former law dean and her daughter, Nominated MP Thio Li-Ann — who received a death threat last year after opposing a proposal to decriminalise gay sex — are related to Ms Lau’s husband, Dr Chin.
Admitting that before the March 28 AGM, she had emailed people she knew to point them to “what was happening” at Aware, Dr Thio said she felt the organisation had lost focus amid dwindling membership.
“To my horror I found out they wanted to introduce men into a women’s society,” she said. “And to my dismay, Aware seemed to be only interested in lesbianism and the advancement of homosexuality, which is a man’s issue.”
Despite this, honorary treasurer Maureen Ong denied allegations that their concerns about Aware’s direction had anything to do with their religious beliefs.
“I’m not afraid to say I’m a conservative person. I go to church yes, but that … is personal. I did not go to Aware to push my religious beliefs, I went to Aware because I was concerned (as a parent) with what’s happening."
Members also took issue with what they felt were some one-sided and inaccurate media reports. For instance, said Ms Chua: “At the AGM, none of us talked about our religious beliefs, although there was a lot of talk in the press.”
The Straits Times had quoted one old guard as saying that, when asked if she accepted homosexuality, Ms Chua had answered “no”.
She said: “We are now getting the audio transcript out. But in no way, in the AGM, did I say anything about homosexuality. No way … I’m very puzzled why the press has picked up this slant, when all I did was join a women’s association.”
Death threat allegedly received by exco member
By Zul Othman
THE controversy at the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) has taken a vicious turn, with death threats apparently having been issued to the husband of new president Josie Lau, and to honorary secretary Jenica Chua.
At a two-hour press conference last night at the Raffles Town Club — where passions boiled over and revelations came one after the other — Ms Lau described her one-week presidency as nothing short of emotional.
“So far I have kept a stoic and dignified silence … (but) to date I have only been met with hostility and intimation. My family received death threats and it is now a police case. Each day, I fear for the safety for my children and my family,” she said with passion.
Today understands that Ms Chua and Ms Lau’s husband, Dr Allan Chin, received the threat on April 14, and made a police report on the same day.
“The person who sent the threat said he has joined a jihadist group and ... will find ways to harm my loved ones,” said a visibly upsetMs Chua. “And all I did was join a women’s association. I couldn’t sleep for many nights.”
Ms Chua also said three days ago, someone had written to her company about her involvement in Aware and asked them to take action against her.
Ms Lau said she still couldn’t comprehend why their election to Aware’s executive committee at the March 28 annual general meeting “has sparked this sort of irrational fear”
“I feel so indignant. All I wanted to do was serve the community and be a member of Aware to push for the cause of women. Do I deserve this a death threat? What has Singapore become?”
Ms Lau, who was appointed to the post of president at an exco meeting last week, also claimed that she had been locked out of the organisation’s email system by the secretariat.
“I have confronted the secretariat and the person has been fired,” revealed Ms Lau. “All we wanted was to push forward and get going with our work. But they didn’t allow us, instead badgering us all the time.”
Also at the press conference was self-described “feminist mentor” Dr Thio Su Mien, who said she was “absolutely outraged” that the new exco had been “ferociously attacked”.
The former law dean and her daughter, Nominated MP Thio Li-Ann — who received a death threat last year after opposing a proposal to decriminalise gay sex — are related to Ms Lau’s husband, Dr Chin.
Admitting that before the March 28 AGM, she had emailed people she knew to point them to “what was happening” at Aware, Dr Thio said she felt the organisation had lost focus amid dwindling membership.
“To my horror I found out they wanted to introduce men into a women’s society,” she said. “And to my dismay, Aware seemed to be only interested in lesbianism and the advancement of homosexuality, which is a man’s issue.”
Despite this, honorary treasurer Maureen Ong denied allegations that their concerns about Aware’s direction had anything to do with their religious beliefs.
“I’m not afraid to say I’m a conservative person. I go to church yes, but that … is personal. I did not go to Aware to push my religious beliefs, I went to Aware because I was concerned (as a parent) with what’s happening."
