The Extraordinary V Conference The “Shut Up & Sit Down” Play! Were you one of the 1414? Did you spend the 2nd of May refreshing Twitter on your computer at home? Or maybe you bought one of the post-EGM t-shirts and wore it with pride? Then, this entertainment may be something you might appreciate. Following the well-received The V Conference in 2007 and The Return Of The V in 2008, comes The Extraordinary V Conference by Fly Entertainment! With comedienne Irene Ang chairing this year’s Extraordinary V Conference, laughter is the order of the day. Or pigs will fly! Indeed, SWINE FLU! Witness how a certain Page 73 reject Toe Soo Man clamors for recognition as a Feminist (tor)Mentor, while Rosie and her Pussycat Dolls belt out their comeback hit “SHUT UP AND SIT DOWN”. Will Amy Winehouse stay sober enough to get into Singapore in time for the V Conference? Will the Little Nyonya lip-sync again? Will our beloved Guan Yin Ma be able to save the little Slumdog Millionaires from more s**t? So Extraordinary is the V Conference this year that even Mr. and Mrs. Obama have been invited! Controversial? Perhaps. Apologetic? Absolutely not. Hosted by Club Zirca, with an 18+ target audience, The Extraordinary V runs from the 4th to the 13th of September 2009. V Aware. V Very Aware. Highlights from the The V Conference in 2007 and The Return Of The V in 2008 on YouTube The Extraordinary V Conference A Production by FLY ENTERTAINMENT PTE LTD Starring: Irene Ang , Chua Enlai, Brendon Fernandez & Shane Mardjuki Director: Beatrice Chia Richmond Date: 4th –13th September 2009 Time: 8 pm Venue: Club Zirca (The Cannery, Clark Quay) Ticket Price: $46* (inclusive of 1 Tiger Beer) Free Seating 10% off Early Bird Tickets before 10th Aug 15% off for all OCBC Debit & Credit Cardmembers Buy Tickets from Sistic | Follow on Facebook Related: No Related Post Why AWARE cannot “be Nice” Feminism and AWARE by Constance Singam I begin with a quote from Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and the Future by Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2000). …feminism is helped by a working knowledge of history, and requires a willingness to act on behalf of yourself, and to stand up for all women in the face of everything from misogyny to a social mandate that says “be nice.” Those who label us ‘hooligans’ have very little understanding of feminism nor of the history and culture of civil society nor indeed of how democratic institutions work. They have (which is a lot of women) grown up with the social mandate that says “be nice”. History has taught us that being nice got us nowhere. Another confusion is with regard to AWARE as a women’s organization. What is AWARE? Is it a welfare organization? Is it a social club? It is both. But AWARE is more than that. AWARE’s founding members realized that AWARE needed to go beyond maintaining the status quo if women’s aspiration to be treated as equals to the men were ever to be achieved. AWARE, then, set out to follow the feminist ideology and mode of action. It became a movement for social, political, and economic equality of men and women. Equality, in these terms, is a balance between the male and female with the intention of liberating the individual. Feminism’s goals are social and political change. This means one must be engaged with the government and law, as well as social practices and beliefs. And implicit to these goals is access to sufficient information to enable women to make responsible choices. Take for example one issue that AWARE pioneered and feminist organization the world over) and promoted – domestic violence. Until feminism, there was no word for battered women or domestic violence, no legal protection and no shelter system. AWARE needed to raise consciousness of the public, policy-makers and the victims to succeed in raising the issue as a serious concern and lobby for laws to garner mainstream support and provide victims with support. But unfortunately when the concern becomes mainstream, as it has in Singapore, the resulting social programs are reduced to treating the symptoms rather than curing-or preventing-the disease. This is the mode of action of welfare organizations. In order to have a robust movement, domestic violence and economic development need to be re-identified as feminist issues and victories. Take all the concerns that AWARE has pioneered and promoted – citizenship rights, equal medical benefits, one-third quota in the medical faculty and others – have all since become mainstream issues. Another case in point is sexual harassment. This was again not recognized nor acknowledged till AWARE did the survey two years ago. The feminist mode of action for AWARE would be to lobby for laws against sexual harassment, public policies and protocol to deal with harassment in the workplace, trainings for implementation of these laws, and process to help women through the process. Feminism requires action and responsibility for oneself. A feminist organization such as AWARE is required to work for political and social change; campaign for laws and policies that support individuals toward equality; provide individuals with the knowledge, skills and power to make their own choices and respect each other as equals. This is why AWARE can never ‘be nice’. If it becomes ‘nice’ it would have failed in its mandate. Constance Singam July 8 2009 Related: Rawkin’ July 11, 2009 They’re Coming to Get You June 5, 2009 How ST covered the story June 1, 2009 Sin Boon Ann: AWARE & Failure of the Media May 28, 2009 Koo Tsai Kee: Tolerance & Diversity May 28, 2009 No To Rape Campaign The No To Rape campaign advocates one simple idea: sexual violence by any person, against any person, is criminal violence. Consequently, non-consensual sexual