A bunch of intellectual morons. Unbelieveable.

Oh dear! In case anyone is still having doubts about the affiliation – Here is an extract from Wilkepdia:

“Thio (Li-ann) is the daughter of Dr (Mrs) Thio Su Mien, who was formerly the Dean of the Law Faculty, National University of Singapore and is now in private practice.

Dr Thio Su Mien came to the attention of the Singaporean public in 2003 when she sent a letter to the local daily newspaper The Straits Times stating her strong disagreement with homosexuality.[18] The letter, signed by eight persons, was in response to a speech by the then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong in which he mentioned that the Civil Service would not discriminate against employing homosexual individuals”

Now new AWARE becomes a place where only people from the same church are authorised to visit and use. If Dr Thio is related to Josie & gang family, there is only one word to describe their action:; OUTRAGEOUS!!! I hope they don’t confiscate the old guard’s confidential documents and make it their own or for their church secret’s mission. I think May 09 is too long a wait to oust them out, they would have stolen many informations by then by changing the door lock to forbid old guards from entering the premises.

Truly shocking! This people, have they got no pride and dignity at all? Please form your own organisation if you are not happy with what AWARE is doing and championing. Do not waste the good work and efforts which AWARE have been doing thus far…

Heh heh! Thio Su Mien “comes out”!

It certainly is outrageous & is a wake-up call to those still in the fairyland mode of “new blood should be good + besides we should just give them a chance before jumping to conclusions”.

And the shocking tactics of deploying burly men at the Aware centre when the society is supposed to stand up against the intimidation & abuse of Women.

Such Audacity! It’s revolting & I certainly won’t be able to sleep well tonight.

If this can happen in NGO, it can certainly be repeated & planned across major power centers in Singapore.

I Like to encourage all those out there who is outrage by this turn of events to come down and give support to the old guards on the 2nd May… Let our voices be HEARD!

well..what do u spect..josie and her pussy cats are not not going to allow a bunch of equally imbecile old hags to get in their way! Intellectual morons? I call a spade a spade..bitches flexing their claws! Even that ovidia is a silly pseudo intellectual fruitcake!

Hey, Mohd Ali, cool down bro. This is not a religious war. No need to call upon any deities, ok?

It’s one group of people from one miserable church misbehaving and soon to receive their comeuppance. Things will sort themselves out – the public outrage is palpable. People do need to turn up at the EGM, though. If documents are missing or misused, AWARE can file police complaints against them or sue them in court.

To Mohd Ali – please don’t make this a christian vs non christian bullshit. your own religious bigotry is showing through. there are enough lesbians and homosexuals making it a lgbt issue. nobody seems to realize that the core problem is that the new exco is despicable and that transcends sexual identity and religion.

#5, I share the concern on your last point. Imagine if this were to happen within the PAP cec and cadreship but on a gradual manner 1/5 at a time. By the time the realisation sets in, the governing party may still be wearing white but theocratic in ideology. By then it will no longer be Pay and Pay, but Prey and Pay.

I’d never want a theocratic government, but it doesn’t mean I’m in full support of this authoritarian capitalist one.

Perhaps, the public order bill should be used to restrain the new ExCo at AWARE for the anxiety, distraction and social instability they caused by trying to claim the rights to ‘Represent’ God in his court of Law (never knew God needs a Public Prosecutor).

I think the new ExCO team is worried about the outcome of the 2 MAY EGM and pulling out Thio Su Mien too soon and ransack all documents in AWARE that may be useful for them. But fortunately, if any documents are missing after 2 May and the old EXCO prevails, we can file police reports and we will see how the entire fundie bunch go to hell all at one stroke.

There is NO FIRST STRIKE against any religion, Mohd Ali, dont become another religious troll.

Takeover Party – “Perhaps, the public order bill should be used to restrain the new ExCo at AWARE for the anxiety, distraction and social instability they caused by trying to claim the rights to ‘Represent’ God in his court of Law (never knew God needs a Public Prosecutor).”

Agreed. Remember the smug “rhetorical” question by some minister on which country will you rather live in?

Well, if the Pussy Cats & their Ilk extend their influence in this country then I’d rather live in messy Bangkok.

(Sorry, the women are supposed to be lower in hierarchy so whoever those Men handing down “divine” instructions are).

Will someone moderate these comments to leave out those idiots who want to bring in mindless trolling?

Donaldson

Mirax can’t prove there is no first strike by any faith becoz no such strike exists.
Let’s not get into such issues – there is no need.

Mohd, if u are truly an outraged Muslim, such comments on religious wars should not be made. It just gives ammo to the evil few to demonise you and your faith. Mirax is right, cool it. Please.

#7 – And “how is it that Allah is to smite people who Use his name in vain!” ??? by sending an army to takeover the lives of those accused to have used “his name in vain” without trial?

Using another position based on religous dogma to counter this situation which erupted out of religious dogma will be the ‘first strike’ that both hands out together. The only difference perhaps is the strength of the blow.

If the fear is to be addressed, the best thing in my opinion coud do is for believers of any other faith/denomination to recentre the need for a humane and pro-social secular governance. But then, I have no religious dogma to back up my opnion, so it may not matter.

Thio Su Mien’s response when asked if she had orchestrated the power grab :

“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.”

Er…what does she mean?

But how does this square with the New Exco’s protestations that this takeover was not planned…?

And no one has given any answer to the timing question – Josie and Maureen seem to have said that Josie only reluctantly agreed to be president on 15 April night at the meeting itself, when DBS stated on 16 April that Josie informed them that she was running for president earlier in the week.

i just felt so sad reading this. its … so tragic.

the whole idea of using brute force to grab power, press down on other people, bite on the hands that feed you.

how is that Christianly??!?!

So the mastermind behind the conspiracy has revealed her face.

Seems quite a few of the COOS men and women are frustrated by their own admissions, hehe… and unduly turned on by homosexuality! What really gives, eh?

Guys, chill it. Bringing religious differences now here make you no different from the AWARE EXCO bringing out sexuality differences. End of the day, Muslim, Christian, Homosexual, Heterosexual, Malay, Indian, we’re still fellows humans. There may be many things unjust about the state of affairs now but finding fault with one another doesn’t solve matters. I’m atheist, but I believe in this saying by a historical religious teacher: “Hatred does not cease in this world by hating, but by not hating.”

Anyway, AWARE works for women, and I am scared out of my wits looking at the doctrine that’s being taught by the Church of our Saviour. You can check it out yourselves from this link, http://www.coos.org.sg/resource/camp/God_Order_For_Family_Notes.PDF. But here’s some scary shit man:

1 The wife is in subjection to her husband
2 Divine order: Head of every woman is the man
3 The failure of husbands to accept and fulfill their God-given responsibilities has contributed to the rise of feminist movements which are not according to God’s order
4 God has declared to us that His will for a young woman is to do four things:
1. marry
2. bear children
3. guide the house.
4. not be a reproach to her husband

To be fair, I don’t have much love for the bra-burning feminine type. And I have neither revelations from God nor agree with others’ revelations. But what I do know is that women are equals to men. Therefore, to put it in the mildest form, to have some leaders of an association concerned with women’s rights believing in those doctrine is antithesis to the advancement of women.

