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REPORT: NG TZE YONG [email protected]. T was a most extraordinary press conference for a civic organisation, one that was hardly civil, one that began with a near-catfight and ended with an awkward silence. In the middle: Shouting matches, micro­ phone-snatching, wrist-slapping and reporters inter­ rupting one anothers' questions. There were accusations that bordered on religious slurs, clarifications, contradictions and utter confusion. And through it all, a mysterious elderly woman sat at one end of the panel. She introduced herself as "Femi­ nist Mentor" - a picture of calm alongside exco mem­ bers who spoke with red eyes and quivering voices. But before the storm, the calm. The invitation for the press conference came late in the afternoon. The press was informed sternly: No free admission. Submit the names ofyour reporters first. It was a long overdue press conference of the new Exco ofAware. The team had been criticised for remain­ ing largely silent on their agenda ever since they were said to have seizedAware in a planned coup on 28 Mar. So the reporters arrived at RafIles Town Oub well before the 7pm appointment But the exco members arrived 20 minutes late. The chaos started almost inunediately. The five ware exco members had barely settled into their seats when the first salvo was fired. Ms Chew Hin, the assistant honorary treasurer and a member of the old guard, stood up and started berat­ ing the new exco, accusing them of not inviting the old guard. The new exco sat tight as they tried to defuse the situation. Sit down, they pleaded. The press conference was only arranged at the last minute, they explained. Ask the press... they can prove it. It didn't work The shouting match continued, with Ms Chew waving a bag which contained a presentation she said she wanted to give alongside the newexco's presentation. The new exco continued to plead: If you really care aboutAware, sit down and let us explain ourselves.

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lesbianism and homosexuality, which is a man'sproblem. " - Advisor to new exco, Dr Thio Su Mien

TNP PICTURES: MOHD ISHAK

OUTBURST: Right before the press conference could get started, Ms Chew I-Jin, assistant honorary treasurer and member of the old guard, stood up and scolded the new exco. Ms Chew calmed down finally and took a seat on the third row, behind the media Exco member Lois Ng took a deep breath, gathered herself and officially began the press conference amid forced smiles. The microphone was passed to the new president of Aware, Ms Josie Lau. And all niceties ended. She looked like she was about to explode as she announced that members of the newexco have received death threats. (See page 4) "What is Singapore coming to? Is this what we have become?" she shouted. Other members of the new exco took their turns, describing the harrowing days since they were elected, their voices thickwith emotion. They claimed they had been locked out of their email accounts and slandered. "All this could have been sorted out peacefully between the old and the new guard, but it didn't happen," said Ms Lau. All this while, the elderly woman sat at one end of the table, a pictu're of calm and serenity. This "Feminist Mentor" introduced herself as Dr Thio Su Mien, a former law dean. Insiders recognised her as the mother of Nomi­ nated Member of Parliament, Dr Thio U-ann, who became a controversial figure in the gay and lesbian community after speaking out strongly against ho­ mosexuality in Parliament last year. She is also the auntie of Dr Alan Chin, Ms Lau's husband. (See page 4) "All we want to do is to start working, but we have been unable to," said Ms Lau. And with that, the exco members moved on to explain how they planned to lead Aware. Aware, they said, had previously been hijacked to further the gay agenda. They pointed out that to celebrate Mother's Day in 2006, Aware invited lesbian-friendly mothers and their lesbian daughters to share their experiences.

In the Aware newsletter, former president Con­ stance Singam also wrote about her outreach to SG Butterflies, a support group for transsexuals. Aware also supported the screening of Spider Ulies, a movie involving a lesbian couple. "My plea is that we should re-focus on the excel­ lent objectives of Aware... go back to the original purpose," said Dr Thio. The floor was then open questions from report­ ers. Do you have more evidence of Aware's gay agen­ da, one asked. After all, Spider Ulies is just one of many movies Aware has sponsored in the past. To this, the new exco revealed that the old exco has proposed giving voting rights to men, foreign women and teenagers.