penetration, regardless of whether the victim and perpetrator are married to each other, should be treated as rape. At the moment, under the Penal Code, this is not the case. Except under limited circumstances that do not apply to the majority of married couples, this act will not be treated as rape. With the repeal of Sections 375(4) and 376A(5) of the Penal Code, marital rape and other forms of rape will be treated in the same way under the law. Please visit NoToRape.com to sign the online petition and check out resources to help you spread the word about the campaign. If every one of us can convince even one other person to sign, collectively, we will have a powerful voice. No To Rape. No Exceptions. Related: Singapore’s Invisible Abused Women May 10, 2009 Rawkin’ Thanks for letting us have a bit of fun for the last two days… sorry if you missed it! Siew Kum Hong is not reappointed as NMP Siew Kum Hong is not only a friend of AWARE but has emerged as a key spokesperson representing the ideals of many who stood up on May 2nd. It is with great disappointment that we recently learned he would not be reappointed for a second term as Nominated Member of Parliament. I would like to think that if I was not reappointed because of the Aware incident, and I had known that things would turn out this way, I would still not have done anything differently. There is, of course, much speculation that his failure to be reappointed was because of his involvement in AWARE. The more extreme conspiracy theorists have mused whether his ensuing popularity – bordering on hero worship (some went so far as to call him “Singapore’s Obama”) – made him a threat to the usual power structures. So just as I did not allow the possibility of offending the Government stop me from asking tough questions and making difficult points, I also did not allow the possibility of adverse publicity stop me from my involvement in civil society causes and organisations that I believed in. There is no doubt that in the aftermath of AWARE, Siew Kum Hong was mercilessly attacked by the astroturfers for his role as advisor to the Old Guard – a role he has repeatedly emphasised is something he did in his personal capacity. Of course even without being involved in the AWARE Saga, Kum Hong was already in the cross hairs of Christian Fundamentalists over his stance on section 377A of the Penal Code regarding homosexual anal sex. He has argued eloquently in parliament for its repeal and even though he was gracious in defeat pundits continued to state – nonsensically – that the very suggestion the law should be changed was an act of treason. This was not his only issue – he has spoken in favour of a number of reforms. But it is the one that most captured the public’s imagination in recent months, after AWARE was accused of having a “Gay Agenda.” Well what’s done is done and just as we wish the newcomers well, we are now eagerly looking forward to seeing how Kum Hong will continue to contribute to civil society. But first perhaps a short break is in order. We have it on good authority that he intends to use some of his free time to reconnect with his Wii (specifically – Guitar Hero World Tour: Metallica) but we are sure that he will be courted from all sides to quickly return to public life. Full Stament by Siew Kum Hong Related: Disappointed not on list 9 NMP names submitted Related: Sin Boon Ann: AWARE & Failure of the Media May 28, 2009 Koo Tsai Kee: Tolerance & Diversity May 28, 2009 Thio Li-ann: Religion & the Secular State May 28, 2009 How ST covered the story June 1, 2009 Information Sheet on MOE SEd Programme May 21, 2009 Video: New AWARE Training Institute Programmes Corinna Lim on new programmes: The AWARE Training Institute (ATI) will be going full steam ahead to develop and conduct programmes in three areas – skills development, knowledge building, and self-knowledge. The aim is to educate, enable and empower women to achieve their highest potential in society. These programmes include: ATI’s Body Image Workshops will help young girls to reflect on body image, and concepts of attractiveness and beauty, to enable them to deal with body image and self esteem issues.   Following from AWARE’s major recent report on sexual harassment which showed that more than 50% of respondents had experienced sexual harassment at work, ATI is currently developing workshops to train organisations to deal with sexual harassment and assault. The sexual harassment team comprising HR practitioners, lawyers and social workers target to provide by the end of the year a comprehensive package of services to train and advise companies on policies and practices to prevent and deal with sexual harassment and assault in the workplace.   The financial training programme for women is being enhanced. The aim here is to help women with financial empowerment. Further announcements on this will be made shortly.   Women in Conversation is an innovative approach to learning. ATI provides safe spaces for women to get together in small groups to learn from each other and to share their personal and common experiences in matters such as sex, dating, marriage, gender discrimination, career development, leadership.   Related: AWARE Press Con Highlights July 7, 2009 AWARE Presscon: The $90k Question July 6, 2009 Corinna Lim File Photos February 22, 2009 Video: Yvonne Reflects July 2, 2009 Video: Hafizah Reflects June 25, 2009 AWARE Press Con Highlights EXCO and staff in last minute discussion before press con   Tweeters Callan & June wait for the presscom to start. Callan’s Report on the Press Con   June shows Twitter to Connie Singam   Corinna, Ching Wi, Dana & Joo Hymn just before kick off.   