Enough talk, I’m gonna muster up all my female friends with their heads on their shoulders to go down on 2 May to support the old guard, or fresh blood who does not discriminate among women, and believe in equality among genders.

My guess : the reprogramming at the CHOICES ministry has a glitch and those poor neither-here-or there souls are caught up in a terrible rage of jealousy against the homos.

If you guys have read the latest article in yahoo news , you would see the new exco’s doublespeak and real intentions coming out.

In CNA’s interview with Josie Lau, she claims that AWARE has diversified out too much, spread themselves too thin with too many focuses, now she wants to bring them back to what AWARE was originally about.

However, in the yahoo article:

“..the new guard said AWARE has lost its focus.

They accused the old guard of steering AWARE into becoming a single purpose organisation.”

Single purpose or too diversified? Make up your mind!

And to those who says the gay community had gotten their panties in a bunch too quick in judging the new exco, read this:

“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.”

So they have finally come clean what their goals are in taking over AWARE.

It’s good that they have shown their true colours before the EOGM.

To #19 HT on April 24th, 2009 3.15 am :”Er…what does she mean?”

As mentioned before (in comments to another TOC article), I know one of the new EXCO personally. Based on our discussion in early-March, she was still mulling over volunteerism! It is strange that such a person would jump into the deep-end and accept an EXCO position as a new member. I have lots of questions for this acquaintance if/when our next discussion comes.

Meanwhile, for those who are disturb by this trend, please do something about it. Go and vote on 2nd-May if you’re already a member (closing date Wed 22-Apr). If not, spread the message about this coup of AWARE EXCO, so that whatever AWARE does in 2009 will not tarnish the good track record of its 20+ years’ history.

Just to add. To hear the new exco speak, it seems as if AWARE (when with the old exco) was pro-gay.

In actual fact they are more about helping women fight for equal chances, counsel abused women and lend a helping hand, provide resources for single mothers, fighting for women to be able to take charge of their own body, and basically, the rights a human being should have.

But to hear the new exco speak, it’s as if they have no idea what AWARE is about themselves, except for short utterances of pro-family, pro-women, pro-singapore which is just empty speak at best. What else have they commented on most besides claiming AWARE have a pro-gay agenda?

They are the ones who are single-minded in their focus.

To #23 Doublespeak on April 24th, 2009 3.50 am:

“It’s good that they have shown their true colours before the EOGM.”

I am worried. The leaks may be deliberate for 2 reasons.

1. Wed 22-April was the cut-off for new membership registration for the 2nd-May EOGM. Given that the EOGM is a numbers battle, who has the information of the numbers on each side? Officially no one knows how each member will vote at the EOGM. However, if the new EXCO knows a new member is also from COOS, then it can pretty much count another vote-in-hand. Now, why did it suddenly fire the manager and change the office’s lock the? Was there some documents (e.g. registration of new members) that are only intended for the new EXCO’s eyes?

2. The themes behind the leaks may be a rallying call for the new members who joined in the recent 3 months to vote, since voting is not compulsory and they are sacrificing their Saturday afternoon. Just like the way the anti-gay lobby used their rallying “call to vote” (in the non-compulsory proposition) successfully changed the California Constitution.

Lies upon lies, bigotry upon intolerance, arrogance upon bitch-faced stonewalling. I must say the Thio-Lau coven has revealed to Singaporeans a startlingly ugly and wait for it, for all the much vaunted education, damned stupid face.

Says something about our elite – all those professors, doctors, lawyers, corporate hotshots- doesn’t it? These lot really take us for fools dont they?

Spectacular. The ramifications of the entire saga have just widened by several orders of magnitude. Interesting position to find myself in……..(deep breath)

“NEW LAWS ARE NEEDED!”

Mohd Ali,

This is a warning to you.

Do not continue to post such inflammatory comments.

To Hahaha on April 24th, 2009 4.04 am

Pt (1) You know I haven’t thought much behind their motives for firing the centre manager and changing of lock, but your worry is valid. Given how they have played out till now, I am sure they are smart enough to guage their own stand with possible votes in their favour and “measures” they can take to ensure their win.

Pt (2) It could be. But it could also backfire against them. As I see it, many people are still on the fence about the new exco’s motives (if any) as they have been ambiguous in their answers. Many who are unsure also says, give them a chance to show their mettle.

Their rally call would attract like minded crusaders. But they also push away people who feels otherwise, who previously could have given them their benefit of the doubt.

The way I see the trend of this matter (online voices), is that more people are voicing in favour of the old guards with more developments and moves made by the new guards. Who here do not see the bully tactics behind changing of locks?

Who will win? I think now it largely depends on whose rally call had the most impact and how strongly each side’s supporters feels they have to take action and show on the day of the EOGM.

But this is not taking into account possible sneaky little actions (pt 1) that could have been done behind the public’s back of course.

Ditto doublespeak (#23)… Amazingly, it would seem possible, according to the new Exco, to be both “over-diversified” and a “single purpose organization” at the same time. And even if this new characterization of AWARE as ’single purpose’ is believable, how does returning to the “original cause” (in the singular) help AWARE go beyond being ’single purpose’?

There is also an argumentative sleight-of-hand going on here… Rather than openly stating their disagreement with the GLBT cause, they say that AWARE has “lost its focus”. This allegation would be true if and only if AWARE’s work in promoting GLBT rights somehow led to a decline in the quality and quantity of work in the other areas. But this seems to be patently false; AWARE has been steadfast in its work on workplace sexual harassment, single women, work-life balance, female sexuality, etc. The ‘overstretch’ theory is simply asserted without proof.

So really, the primary objective of the takeover is simply to discontinue GLBT-friendly policies, a move which bears no necessary link to improving the other existing ones. First, this if anything seems like a ’single purpose’ vision for AWARE, exactly the same thing they criticize. Second, the vision is couched in negative, antagonistic terms… hardly a recipe for a dynamic, reimagined AWARE. Third, why take over a longstanding organization to effect a policy change? What next: take over, say, the Salvation Army because one disagrees with its Christian image/tenets?

by the way (from yahoo article: New exco wants to bring AWARE back to its “original cause”)

“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.”

Death threats? Can you say DRAMA? This is Singapore leh, not US.

And I think the blog site Josie Lau mentioned had taken down the details earlier on.

Well, at least it shows them being blog reading drama crusaders. Hey Josie, I said hi!

This drama is a distraction. The fact that Thio Su Mien is involved brings this whole issue to a new dimension. Read the history of her career, if you can find it, way back in the 70s. Who are her publicly known associates and their views?