Members also took issue with what they felt were some one-sided and inaccurate media reports. For instance, said Ms Chua: “At the AGM, none of us talked about our religious beliefs, although there was a lot of talk in the press.”
The Straits Times had quoted one old guard as saying that, when asked if she accepted homosexuality, Ms Chua had answered “no”.
She said: “We are now getting the audio transcript out. But in no way, in the AGM, did I say anything about homosexuality. No way … I’m very puzzled why the press has picked up this slant, when all I did was join a women’s association.”
New Exco Wants to Bring AWARE Back to Its "Original Cause"
ChannelNewsAsia ran this story on 24 April 2009:
New exco wants to bring AWARE back to its "original cause"
By Cheryl Lim
SINGAPORE: Bringing Aware back to its "original cause" - that is what the new executive committee (exco) of advocacy group, the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE), is planning to do.
In an emotionally-charged news conference on Thursday, the new guard said AWARE has lost its focus.
They accused the old guard of steering AWARE into becoming a single purpose organisation.
Drama erupted even before the news conference started with current Honorary Treasurer Chew I-Jin accusing the new guard of intentionally excluding her from their news conference.
"I'm utterly disappointed and disgusted because I'm meant to do a presentation alongside you, Lois (Ng, Executive Committee member)," said Chew.
During the one-and-a-half hour event, the group introduced well-known corporate lawyer Dr Thio Su Mien, as their so-called "feminist mentor".
Dr Thio is the Senior Executive Director of TSMP Law Corporation and mother of Nominated MP, Dr Thio Li Ann.
The new exco said AWARE had become a single purpose organisation overly concerned with promoting lesbianism.
They repeatedly raised examples, like how the old guard had backed a lesbian film screening in 2007 and organised a lesbian-friendly Mother's Day event in 2006. And they wanted to bring the association back to what they say is its original noble cause.
When contacted for comment, former AWARE president Margaret Thomas said those comments were ridiculous and not deserving of any comment.
Dr Thio Su Mien also revealed that she had emailed several groups with her concerns about the direction the association was taking, which prompted reporters to ask if the takeover was orchestrated.
"It depends on what you mean by organising. It is kind of flattering in a way. I'm frustrated, I talk to people, I collect info, I send to different people. You want to join, (then) join. I will help you. We discover that networking helps," said Dr Thio, adviser to the new AWARE exco.
The new exco said none of them intend to step down, but revealed that taking up office has come with risks.
Several members received death threats which have been reported to the police.
"Each day, I fear for the physical safety of my children, my family. There's even a blog site detailing my children's names and which schools they go to," said Josie Lau, AWARE's president.
The team will go ahead with the extraordinary general meeting planned for May 2 and is looking for a new venue to accommodate its burgeoning membership. It is now 880 and still growing.
New exco wants to bring AWARE back to its "original cause"
By Cheryl Lim
SINGAPORE: Bringing Aware back to its "original cause" - that is what the new executive committee (exco) of advocacy group, the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE), is planning to do.
In an emotionally-charged news conference on Thursday, the new guard said AWARE has lost its focus.
They accused the old guard of steering AWARE into becoming a single purpose organisation.
Drama erupted even before the news conference started with current Honorary Treasurer Chew I-Jin accusing the new guard of intentionally excluding her from their news conference.
"I'm utterly disappointed and disgusted because I'm meant to do a presentation alongside you, Lois (Ng, Executive Committee member)," said Chew.
During the one-and-a-half hour event, the group introduced well-known corporate lawyer Dr Thio Su Mien, as their so-called "feminist mentor".
Dr Thio is the Senior Executive Director of TSMP Law Corporation and mother of Nominated MP, Dr Thio Li Ann.
The new exco said AWARE had become a single purpose organisation overly concerned with promoting lesbianism.
They repeatedly raised examples, like how the old guard had backed a lesbian film screening in 2007 and organised a lesbian-friendly Mother's Day event in 2006. And they wanted to bring the association back to what they say is its original noble cause.
When contacted for comment, former AWARE president Margaret Thomas said those comments were ridiculous and not deserving of any comment.