Sudden outburst "We thought that was a bit odd. Why the sudden shift to give them the vote?" asked Dr Thio. Back at the third row, Ms Chew buried her head in her hands, then burst out: "Because we are inclusive!" "Don't throw words at me!" countered Dr Thio. "We are a woman's organisation... why don't you form your own group to chase this cause? "What we want are more Um Hwee Huas and Chan Heng Chees... women who can inspire us." Throughout the question-and-answer session, the new exco members tussled for the lone micro­ phone. Once, as Ms Ng was in the middle of making a point, MsLau, sitting two seats away, reached out her hand for the microphone. Honorary secretary Jenica Chua, seated between the two of them, lightly tapped her president's wrists, and hushed her. All this while, a dinner for a golf tournament at the next ballroom was in full swing, with tipsy golfers next door having a lusty go at the karaoke,

DO MEMBERS ATTEND

TIlE SAME CHURCH?

"Yes, we attend the same church. But not all ofus knew one another before joiningAware. " - Ms Maureen Ong

their songs almost drowning out the exco members' voices at times. Later, Ms Lau was shot a question about her employer DBS, which had publicly criticised her for taking up the presidency. She declined to answer, explaining she did not have permission to do so. Honorary Treasurer Maureen Ong and Ms Chua leapt to her defence but, as they spoke, Ms Lau listened and shook her head several times. Soon, another reporter's hand would shoot up and another hand would reach out to grab the microphone. Up front, the exco members interrupted one another's long-winded explanations, clarifying one another's points, sometimes resulting in even more confusion. At one point, Ms Ong mumbled something about changing Syariah law, but when asked to clarify by a reporter, she took it back and said: "What I want to say is that we are working for all women, whether you are Muslim, Buddhist, Chris­ tian..." "You haven't answered any of our questions!" exclaimed one exasperated reporter. Said Ms Ng: "We organised this press conference because we wanted to explain our position. "Now, we have a question for the media." What is the newspapers' role in all of this, she asked. Why the unusually keen interest in the gay agenda? . Her question was met with silence. And with that, the press conference ended.

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REPORTS: NG nE YON [email protected] ''MY hatred towards Dr Thio (Li-ann) and all Christians is so strong that... you are now on my hit list... waitfor the day to come. I may not hurtyou butsomeoneyou love most, that will causeyou great pain. " That is only the printable parts of the death threat that Honorary Seer tary Jenica Chua claimed she received. The typed letter, delivered to the Aware office, contained religious slurs. It was written by a person claiming to be a homosexual who has joined a militant group. Ms Chua also said that someone wrote to her company recently saying that her involve­ ment in the Aware saga has ruined the com­ pany's reputation.

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MS CHEW I-JIN, the assistant honorary treasurer and a member of the old guard, disrupted the new exco's press conference at Raffles Town Club before i even egan. he stood in front of the press conference table, scoldin the new exco as press photographers gathered around her. "Josie has not been replying to

my e-mails," said Ms Chew.

he wa also unhappy that e old guard at Aware was not informed of the press conference, and said that she had apresentation to make alongside the new exco. The new exeo replied that the press conference was arranged only at the last minute. Exco member Lois Ng said: "If you are for us, en in the interest of the exco, take aseat." After five minutes of shouting,

s efinally did that.

"Why should this happen to me?" asked MsChua President Josie lau received death threats to herselfand her family. Details of which school her children at­ tend have been circulating on the Internet "Every day, I worry for my kids. If you are a parent, you will know what I mean," said a visiblyshaken Ms lau. "It is now a police case." The exco members also revealed that they were logged out of their e-mail accounts by the Aware secretariat, whose manager, Ms Schultz Lee, has since been fired. Exco member Lois Ng also claimed she has been subject to an online campaign call­ ingfor a boycott ofher business. "The person said, 'This is your lesson for joiningAware'," said Ms Ng. "Suddently, I feel that it is a crime to be a Christian and hold a position in a women's organisation. "But Singapore is a multi-racial and mut­ li-religious country. My religion is a private matter." She questioned the nature of the outburst against the new exco. "What is happening to our society? Can someone explain... this thing that is so danger­ 0us and irrational?"

utra ed Said Dr Thio Su Mien, the mother ofNorni­ nated Member of Parliament Thio Ii-ann, and advisor to the newexco: "I am outraged, absolutely outraged, that when a group of women come together to contribute to society, they receive such fero­ cious attacks." Said Ms lau: "I said in my past interview that Aware has lost its focus. But I was being very polite." The gay agenda, she said, seemed to have been the "single objective" ofthe old Aware. "We want to bring Aware back to its origi­ nal, noble objective and address issues like ageism and health care...things which ordi­ narywomen care about," she said. "All we want to do is to get going with the work. But the old guard has been badgering us."