Methinks the government should step in………

To HT on April 24th, 2009 3.15 am

I think what she means is:

I am proud of what I have done. (It is kind of flattering in a way) I know what is right, and I have taken the action to spread the word (It depends on what you mean by organising) and those who are morally right will see I have the true words and join my cause (You want to join, (then) join) . I have the financial strength and network of supporters to benefit those who flock under my wings (I will help you). Lastly, it was a meticulously planned group takeover. (We discover that networking helps)

I think we all need to agree that the failure of the EGM on May 2 can be quite real. What should Singapore do if that happens? Or even if it’s a success, how can we move forward?

It’s going to have serious implications for the future of CSO, and society at large, and democracy in Singapore.

To Hahaha on April 24th, 2009 3.50 am

There isn’t a closing date for joining as a member and having voting rights on the EOGM, if I am not wrong..

The date you have given 22nd April is for members to place an item on the agenda on the EOGM.

5) the irony on April 24th, 2009 1.41 am

Heh heh! Thio Su Mien “comes out”!

–
haha, glad to see the irony ain’t lost for somebody. I was puzzled when I first read the article, because it sounded so gloomy… then I realised what I read wasn’t what I thought…

Thank god for Dr Thio She clarified issue for EOGM

“Shld AWARE be in the forefront of gay and lesbian rights?”

She and newexco say No.

What say “Old Guard”?

What say wimmin? And S’poreans?

I do believe, that Dr Thio has just about managed to discredit her proteges, albeit unknowingly. Therein flits away the all valuable notions of integrity, which they badly need now.

Anyways, ZX, how do u gain access to these news so fast?

Interestingly, this brings us back to the heated argument of 377A.

I am quite amused at the spate of events i must say.

You cannot deny these ladies some of them are older and more conservative.

My question however to anyone who reads this is, where will be your stand when you have your own kids and because of this exposure they want to be homosexual.

I believe in the freedom of rights and for people to choose ultimately what they want. But this freedom of choice has to come with responsibility and maturity. Are adolescent youth ready to make the choices of their sexuality at such a young age? Are they sure of their choices at such a young age or are they led into it whether through extenuating circumstances such as abuse in their famliy or failed relationships.

I believe even the people who are homosexual who read this cannot deny that the natural order of things in this world is man and woman hence procreation.

I feel that it is okay for the homoseuxals to propagate their agenda, but then again i strongly advocate that our society also needs to see the other side of the coin, and that natural ordered family nucleuses are the building blocks of our society. (we cannot afford anymore baby deficits as well).

Should we be all inclusive and accepting and tolerating? Yes we should always be. But safeguards are always necessary especially for adolescents who have yet to reached the adequate maturity to make a SOUND and INFORMED choice.

Can we blame Thio Su Mein for standing by her beliefs and how she views our society? The methods might be questionable but i for one never doubt the intention – Healthy Family Nucleus as the backbone of our Society.

JM2C (:

Read in TODAY that death threat received by ExCo member. Check it out at

http://www.todayonline.com/articles/315756.asp
The police is now involved , is now involved. Those who are making baseless attacks on the new Exco especially on religion better think again and be prepared to be questioned

I think we should resist the framing of this incident as a “GLBT supporter or not” issue.

For many “neutral” Aware supporters and admirers, we would be equally worried (and mobilised) if the backers behind the “takeover” were any other organised group (such as the gay movement, some exotic Buddhist sect or hard-core activist cat lovers).

It’s the lack of diversity and inclusiveness, the morally dubious means through which they took over, and the arrogant actions that they demonstrated after taking control, that is (and should be) a turn-off for most.

La Nausee you nailed it, I just wrote a piece saying very similar things. These people have completely lost the plot:

http://www.glass-castle.org/blog/2009/04/tale-of-two-events-how-they-have.html

BTW Socrates, I wholeheartedly and utterly condemn any violence or threats of violence against the new Exco. Violence is wrong, even when the target has behaved despicably. But if violence has been threatened against them, that doesn’t change how appalling their behaviour has been – nor should it stop us from criticising that behaviour. We can – and should – criticise both them, and the violent people.

Jolene

/// 115) gemami on April 23rd, 2009 3.54 pm

Winnie,

I feel your pain, really I do. And if I allow myself to be sentimental about the election results, I would surely be questioning along the lines half the commenters here are questioning. Thing is, we have to face up to reality, and the reality here is that a new team has taken over – for whatever reasons we may have been speculating.

If, and this is a big ‘IF’, half the accusations are true, and the new team really has its own ‘wayward’ agenda, very much against the core values of AWARE, I will be the first to draw my bow and take aim. This I promise all readers.

The problem is, how do we know this unless we allow the new team to show itself for what it is. It is here that the old guards must come to terms with reality and immediately set out to find an amicable solution to the co-existence between the old and the new. No point harping on this, like saying, “they do not want to accept our views and blah…blah…blah”. I am sure the old guards are wise enough to work themselves around this, surely, else how have they been representing the stubborn woman? ///

gemami – what say you?

/// 14) HT on April 24th, 2009 3.15 am

Thio Su Mien’s response when asked if she had orchestrated the power grab :

“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.”

Er…what does she mean?

But how does this square with the New Exco’s protestations that this takeover was not planned…? ///

HT – Josie and Maureen lied on national TV. Period.

/// 35) A Tan on April 24th, 2009 6.38 am

Thank god for Dr Thio She clarified issue for EOGM

“Shld AWARE be in the forefront of gay and lesbian rights?” ///

A Tan – AWARE is in the forefront of many women’s issues.

Are lesbians women? More importantly, are lesbians human?

one starts to wonder if they’re trying to solve the “gay/lesbian” problem.

Protecting womens’ rights by sacking innocent women. Actions speak louder than words.

Read in TODAY that death threat received by ExCo member. Check it out at

http://www.todayonline.com/articles/315756.asp
The police is now involved , is now involved. Those who are making baseless attacks on the new Exco especially on religion better think again and be prepared to be questioned.

Tsk tsk….shame on those giving death threats to them…..do these actions warrant a death threat? No. The people who sent the death threats must really be irrational

These may OR may not be real, but if they are, it just shows they had been lying that there wasn’t any hidden agenda-

http://singsupplies.com/showthread.php?t=26201

37) T on April 24th, 2009 7.56 am

“gemami – what say you?.

I have been reflecting on the numerous posts speaking up both for and against the new exco. Ignoring all the rhetoric pertaining to the issues on one’s faith, gender orientations and the legitimacy of the election results, I have been fighting my case based on one simple factor – the reality of the situation.

What I mean by this is that the legitimacy of the new team to lead was constitutionally legal and legitimate. Period. All else are speculations with no concrete evidence to proof the fears expressed.