Dr Thio Su Mien also revealed that she had emailed several groups with her concerns about the direction the association was taking, which prompted reporters to ask if the takeover was orchestrated.
"It depends on what you mean by organising. It is kind of flattering in a way. I'm frustrated, I talk to people, I collect info, I send to different people. You want to join, (then) join. I will help you. We discover that networking helps," said Dr Thio, adviser to the new AWARE exco.
The new exco said none of them intend to step down, but revealed that taking up office has come with risks.
Several members received death threats which have been reported to the police.
"Each day, I fear for the physical safety of my children, my family. There's even a blog site detailing my children's names and which schools they go to," said Josie Lau, AWARE's president.
The team will go ahead with the extraordinary general meeting planned for May 2 and is looking for a new venue to accommodate its burgeoning membership. It is now 880 and still growing.
Showdown at AWARE Office Over Lock Change by New Exco
ChannelNewsAsia ran this story on 23 April 2009:
Showdown at AWARE office over lock change by new exco
By Pearl Forss
SINGAPORE: It was a tense atmosphere at the AWARE office on Thursday evening as members of the old guard tried to prevent the new executive committee from changing the locks at the office.
The centre's manager, Schutz Lee, said she was not informed of the plans to change locks.
Ms Lee, who has been working there since February, was also fired without reason by the new executive committee at 8pm on Thursday.
Members of the old guard turned up hurriedly at the scene, anxious over the documents kept there.
Dana Lam, former AWARE president, said: "I walked in and there were three burly men sitting at the counter. It's not something we encounter at AWARE because it's a women's centre and we are giving counselling sessions to women who have been abused.
"The men have apparently been instructed by the president to change the lock in the centre. There is a vote of no-confidence going on here. By right, they have no right to make any changes. I am worried for my materials – 25 years of research material, including confidential material."
Showdown at AWARE office over lock change by new exco
By Pearl Forss
SINGAPORE: It was a tense atmosphere at the AWARE office on Thursday evening as members of the old guard tried to prevent the new executive committee from changing the locks at the office.
The centre's manager, Schutz Lee, said she was not informed of the plans to change locks.
Ms Lee, who has been working there since February, was also fired without reason by the new executive committee at 8pm on Thursday.
Members of the old guard turned up hurriedly at the scene, anxious over the documents kept there.
Dana Lam, former AWARE president, said: "I walked in and there were three burly men sitting at the counter. It's not something we encounter at AWARE because it's a women's centre and we are giving counselling sessions to women who have been abused.
"The men have apparently been instructed by the president to change the lock in the centre. There is a vote of no-confidence going on here. By right, they have no right to make any changes. I am worried for my materials – 25 years of research material, including confidential material."
We Just Want the Truth
Today ran this story on 24 April 2009:
We just want the truth
By Esther Ng
THEY may not have got the answer they had sought: What exactly happened on that fateful day?
But the family of David Widjaja, the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) student who fell to his death on campus last month after allegedly stabbing his lecturer, got their chance to raise their concerns with the police yesterday.
“We asked the police why were we not allowed to see David’s body fully. Why was the autopsy report send to NTU instead of us,” said Mr William Widjaja, 24, elder brother of the deceased, after the family’s 90-minute meeting yesterday with Deputy Superintendent Avadiar Pongenan, head of investigation at Jurong Police Divisional Headquarters.
“Why did the university release a statement about David stabbing the professor when the police have not even finished their investigation?” he added.
Lawyer Shashi Nathan, who had arranged the meeting, said the session, which was also attended by Indonesian Embassy official Yayan Mulyana, went well.
“It helped allay fears and concern the family had of a cover-up and conspiracy” said Mr Nathan. “The family told the police that they wanted the facts, the simple truth from all the rumours and speculation.”
Mr William told Today the police assured them of a “full and thorough investigation”.
As for the Widjajas’ unhappiness over the autopsy report being sent to NTU and the university’s statement, Mr Nathan told Today that he told the family to “take it up with NTU at a separate forum”.
“I told them ‘let’s deal with the coroner’s inquiry first’,” he added.
