The following is Aware’s president Josie Lau’s latest email message to members, 28 April 2009
Dear Valued Members
Since my election as President on 14th April 2009, I have received intense media attention. A group of AWARE members has gone public with various allegations and have called for an EGM for the specific purpose of removing me and my team. We have only been in office for less than 20 days.
I am a woman seeking to serve other women in Singapore. Like you, I have struggles. I do not have all easy answers to the many hard questions that life throws up. No one does.
However, we should not be passive where we can band together to work for positive change. There are many things worth protecting and fighting for.
We want to make a positive difference to your lives and to our society. A good place to start is to help the many distressed women affected by the current economic crisis.
We are dedicated towards continuing our role as an NGO to ensure the effective implementation of CEDAW standards. We want to see abstract standards translated into meaningful policies which directly affect our lives and well-being. We will constructively engage with all interested governmental and non-governmental agencies, to progressively bring this goal to pass.
CEDAW as a women’s rights treaty belongs to all women. We are resolved to enhance widespread awareness of CEDAW standards among Singapore men and women and to provide an open forum to discuss how to better realise these standards.
We wish to honour and celebrate the achievements of first generation Singapore women and to emulate their spirit of perseverance and to learn from their experience and vision. In so doing, we connect the present to the past, as we work together for our better future.
I hope to see you at the upcoming EGM where we will present preliminary details of our programme and projects. My team and I seek your active support and participation in implementing these to serve our community.
AWARE belongs to you.
Warmest wishes
Josie Lau
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honey, they did not step down graciously. i can tell you that, because i was there.
can someone tell me Josie & fiends are very young, please?!! ^.^
charlieB – so, compulsive lies and fabrication of ‘facts’ from Thioliban and henchwomen constitute “good intentions”? oh my… how distressing…
DJ, 10 years from now when your daughter decided to bunk in with her girlfriend and your son wants to marry his boyfriend, then you’ll know what “good intentions ” mean’t.
Hi CharlieB,
Whether your daughter will bunk in with her girlfriend has nothing to do with the CSE. She will bunk in with her girlfriend if she is a lesbian regardless of her attending AWARE’s CSE.
Lawyers and bankers running an NGO?
Let me see. Hmmm. $90K spent in weeks.
On what?
Where did they think this $90K came from? Some departmental petty cash account on Level 8?
re post #155) smallvice585 on May 6th, 2009 9.27 am
very true, its always easier to blame others. which is sad, because the real problem is not identified. problems may get worse over time….
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to post #154) charlie B on May 6th, 2009 8.38 am
how much influence does CSE really have?
compared to
. print ads- magazines, shop displays,
. TVCs- adverts,
. music- lyrics & the MTVs,
. radio- remember 98.7FM’s program where girls compete to remove their bras in the shortest time possible?
. internet- videos, personal blogs with saucy pics, forums
. peers who hold very liberal world views (not all but not zero either)
setting aside more time to connect with your precious little 1s would go a long way to elevate those fears & build more trust.
be a parent, be there for him/her/them.
My dear friends, these are impressionable kids aged 12-18. Imagine their teachers telling them that anal sex is neutral or homosexuality is fine is different from the media. Students listen to their teachers and some worship them like idols. Anyway if the CSE is ok you guys preached, why would the Gov’t just cancel it today. Think with reason not emotion.
re post #158) charlie B on May 6th, 2009 8.29 pm
as for why MOE cancelled the program only now, after the slew of response after a coup on a female advocacy group, shows that the deeper problem is no with Aware’s CSE program….
yes students 12-18 are young that is why such program are taught early, in this infomation age where objectionable video clips are not too many clicks away. that peer influence should not be taken lightly, & those who mature early & have “eyeball” the cute guy or gal in school should be educated before their hormones sidetrack sane, logical thinking, leaving them to live to regret their actions.
many at that age do not think too much, & less info puts them at a disadvantage. like, would they even dare raise such issues with their own parents if the females get pregnant? its highly unlikely for any parent to react without the slightest hint of emotion.
parents who know that is normal fro their young children to idolise someone, be it their teachers, their seniors in school, international singing sensations or actor/esses. isn’t it a good opportunity to connect with him/her/them? but keep in mind at that age they also yearn to guard a fraction of their private space… that is the roll of parents isn’t it?
Yes I agree with you that sex education is vital for school kids because:
1. Some parents are too shy to broach the subject
2. Some students dare not ask about it from their parents
3. May help prevent unnecessary teenage pegnancies
4. In fact it can help them to make informed choices
What I find disturbing in the CSE prog. are:
1. Anal sex is neutral – to the kids it may mean ok
2. Homosexual is normal ie. sex sex marriage is ok
If these are confined to the gay groups, it’s fine with me. I have no problem with gays , lesbians or homosexual, in fact I have some friends who are like that.
However its a different ball game if AWARE, supposedly to help women, started focusing their efforts to help this particular group, then I am definitely against the Old guards.
Their rationale is “we are all inclusive.” So the next thing AWARE will focus on what: rapists, paedophiles, murderers, adulterers etc…..
well, if Aware’s CSE Instructor Guide does state that Anal Sex is bad how far does it go in stopping the curious (not the poster with that nickname) from trying out? just like smoking is harmful, but i do see students in uniform smoking.
as for homosexuals being normal. i personally will not go all out to despise them. some have linked websites with scientific research being done to prove that its not like hetrosexuals can be “converted” to homosexuals by any form of influence. that i keep an open mind, since there are instances where newer studies can prove previous 1s wrong.
as for the possibility of Aware focusing on rapists, paedophiles, & adulterers. unless its part of educating young minds on identifying & dealing with the possibilities of being caught in such situations possible ways how to deal with it. like being cornered by 1? or how far can a doctor go in examining a patient? kids at that age can commit adultery meh?
eh, the topic of murderers is not under sex education leh.
Hi M.I.N.
You are quite a comedian. When I refer to “rapists, murderers etc” I meant perhaps AWARE next focus would be to include this group of people -adult males & females – to be helped. My whole point is AWARE should focus on helping women and issues affecting them: abuse, harrassment, violence , discrimination etc. Of course that includes lesbians afterall they are also women.
But leave the “fighting for their acceptance, rights to their sexual behaviour , homosexuality etc” to other support groups which I’m sure there are plenty.
As I’ve said earlier I have nothing against gays. I have friends, relatives and clients who are like that and I treat them equally.
Why after the resign of Aware president that the Ministry of education take up investigation about sex education in schools. I am just neutral. They should encourage it to be conducted by Aware after all they are the one to noke their head to say it ‘s Ok.
That show that this is a Yes and No First World country lah? That is good for this country.
Why bother to join any organisation if you can voice out yourself to the government organsiation.
JJ, That’s why they said “Israel has 6 million people and 10 million opinions. Singapore has 4 mil people but 1 opinion ” & the priviledge belongs to the Gahment.