You may say I have been stubborn, very stubborn even, to not look at the other factors that resulted in this saga, ignoring good advice from Joshua especially. Well, I cannot, after reflecting the whole night, continue to ignore these factors. For this, I thank the numerous friends who were patient enough to argue their cases with me. I am grateful to Joshua, lockeliberal, yw, HT, mirax, Orchid, Zheng Xi, David, Trust and so many others for bearing with me.

To those who supported my argument, I am sorry, I am a very reasonable chap (although some may not agree, never mind), and I must say that I have been won over by the pro-AWARE supporters to their case.

This is not to say that all questions have been answered, far from it. I am basing my new position simply for the fact that I am now sure that the takeover was staged – without reasonable doubt.

Dear Orchid, your comment moved me the most and your argument, I must say, was the one that got me to reflect deeper on my position. I thank you.

I apologize whole heartedly and sincerely to all whom I may have affended in the course of my argument. No hard feelings.

gemami,

It is great to see that you have the moral courage to have a change of heart about your stand on the issues, having considered all that has happened. It does now appear quite certain that the take-over was planned and that Josie misrepresented herself on national TV.

The larger question was why did she need to lie about the planned takeover? It has been pointed out that the takeover was legal and constitutional and is very much a part of the democratic process. She could have admitted to the planned takeover, laid out the reasons for doing so (concerns about the supposed pro-gay bent in recent years and the impact on society at large) and have a diplomatic debate about it with the old guard. She chose not to do so and avoided all questions until her ‘mentor’ (aka her aunt-in-law) has provided the green light.

Germami

Never hard feelings dude. That’s the nature of debate, sometimes it gets a bit vigorous, sometimes arguments will be passionate. Again, whatever your stance, it wasn’t personal. Neither did bear any ill-will towards the people who staged this. As individuals, I’m sure most of them are good people, good mothers and wives.

But as a group, their actions pertaining to this issue are clearly wrong. Their stone-walling and double-speak very divisive. You were right to caution against jumping to conclusion, but in this case, this is how they play it – as long as they don’t say it openly, everyone will be accused of jumping to conclusions despite the evidence at hand.

At the end of the day, this is clearly an anti-gay matter for them. But for the rest of us, it’s an issue of preserving the diversity of views in society as opposed to the dominance of only one voice. The terms ‘liberals’ and ‘conservatives’ are mere distractions.

DIdnt she say he did not know the her other new exco? Guess now she will say it was my aunty in law who knew them and i act blurr.

Feminist Mentor Thio Su Mien (mother of anti-gay NMP Thio, related to josie lau) worked with COOS and i suspect another church to cleanse AWARE of its lesbian tendencies.

Membership dropped from 600 to 200 before the ‘coup’ and then climbed from 200 to 800 . Clearly the old woman’s club wasn’t going in the right direction .The gay and lesbian issue has hijacked the club’s main purpose and therefore need to be steered back.The new AWARE should be given a chance instead of being accused of fundamentalism.I am sure they are not going drive down your throats or up through your nose or through whichever.
Instead of hurling insults and vulgarities , mirax and the other supporters should give the old women a vote,if you believe in democracy. I am frightening too if this is how atheists behave?

Gemami – thanks.

My view is that if the team’s agenda is not quite the same as the old, then the decent thing to do is set up another organisation, and not to hijack an existing one under stealth.

Hi Gemami,

That was very brave and gracious of you, thank you.

Sorry comment #49 is mine, not sure why it appears under the TOC nick.

Thanks again Gemami for your courage.

Zheng Xi

To all my TOC friends,

The answer to HATE is not MORE HATE. It is LOVE.

We may disagree with Dr Thio and co., but as fellow humans they deserve our hugs.

Christians, please give them your hugs.

People of other religions please give them your hugs.

Atheists, please give them your hugs.

Straight people, please give them your hugs.

Gay men, please give them your hugs.

Lesbians, please give them your hugs.

HUGS.

Sorry that last comment belongs to me, posted it while logged into admin.

Thanks again Gemami, it takes alot of courage to get to where you are.

To Zefly (aka Joshua Chiang) on April 24th, 2009 9.09 am

Thank you for the link!

“..Please ask your like-minded friends to join Aware so that you can give the vote to those who wish to be an agent of change for the Lord. They could also contribute to the activities of the oprganization as there is much to be done for women and families in this dowturn of the economy. Unfortunately, I cannot surface but shall be assisting in the background .” extracts of email from Thio Su Mien.

Agent of change for the lord? I cannot surface? Why not I wonder???

No religious agenda? crossed out. Not conspiracy? crossed out.

gemami,
tell me which takeover is NOT STAGED, planned, strategised, premeditated ? don’t be naive. You don’t walk into the old AWARE and ask Singam , “I like to take over AWARE” and he hands over to you and says, take it , iti is yours.
No one is going to hand over to you on a platter. I am disappointed. You caved in for whatever reasons.

Aware has been hijacked by a bunch of Christian fanatics. Singapopre is a secular society, and Aware is not a religious organisation. The government should stop this. (And why does Thio Su Mien and her family hate homosexuals with such intensity?)

Re: New exco got death threats
http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_367873.html

While it is disturbing that anyone would resort to these tactics, it is obvious that whoever is making this is NOT an old guard supporter:

The letter writer called himself a ‘masculine gay’ and a ‘jihadist sleeper’ and claimed to have joined a militant group.

In fact if you were completely naive and just wanted to create a stir, this is the kind of nonsense you would write. Quite frankly I question whether it comes from a new exco supporter. I’m not suggesting that the new exco is behind this simply that one of their misguided supporters may be.

Okay guys, no need for the thanks. I am here to learn things by sharing my thoughts and see what you guys think of them. For this I am grateful for the time and trouble all of you went through to share yours with me.

I still have many questions left unanswered but the main point here is the conclusive evidence which brought my case for them to nought – the evidence of a planned takeover and mainly, the underlying motive for such a takeover, something which I had refused to acknowledged earlier for lack of evidence.

This is not to say that some of my other points of contention, like, how did this saga even unfolded, the lack of tender-loving-care from the old guards on something they claim is dear and near to them etc. no longer hold.

They don’t matter much now because of the conclusive evidence mentioned above. The old AWARE has a mountain to climb and with the continued support from all of you, they have to realize that they must not kill their baby even as they fight to reclaim it.

Once again I thank all and there is no more need to thank me for anything. It is I who must thank you ;)

The Christian church is very powerful in mobilising its sheep who can easily be brain washed. It will be a numbers game in the EOGM really. The old guards could lose, and if this scenario happens, will the old guards form a new group to continue the good works of AWARE?

MY GOD! what era are we living in?
unbelievable, what these homophobics are doing?
so much for fair play.
boos to AWARE new exco.

If the new exco lose, will they form their own group called

Bloody Exasperating Women’s Association of Right-wing Extremists – or BEWARE?

Looking at today’s straits times’s report on yesterday’s exco members’ press meetings as well as a ST forum reader saying that the important phrase all-inclusive (regardless of race, culture, reliion and sexual orientation) has been deleted from the exco statement, I think it is clear that the current exco do have some reservations about inclusiveness.

