Alvinology goes to the AWARE EGM
I attended the extraordinary meeting (EGM) of the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) yesterday.
I was very surprised by the huge turn out of nearly 3000 people. Singaporeans are a passive bunch who usually do not bother to stand out and be counted. In this instance, maybe the saga had fired up raw nerves as it involved the personal, touchy issues of sexuality and religion.
I arrived at Suntec at around 1.30pm with Rachel who was there to cover the event. There was already a long snaking queue all the way from the entrance at the fourth floor, down the stairs to the third floor! Interestingly, there’s also a Qin Shan (青山) Mother’s Day concert on the sixth floor – there were a lot of confused aunties and grandmothers concert-goers who got mixed up in the AWARE queue. The two very different group of ladies provided an interesting contrast.
- Queue begins on the thirth floor
- Crowd was still flowing in at close to 2pm, the time the EGM is scheduled to begin
- The queue continues on the fourth floor
- Full view of the queue from the third to fourth floor
- Joining the queue
- Rachel with our friend, Lai Chow who is also an AWARE member
- Registration at the entrance
- Lots of reporters and cameramen milling outside the conference hall
- The entrance
- Security was tight, with bag check conducted on all attendees
To get into the conference hall, you have sign up as an AWARE member for S$40. I did not sign up as I did not want to pay. Hence I headed to the library at Esplanade to wait for Rachel. However, I did manage to get in at around 5.30pm when I got hold of one of the admission stickers.
The hall was only half filled when I got in and the AWARE new guards ex-co, led by Ms Josie Lau, the president were bombarded with fiery and piercing questions from the floor one after another. It was clear to me that the new guards’ supporters had left them in the lurch, unwilling to speak up for them, though willing to cast their votes and be counted.
Dr. Thio Su Mien, the “Feminist Mentor” who orchestrated the new guard takeover was public enemy number one last night. Whenever her name was mentioned, there will be loud jeering and booing. It was impossible for her to speak as the angry crowd will drown out her voice whenever she takes the mic.
- Packed conference hall
- Another crowd shot
- Josie and her pussycats
- Nominated Member of Parliament, Mr Siew Kum Hong
- Local celebrity, Ms Irene Ang takes the mic
- Firing off at the new guards
- Zaibun Siraj shoots off at the new guards
- The crowd will cheer heartily whenever potshots are made at the new guards and jeer whenever the new guards speak
- Public enemy number one takes the mic
- A smirking Dr. Thio Su Mien, “Feminist Mentor” of Singaporean women
Video recording of the Dr. Thio Su Mien’s speech, via sqpixels:
The result were out at 8pm. A vote of no confidence to axe out the entire new guard ex-co passed by a margin of 1,414 to 761 votes. The new guards were given 5 minutes to consider their immediate resignation, but they only came back at 9.15pm. Nonetheless, the entire team resigned.
A new ex-co, led by Ms Dana Lam, the freshly minted AWARE president was elected by 9.30pm, thereafter the EGM was closed proper.
Frankly, I was quite taken aback.
I always thought the ones with the most extreme beliefs will be able to mobilise the largest support, given the level of fanatical extremes they will go to just to meet their objectives. The liberals and the moderates on the other hand, tend to be less confrontational and take a back seat to events.
This AWARE saga proved my perception wrong and I am quite heartened this is so.
- Crowd elated that the new guard had lost
- Crowd goes wild
- Emotions run high
- A very happy lady
- A rare, tense moment when both the new and old guards shared the stage
- The new guards returned to the stage briefly to announce their immediate resignations from the exco
- Everyone’s happy the new guards have quit
- Lots of cheering all round
- The newly elected exco, comprising of the old guards
- Constance Singam and Dana Lam in a hearty embrace
- In a celebratory atmosphere
- Members of the new exco, led by new president, Ms Dana Lam
- The wife of the late David Marshall, congratulating Hafizah Osman, a newly elected exco member
- The new exco posing for media shots
- The new AWARE president, Ms Dana Lam, bombarded by the media
- The old guard team
- Another group shot
- Speakers from the old guards
- Packing up
- This in summary, is what AWARE should be about
In any case, the good thing that came out of this whole saga is that most Singaporeans are now aware of AWARE, bringing an obscure civil society into national stardom. Hopefully, the freshly minted ex-co members will be able to leverage on this new-found level of awareness and brings AWARE to greater heights, not forgetting the fundamental principles of extending help and relief to all Singaporean women, regardless of race, language or religion.
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Themocracy
问世间“权”为何物。。。
直叫人疯狂以待。。。
不知道那天Suntec的包是不是都卖完了。。。
因为去的人都是吃饱找包的。。。
I went hungry yesterday! The EGM lasted from 2pm to 10.30pm – went without dinner. Believe a lot of the ladies too.
那些安娣不会饿的
气都气饱了
也顺便减肥
我没去现场，只是在家里的tweetgrid看Live的报道，超兴奋的！好像我也在现场那样！是时候买wifi的手机了！:D
Yes, it was going crazy on the social media space – twitter, plurk, facebook, etc
这是一场“无聊”的新加坡肥皂剧。。。。
Where are the Chinese educated?
aoBei8836: Interestingly, most of the women there seems more comfortable in English. Maybe the Chinese-educated community need to do more next time?
is that Mr. William Lim clapping in one of the pictures?
Who’s William Lim?
[...] Alvinology goes to the AWARE EGM [...]
It is a good lesson for everyone in Singapore, including the men, the women and our government. All learned to realize that things like these can happen in Singapore. It is hard-earned lesson.
中国有位作家王蒙说：逆境等于一次自我清理， 一次新陈代谢； 逆境是一个契机， 使自己进入新的更成熟更尊严的精神境界。
”Who’s William Lim?”
retired architect.
baobei8836，啊，你注意到了——这起事件背后的一个可以让人发挥想象空间的问题！