The incident has taken a toll on the family. David’s mother Tjhay Lie Khoon has lost 5kg and has trouble sleeping, said Mr Hartono Widjaja, father of the dead student.
The 56-year-old, who works for a trading firm in Indonesia, said he copes by working harder. “We just want to know the truth,” he added.
The family leaves for Indonesia tomorrow and will return shortly before the coroner’s inquest on May 20.
We just want the truth
By Esther Ng
THEY may not have got the answer they had sought: What exactly happened on that fateful day?
But the family of David Widjaja, the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) student who fell to his death on campus last month after allegedly stabbing his lecturer, got their chance to raise their concerns with the police yesterday.
“We asked the police why were we not allowed to see David’s body fully. Why was the autopsy report send to NTU instead of us,” said Mr William Widjaja, 24, elder brother of the deceased, after the family’s 90-minute meeting yesterday with Deputy Superintendent Avadiar Pongenan, head of investigation at Jurong Police Divisional Headquarters.
“Why did the university release a statement about David stabbing the professor when the police have not even finished their investigation?” he added.
Lawyer Shashi Nathan, who had arranged the meeting, said the session, which was also attended by Indonesian Embassy official Yayan Mulyana, went well.
“It helped allay fears and concern the family had of a cover-up and conspiracy” said Mr Nathan. “The family told the police that they wanted the facts, the simple truth from all the rumours and speculation.”
Mr William told Today the police assured them of a “full and thorough investigation”.
As for the Widjajas’ unhappiness over the autopsy report being sent to NTU and the university’s statement, Mr Nathan told Today that he told the family to “take it up with NTU at a separate forum”.
“I told them ‘let’s deal with the coroner’s inquiry first’,” he added.
The incident has taken a toll on the family. David’s mother Tjhay Lie Khoon has lost 5kg and has trouble sleeping, said Mr Hartono Widjaja, father of the dead student.
The 56-year-old, who works for a trading firm in Indonesia, said he copes by working harder. “We just want to know the truth,” he added.
The family leaves for Indonesia tomorrow and will return shortly before the coroner’s inquest on May 20.
Hole in ECP Causes Massive Jam
Today ran this story on 24 April 2009:
Hole in ECP causes massive jam
Lin Yanqin
A DEPRESSION about half-a-metre deep on the East Coast Parkway (ECP) near Marina Bay caused traffic to back up all the way to Lower Delta Road yesterday evening, as parts of the road were cordoned off for repairs.
No accidents were reported to the Police or the Singapore Civil Defence Force.
According to the Land Transport Authority (LTA), the depression — about two metres wide and 50cm deep — appeared at about 2.15pm yesterday on the ECP just before the Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort construction site. The cause was “likely due to ground settlement”, the LTA said in a statement to the media, adding that the matter was still being investigated.
As of yesterday evening, one lane on the ECP remained closed to traffic as LTA engineers worked on filling the depression and stabilising the surrounding area.
As he drove past the cordoned-off area yesterday, a 27-year-old motorist, who only wanted to be identified as Mr Zhu, said: “If anyone had driven over it really fast, it would have been a very serious accident.”
Hole in ECP causes massive jam
Lin Yanqin
A DEPRESSION about half-a-metre deep on the East Coast Parkway (ECP) near Marina Bay caused traffic to back up all the way to Lower Delta Road yesterday evening, as parts of the road were cordoned off for repairs.
No accidents were reported to the Police or the Singapore Civil Defence Force.
According to the Land Transport Authority (LTA), the depression — about two metres wide and 50cm deep — appeared at about 2.15pm yesterday on the ECP just before the Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort construction site. The cause was “likely due to ground settlement”, the LTA said in a statement to the media, adding that the matter was still being investigated.
As of yesterday evening, one lane on the ECP remained closed to traffic as LTA engineers worked on filling the depression and stabilising the surrounding area.
As he drove past the cordoned-off area yesterday, a 27-year-old motorist, who only wanted to be identified as Mr Zhu, said: “If anyone had driven over it really fast, it would have been a very serious accident.”
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