I remember reading somewhere from ST about Thio L A and Andy Ho saying that it is natural that elected religious pple using extending their religious point of views to their secular organisation work e.g. government. (Can anyone point me to the Andy Ho article on secular government written last year?)

From my personal experience and as well as pple above professing this trait. I think that it is hard for the new exco to do things the secular way without consulting their own personal beliefs. I am not saying that it is not possible but it seemed that it will be hard…

54) fairplay reeks of religious bigotry. Talking about attacking the whole Christian faith based on the action of one church.

It is sad when the agenda proposed by the new AWARE is one of exclusion and of hate. There is possibly a recourse should the Old Guards lose at the EOGM. They could easily form a rival Women’s group and do even better and bigger things to promote women’s issues in Singapore.

why are both my comments under Rich (9 and 58) moderated??

Gemami,
you are now new convert. you are converted because the old AWARE was ousted, planned ..Let me ask you , before you relish in your new found , might be mistaken , faith , which takeover is not planned, staged or premeditated? You changed because of this? I am sorry for you.

Regardless of Race, Religion & Sexuality (incl. gay, leabian & trans), the AWARE are here to serve, protect those in need and advocate equality.

By the look of these NEW EXCO & getting Thio Su Mien out as part of the new Aware ExCo takeover team now. One look at these profile you can sense these NEW EXCO have their own agenda in AWARE and likely so to upgrade their SOCIAL STATUS and be known.

Frankly I don’t care whether religion is involved or whatever it is that motivates the various parties to form their opinions. I am however perturbed that the new exco and their advisors have chosen to propagate their views in such a heavy-handed manner. They have given the impression that that are dismissive of others and their views; their actions to clear out most if not all of the old guard signals their intention to remove dissenting voices. So much for having an inclusive society.

I call for conclusive proof.

Conclusive proof falls into my lap.

If only i could replicate this in Toto.

Quod erat demonstrandum. The burden of reasonable doubt has been removed and the true agenda of Thio Su Mien is out of the closet. Figuratively speaking of course.

Until this came to light, i could not conscientiously put down the AWARE takeover by Josie Lau as a conspiracy due to the presumption of innocence.

I am chagrined by this turn of events. Though i still believe in the principle of ei incumbit probatio qui dicit, non qui negat so i don’t know how i would have done things differently.

Thio Su Mien, how does one become so prejudiced? And also how do men voting or joining AWARE to advocate women rights necessitate them being homosexual and even if they are, what is wrong with that?

This reminds me of old SDP under Mr Chiam and the new SDP taken over the CEC by Dr Chee. Same scenerio

@54 fairplay.

how true abt galvanising troops (sheeps)… maybe the old exco will loose unless more likeminded members support them on the next vote.

This episode tells us that there are some people whose religious and value system to be so pure and upright and do not tolerate the deviant and fallouts. I’m inclined to think that the old AWARE can learn from this episode and consolidate its effort for greater contributions. Winning or losing the EOGM does not matter if the group is willing to continue the legacy of the AWARE values. It may be its re-election into office in the forthcoming EOGM or forming a new group. Losing a battle does not mean losing the war. Whatever the outcome, may the old AWARE members continue to contribute to the well-being of womenfolk in Singapore.

Can we have more goodwill toward men & women (both normal & queer) from all sides, please….not necessary to spew vile remarks.

First, there was the appearance of her daughter as an NMP. Daughter spoke out loud and clear. Then, AWARE coup. We were initially told that there was no hidden agenda. Now, we are shown the king maker. A lie has manifested.

As in the case of the daughter, we are informed of death threats soon after. They appear to be victims rather than perpetrators. We also know that the indoctrination began more than 10 years ago.

All these smack of some military operation – well planned and coordinated.
Can there not be some bigger hidden agenda?

What next? The inquisition? Will I be burnt for being a heretic?

All these started from one church – one pastor . We should nip it in the bud. Should we help put out the fire in our neighbour’s house?

i feel worried when i see women struggling for power in such a fierce way.

11) jimdog

BKK is looking good, cheap food, housing, no mind games. Really freedom, no thou shall not this and that short of crap

Hmmm…. i must agree that the new exco should not call the christian flock to support a secular cause….bad move

nice link joshua…..opened my eyes LOL

Thio Su Mien must be suffering from a lack of work due to the downturn. How else could anyone one, especially a lawyer, have the time to pre-occupy themselves with all this nonsense? After all, isn’t an empty mind a devil’s workshop? I love hot ST has quoted her so many times. Only goes to show what fundamentalists she and the rest of the Thio clan (and extended “Christian” family) truly are. To use AWARE as a platform for their anti-homosexuality campaign is truly repugnant and not to mention, putrid taste in the mouth. Also, i’ve never seen such stupidity being publicly displayed before. The next time people decide to band together, make sure you pick people who are savvy and have a reasonable amount of intellect. To making fumbling statements at press-conferences or worse, statements which only heighten the inconsistencies and reduces whatever shred of credibility these people have. I’m glad the press conference went ahead before the EOGM because now it is all out in the open – everyone knows what the true agenda is and who the true puppeteer is. Next thing you know, they will try to take over ST.

In view of the latest distasteful outcome of the AWARE saga for a “one religion dominance of the EXCO”, it is time to amend Aware’s constitution to bar “one-religion, one-racial, one-whatever orientation” to dominate the EXCO.

AWARE should not become “BEWARE’ and contentious and as such it ’s EXCO Board should reflect a multi-religious (including atheists), multi-racial, multi-orientation (if need be) members. The tug-of-war of between Taliban-type (of all religions) and Secularist should be avoided because it has deeper repercusssion for all in our homeland.

It is perhaps now time for the men to set up a similar association to represent mens’ issues. The Womens’ Charter days are over. See how women are so capable and efficient to do a power-grab and go into hen battle. They seem to have the power even to fight the men, rightly or wrongly.

Women enemies are women themselves.

62) LOL on April 24th, 2009 12.24 pm

Too late ! It already done,even staff join two months ago all terminated yesterday.

Notice how people like to place death threat on the Thio family.. ??

Curious.. everytime the Thios stand up and spread their voice of hatred and intolerance, people are “rushing” to give them death threats.

It would seems that only with the people that place death threat on this people, the thio family message of hate and intolerance seems less hateful and less intolerant.

People are just so full of hate now..

I believe that the death threats were self fabricated by the “new” exco, after all, they have shown themselves to be completely unethical so far, what’s 1 more lie?

why would a militant gay (who ? is there such an organisation? Music and Drama company in SAF?) be associating with a jihadist organisation (muslim terrorist cell?) its is an antithesis of ideology.

If the new exco’s argument is that the old AWARE had over-extended themselves by being Pro-Homo (which I think is arguable, reasonable even), isn’t being Anti-Homo, the flip side of the same coin???

Whether they are gay or not, AWARE is simply Pro-Women right?

Hi Gemami

Good to know you are a ‘reasonable chap’.

It’s just the sense of righteousness that propels me to speak up for the old exco members of AWARE.

Amazing and amuse at the way AWARE is being play out in such an entertaining fashion.
I have notice that many Singaporeans have become Christians in the last 20 years. There are so many different Churches to choose from, all with different beliefs and interpretation from the Bible. It is unbelievable.

85) loupgarou on April 24th, 2009 1.06 pm I believe that the death threats were self fabricated by the “new” exco, after all, they have shown themselves to be completely unethical so far, what’s 1 more lie?

This is what i really don’t understand. If this is the way, then they are misguided.
I never knew some Christians can behave in a manner to justify their beliefs

#70) Peace,

I admit I am deserving of your reproach. But one cannot deny unquestionable facts that are presented before you.

This goes beyond a coup. It was a premeditated war strategy to conquer, colonize and convert all that is of the old AWARE, in one fell sweep.

Don’t get me wrong. I am still flabbergasted with the manner in which the old guards had handled the situation. It made me puked because these old guards, if I have a choice, would never see their office ever again. They have neglected the interest of women simply by taking things for granted. I continue to fault them for this turn of events.

The statements provided by Thio Su Mien, the e-mails she sent to her congregation, the behind-the-scene orchestration of events (even till this stage), the direct references to an anti-gay stance; these are no longer elements that are questionable but real, and will be pursued by the new exco.

I have stood by Josie in the hope that when she showed her cards it would very much be in line with what AWARE generally stood for. But the stealth elements have surface and they no longer give the representation I had hoped for. These are my reasons.

Trying to straddle ,eh, Jolene? This won’t make you look fair and impatial. You are 100% biased and pro old woman club. Violence or threat of violence , you care?. it was you who whipped up this anti new aware frenzy and now you say you worry about violence? Crocodile tears, lah.
As for gemami, let me tell you, you are a great disappointment. You have been poisoned , drugged that you beleive that the whole saga was wrong because it was planned takeover. Just like that and you crossed over. Either you are too naive or stupid or you lost of sense of reasoning.
Anyway , good luck and you need it , because your conscience will be picked from now

#Amaze

Glad u find it amusing. But it goes far deeper than that. I have never posted before but I am concerned and galvanised enough to spend a substantial amount of time these few days to post several times.

U should look at the far right churches in the US and u will understand their thinking and actions, militancy even. The tactics are all there. Almost from a rulebook. Mount a covert operation. Then gloss over it. Demonise the opposition. Play the martyr (death threats – yeah sure). The sad thing is, they really believe that what they are doing is right. If only they could channel that energy and will to a more positive cause. But the kicker is – they are willing to do what it takes to achieve their goals. All else is irrelevant.

I hope I am wrong but I believe that it goes far deeper than what we have seen.

I love what’s happening to AWARE at the moment.

Basically, AWARE will cease to function as a bastion for feminism and “female rights” This is because AWARE first alienates the very people they purport to protect, that is, the weak and vulnerable.

The function of AWARE has always been a negative instead of a positive one. By negative, I mean that AWARE always defines itself against something, such as perceived discrimination against pregnant women, the vulnerability of young girls, the unfairness facing female divorcees etc.

Through Mrs Thio’s press conference, what we see is that AWARE has now taken on another negative agenda, this time an overarching one. Since the main motive of the takeover was to change AWARE’s “pro-lesbian” slant, AWARE has now defined itself primarily against homosexuality.

As long as AWARE operates in this capacity and fails to redefine itself as an organization that supports all women in “realizing their highest potential” (Aware’s mission statement), then it will necessarily fail to achieve any of its goals, negative or otherwise.

i agree that death threats were fabricated. It’s just too convenient. Also, it’s a way of trying to get sympathy for their cause and to imbue in the general public’s mind that homosexuals are dangerous people and a threat not just to the moral fabric of society, but the national security. They are almost likening homosexuals to terrorists!

But the truth of the matter is, this is not a gay issue. The gay issue is merely a red herring. I think the main issue is how a bunch of women have collectively (not by coincidence) and high-handedly usurped an organisation to further their own cause. So far, everything they have done contradicts the very tenets of an organisation like AWARE – firing of people without notice, changing the locks, making utter remarks and false accusations etc. If they say AWARE had lost its focus, I dare say it is now in the pits, for it has become a symbol of hatred, discrimination, exclusiveness and hypocrisy.

And whatever happened to confidentiality? It sickens me to see that “covert operations” have been going on for a while along the sidelines.

I believe my dear Thio Su Mein came out of the closet because her puppets were screwing up big time.

Give them a break man… they don’t even need our help to destroy themselves. I give them only one more week before they start to spectacularly implode.

Today’s paper reveal the other side of the story – the new exco side of the story.

Its good to hear both. Though I do not agree with the new exco high handedness in kicking out the old guards, and have some concern with their over zealous implementing their vision for the future direction of AWARE, I somehow do kind of agree with their concerns.

The old guards do appears to support moral decays like gay and lesbians and pre-maritial sex etc after reading the paper report.

They should come out to counter what had been claimed against them by the new zealots to enable the public to make a more informed decision as to whether there is a real need for a change.

Gay and Lesbians are moral decays. They should be shut out! Good job AWARE!!

Sometimes, human are the best in perversion of thoughts…Look at how different people can interpret the same text differently and some became extremist…

I have been reading the comments regarding this incident and I must say Gemami, good for you….looking at the situation objectively. however Peace, you still haven’t learn to keep calm and control your emotion…insulting people won’t help your cause…in fact, it only makes you look like what you really are…i don’t have to spell it out…

I am pleased to read that Miss California stood by her belief that gay marriage is wrong and is against the scheme of nature and at the cost of losing the Miiss Universe crown.She lost and she knew she would lose the moment the question was posed to her and none other than by an openly self confessed gay. Glad , there are people in US who are normal. I thought US has gone to the dogs long time ago .Creation is not allowed to be taught in schools too. Christians are marginalised. Other religions are more favoured and powderful.
Christainity thrives better in a hostile environment and this augurs well for US.
..
Also glad that there is opposition to gay and lesbain life style in Singapore too. It shows that Singaporeans are not caught up with making money at the expense of their family. I know many people are pro family but for some reasons they support homos to appear open minded without realsing that it will send a wrong message.
I hope the new AWARE can get down to work quickly without being hampered by the old women with uncompleted homo agendas. The issues plaguing Singaporeans are pressing and urgent. Never before Singaporeans are faced with these sexual issues of gayism or lesbainism, teenage pregnancy, promiscuity ,drugs, and gambling. I guess there is trade off which affluence brings.
Kudos to the new committee for openly declaring your stand on gay and lesbian life style and of course these should not pre-occupy your core programs for women and everything women and lesbians too.
Don’t let these initial hiccups bother you. They will come to pass. The old women will come to realise that it is time to rest and take a holiday. I trust that AWARE will be inclusive but all things women and not to waste time on men’s problems.
I wish the new committee well and discharge whatever you have declared dutifully.

I think the difference lies herein.

The old Exco TOLERATED lesbians and treat them as women and accept them readily as part of society.

The new Exco CONDEMNS lesbians and will not treat them equally and seems ready to shut them out and figures that there is no place for them in society.

Singapore has always been about tolerance towards one another, which is why we have practically thrived this far. What the new Exco is doing is practically seditious from the way I see it and tampers with the delicate fabric of this society.

And if they should choose to pursue the direction of where religion is involved, they should be registered as a RELIGIOUS Society and I have no idea in what capacity are they even allowed to lead the group with.

It is disturbing that this entire matter was pre-mediated and was done through a religious organisation that has nothing to do with AWARE which is a NGO.

I would suppose that they can go around other NGO and repeat the same.

I hope the Government will sit up and take notice how things can easily go out of hand.

I just felt that Josie and her gang shouldn’t be using AWARE as a platform to champion their belief systems (i.e. anti-gay stance) of which I believe many (including myself) will not necessary share and agree with. AWARE now seems like an extension of the church they belong to.

If they are so firm in the belief, why not start their own organisation where they can execute their agenda without subjecting AWARE to a non-inclusive role ?

To the old guards – fret not. Worst case scenario, form another organisation to continue the good work that AWARE has built up over the decades.

Yes, documents may be lost due to the new exco’s undermining ways. But ppl will always remember the good work you ladies have done and will surely support you fellows should you decide to start a new organisation.

And to be in line with the new world order where all humans are treated equally, irregardless of their sexual orientation, how about a new name; AWARE-NOW !

Could it be that Thio Su Mien had no choice but to float up from the cesspool after someone posted an email allegedly originating from her on Stomp’s Talkback website?

Part of the email reads as follows:

“Please ask your like-minded friends to join Aware so that you can give the vote to those who wish to be an agent of change for the Lord. They could also contribute to the activities of the organization as there is much to be done for women and families in this dowturn of the economy. Unfortunately, I cannot surface but shall be assisting in the background . I attach the Aware membership application form for your use. The Aware application form has a section as to who ( if any) told you about Aware. You can just leave it blank . Please let me know whether you can join and attend the AGM which will be towards the end of March 2009. The fee is $40/ and should be mailed to the Aware Office ( see application form).”

Some may be taken aback about the term “agent of change for the Lord”. Too much should not be read into the phrase. This could be the way these cell groups communicate.

More sinister is this sentence: “Unfortunately, I cannot surface but shall be assisting in the background.”

If the email is authentic, Thio Su Mien must explain and elaborate why she was unable or unwilling to surface but was ready, willing and able to assist in the background. After all, AWARE is a legitimate association recognised by bodies like the Registrar of Societies and the United Nations.

An image that came to mind was of German Nazi U-boat submarines operating in stealth and hunting merchant shipping in groups called wolfpacks in the Atlantic Ocean during World War 2.

Closer to home, 2 dangerous under-the-water chaps also came to mind: Chin Peng and the one codenamed The Plen. Both were leaders of the Malayan Communist Party (MCP), both operated behind the scenes and their nefarious goal was to turn Malaya and Singapore into Communist societies. For a time, the leadership’s identities remained unknown because expendable members fronted the MCP and took the rap on the leadership’s behalf.

The MCP had the strong backing of Mao’s revolutionary People’s Republic of China. The MCP’s modus operandi was to get their people to surreptiously join mainstream cultural groups, student bodies and unions. Their agents would never declare outright or admit that they knew one another, that they were acting in concert, or that their ultimate aim was a Communist state. Instead they portrayed themselves as cultural conservatives, patriots and general do-gooders.

Once within the organisations, the subversives would move themselves into leadership positions and then provoke actions hostile to the government like demonstrations, sit-ins and riots . In order to win wide based support from a general population unaware of their true intentions, they would couch their values as anti-colonial, pro-independence, pro-local language etc.

They would also smear their opponents by accusing them of being beholden and bent towards the British so as to drive a wedge between their opponents and the people.

But for the fortitude, resolve and tough measures taken by Singapore’s brave founding fathers, the below-the-surface Communists would have succeeded and the history of this country would have been different in a horrific way.

Thio Su Mien revealed at the press conference that when she was studying in the University of Singapore, now roving Ambassador Tommy Koh was her classmate and good friend. She should be careful about name-dropping.

Tommy Koh in his time as an undergraduate was an active member of the University Socialist Club which was one of the united front student groups utilised by the MCP in their attempt to overthrow the government of the day. The contents of the Club’s regular publication, Fajar, were destructive in nature, displayed contempt and hatred for the government, and incited unrest.

During Operation Cold Store, founding members of the University Socialist Club like James Puthucheary, Poh Soo Kai and Michael Fernandez, were detained for their activities against the state. With the wisdom of age, Tommy Koh expressed regret and embarrassment about the militant articles he penned for Fajar.

By the warped twisted logic of some, if Thio and Tommy Koh were close friends and Tommy Koh was a member of a leftist socialist group, Thio must also have been a socialist spider lily. Fortunately, the majority of us know better than that to jump to this absurb conclusion.

While it is clear that Thio is not a professed Communist, it remains to be seen whether she has carefully studied and picked up methods from the past to propagate a larger agenda. What we do know is that she has no qualms about grandiosely calling herself Feminist Mentor. As far as most Singaporeans are concerned, there is only one worthy Mentor in Singapore and any other would be pretender is not fit to chew on his shoes.

nite_LIFE – the reason why they chose to takeover AWARE is because of brand equity…

It is always easier than starting something new and work long and hard to gain awareness (pun unintended)…

And the new body with its extreme fundamental values may not gain any traction outside of their sphere of influence…

But of course most of us know what the new EXCO stands for and even if they survive, they would have lost as well…

The biggest loser is AWARE

The cat is out of the bag.
Josie and Maureen have absolutely no credibility left. Maureen said on national TV that she was inspired by an interview with Constance Singam. She is now saying that she actually wanted to join to fight the hordes of lesbians and homosexuals making out in bright daylight in every nook and cranny in Singapore. Sigh. If that was the case, we wouldn’t have a problem with so many teenage pregnancies. But that’s another story. Can you believe anything else that they say?
Josie is not the leader. She is just one of the followers.

Look at what they have done – just look. Do you think they deserve to lead AWARE (or any other organisation)?

one lie after another, one contradiction after another … then now thio su mien finally shows her face … really spine-chilling … where is the integrity and righteousness?

Death threats? Strange, Thio li ann also claimed she received death threats the last time she made anti-gay remarks … each time people of this extended family publicly proclaim their message of intolerance, divisiveness and hatred, they claim to receive death threats … and how humorous this time, the culprit even signed off as “masculine gay”!

For those of us who have minds less naive than three-year-olds, can we blame ourselves for suspecting some kind of fabrication somewhere … given that the entire coup was INDEED, well, staged …

I wish to believe their good intentions and trust them with AWARE’s future … but looking at all their questionable antics thus far, i have only one question for them: do you think your fellow Singaporeans are idiots?

Dr Kanwaljit Soin was brilliant in the way she snarked about Thio – something along the lines of ” I never knew she was a feminist, but one can always be a closet feminist! “

In the midst of all this debate… I’d like to ask: what IS actually happening to all those abused women that AWARE was helping and advocating for?

While we speak about religion and homosexuality – women are still being abused by their mentally weak and physically stronger partners, women are still being denied their rights, women are still receiving death threats that have nothing to do with hostile takeovers.

So yes, all well and good in having a healthy discussion about civil rights, religion, homosexuality and b-fights in non-governmental groups… but where are the women in all this, the people that (I presume) AWARE was set up to help??

I feel really sorry that it’s the women who were supposed to be receiving all this help that are the biggest and only losers at the end of the day out of this whole fiasco.

I assure you, AE, the women who were supposed to be receiving all this help…….are still being helped. The struggle goes on …… the old team of helpliners are still standing solidly by them……….quietly and strongly……

“114) mirax on April 25th, 2009 12.59 am

Dr Kanwaljit Soin was brilliant in the way she snarked about Thio – something along the lines of ” I never knew she was a feminist, but one can always be a closet feminist! “” I agree!

I also really like the title. Hahahaha.

Sorry Peace, but my conscience is as clear as crystal.

I was practically a one-man crusade to try and vindicate Josie and her exco for their actions. Like I said, my case was based purely and solely on the unfounded and proofless accusations level at her team at that time.

What I had fought for, the unfounded claims of pro-Christian and anti-gay ideologies, are now proven to be true. The scheming, the planning and the eventual takeover were all targeted to serve one end, which is, the propagating of a set of values that is totally and wholly exclusive of women at large.

To one like myself, who has a sense of justice and who has the capacity to discern what lies before you, there is nothing more I could do than to accept the plain, though hurtful, truth.

I am just as disappointed as you, simply because Josie and her team has proven to me all the things that I had hope they were not.

My conscience is as clear as crystal and it does not matter what others may think.

In the days of old…..in old england…doesnt “closet” stand for “toilet”???

the issue is not about religion or sexuality.
the issue here is how a NGO should operate.

does it make any financial sense to install a security access system in AWARE for 8 people?

how much are the cost and do it make economic sense to install it? from what i know, it is not very cheap to install such system.

the speed that it was installed was also frightening, were there any procuring process in place when AWARE decide to spend such sum or were the financial process being bypass?

is this seemingly-lack-of-financial-prudence-act of installing the security system by the new management a signal at how charity funds will be used in the future?

the act of dismissing staff without valid reason also seems to point to the lack of professionalism in the new team.

with the nkf n renci saga, do we want a new team that will just spend money and hire/dismiss people at their wish and command? maybe it is really time for the authorities to scrutinize NGO with more guidelines and firm up processes in them.

:)

Now it gets me thinking,

?? have the fundametalist Christians already begun planting moles and infiltrating government organisations so as to influence public policies ??

Guys, look around you, check out the religious background of pple running for office. Know their backgrounds before giving them your vote.

Preserve our secular harmonious society..

(they have already left their fingerprints on the 377A issue, there will be more to come so people needs to be alert)

Over-zealous religious organisations plots by quietly infiltrating smaller but influential organisations, ultimately they would love to have a whole nation as their shining trophy.

Sadly even with highly educated people like in Singapore, if any organisations are not vigilant enough, the moles planted in it will exploit the vulnerable ‘holes’ in the organisation and form a backdoor for infiltration.

I am not sure what role Ms Claire Nazar plays in this infiltration, but it seems like the aggressor always plays victims (notice she is not in the Old Guards’ press conference). I might be wrong.. (but there is usually somebody pulling strings behind the scene)..

Hmm, reminds me of the Empress Dowager sitting behind the Empreror’s throne while shielded by a curtain & actually holding on to the true reins of power!

If I am not mistaken, the MAIN reason why the new exco changed the locks is:-

.. so that they can go thru all the documents of the old guards to find any wrongdoings of the old guard which they can use to incriminate the old guards. With the old guard’s reputation tarnished with a criminal case, the new exco would then automatically consolidate their power.

Why do I keep thinking about the SCIENTOLOGISTS’ tactics in the US (pl see the youtube docu about Scientology vs the Cult Awareness Network)? Its so similar the way these aggressive groups behave (discret your enemy, cast doubts about the enemy’s integrity, take over the enemy’s quarters)..

NEWS

I have signed up for the online SAVE AWARE! PETITION. If pple are for the old guards, go sign up and spread the word.

We are in a race against the fundamentalist church who are also agressively recruiting new AWARE members to boost their numbers.

AND..

I saw that the EOGM is going to be held at HSR building Toa Payoh ave 6. HSR is a big property agency with hundreds of housing agents and I have visited its premise before, many of the top executives and hundreds of agents there are church members too.

Get it ? The new exco will be at a big advantage when they mobilise these hundreds of female housing agents during the voting of the EOGM !!!

! ! ! !

Enough has been said, we know what the new exco is up to..

Its time to act, we are in a race against the fundamentalist takeover..

be at the EOGM, venue HSR building, Toa Payoh Lor 6.

WIthout a HUGE turnout all will be lost..

Our policies are already being influenced by religion. The next will be our kids. I shudder to think that one day my kids come to me and say, “dad, cher says your religion is wrong”.

Thio Su Mien is such a sly bitch.

I am enjoying this cat-fights between the women. Show that women power can bring more disaster than manpower.

And the paper once asked: “What will the world be without women?”

The answer is simple: Paradise.

To : #125

You are absolutely correct. Ask (name deleted) the top manager/director of HSR what they were doing in India some time ago. Feeding the poor ? She and her gang goes on missions to convert the poor to Christianity. No wonder there is so much violence and back lash against the Christians in parts of India.

They merely create unstability wherever they bring their agenda to. The HSR venue is a poor choice.

BEWARE of the larger agenda.

#37 Doublespeak on April 24th, 2009 6.14 am:
To Hahaha on April 24th, 2009 3.50 am
There isn’t a closing date for joining as a member and having voting rights on the EOGM, if I am not wrong..
The date you have given 22nd April is for members to place an item on the agenda on the EOGM.

Oh, my misunderstanding, sorry. Thanks for the clarification.

Can one faith be too powerful to dictate the interest of other faiths in the future after the gays & lesbians are gone?

Christian Right – an strong Christian advocate is already in Singapore since 2002.

Maybe we need to worry more about the enemy from within than outside of our shores!!!