Press Kit: PressKIT EXCO Profiles Aware Media Con 6 July – Dana’s Opening Remarks AWARE Media Release 6 July 2009 AWARE Media Release 6 July 2009 – EGM costs   State of the Nation’s Women report AWARE, Singapore’s leading women’s rights advocacy group, is launching a two-year project to reach out to a wide range of women in Singapore and gather their views on the issues that most affect them. These views, together with other research findings, will be published in 2011 in a report titled The State of the Nation’s Women. In its scope, the State of the Nation’s Women (SNW) report will be similar to the CEDAW shadow reports that AWARE produces and submits to the United Nations. CEDAW, or the Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, is regarded as an international bill of rights for women. Countries that sign the convention have to submit national reports at least once every four years on the progress they have made to remove all discrimination against women. Shadow reports are submitted by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and are considered alongside the national reports by the UN’s CEDAW Committee. Like the CEDAW report, the SNW report will examine the state of Singapore’s women in areas such as employment, health, family, leadership, and media. But a key difference is that the voices of Singapore’s women will feature prominently in the SNW report. “Our CEDAW shadow reports have identified the inequalities that still exist and the many issues that need to be addressed, such as the lack of sexual harassment laws, stereotyping in the media, the need for more day care centres for young parents and for greater financial security for older women,” said Dana Lam, AWARE president. “What we will now do, in parallel with our CEDAW work, is reach out to women in Singapore and get their views on all these issues. We want to get the women to talk and we will listen carefully. We want to find out what they see as the key challenges in their lives, what they would like to see by way of changed or new policies and laws. The State of the Nation’s Women report will cover largely the same ground as the CEDAW reports but it will be from the perspective of a cross-section of Singapore’s women.” AWARE will reach these women in a variety of ways, including a forum series called ‘Stand Up and Speak Out’. There will also be talks and small group discussions, and at least one major conference. Joint projects and other forms of collaboration with the media and with other NGOs will be explored. Millie (camera woman & editor extraordinaire) with Fizz and Nicole   Ching Wi, Rina, Kerry and Marisse   Margie and Nancy   Lelia and Joo Hymn Related: Video: New AWARE Training Institute Programmes July 7, 2009 AWARE Presscon: The $90k Question July 6, 2009 Dana Lam: No Apologies May 31, 2009 Dana Lam – File Photos February 22, 2009 Response to MOE Decision May 21, 2009 AWARE Presscon: The $90k Question Although the temporary EXCO at the EGM announced that “between new membership fees and the cost of the EGM they had ‘made a profit’” in fact the cost of the event was more than fees resulting in a drain on organisational finances. Nevertheless the current EXCO would prefer to move forward instead of pursuing action against Josie Lau and her team. The present EXCO has since asked various service providers for discounts and donations and has reduced costs by $8,000. ___ At the 2 May EGM several members queried Josie Lau and her Exco about the cost of the EGM. Calls were made, both at the EGM and in media forums subsequently, for the money to be recovered from the members of that Exco. After taking office, the current Exco formed an internal review team to look into the expenses incurred by the previous Exco and determine whether their decisions and actions adhered to the AWARE Constitution and other established practices. The EGM cost a total of $99,291.28. This was not quite covered by the $98,765.70 in membership fees paid by the 2,748 people who joined AWARE or who renewed their membership between 29 March and 2 May. The current Exco wrote to all the companies that provided services at the EGM, explained the financial situation and asked them to consider making a donation to AWARE. Rajah & Tann have donated $5,000 and Deloitte & Touche $3,000, while Boardroom has indicated that it will be making a donation. Suntec and Ape Communications declined on the grounds that they had, in total, given AWARE a 26.5% discount on the facilities and services provided. The review team found that the previous Exco did not adhere fully to the AWARE Constitution and established practices. Also, they could have avoided some of the costs, for instance, by trying to get pro bono legal advice and asking AWARE volunteers to act as scrutineers. “We will not, however, be taking any action against the previous Exco,” said Ms Lam. “There are several reasons for this. We recognise that they were handicapped by their lack of NGO experience. Secondly, we have been able to recover part of the costs through the generosity of some of the vendors. “Most importantly, we want to get on with our work – which is to identify and help remove the obstacles that prevent women from realising their full potential. This is, and has always been, AWARE’s agenda.”   Related Coverage: ST Breaking News – New Aware team sets goals Channel News Asia – AWARE proposes changes to its constitution ST Breaking News – No action to reclaim $100k ST Breaking News – Josie Lau’s team won’t be sued ST Breaking News – Aware to report on women   Press Kit: PressKIT EXCO Profiles Aware Media Con 6 July – Dana’s Opening Remarks AWARE Media Release 6 July 2009 AWARE Media Release 6 July 2009 – EGM costs Related: Video: New AWARE Training Institute Programmes July 7, 2009 AWARE Press Con Highlights July 7, 2009 Dana Lam: No Apologies May 31, 2009 Dana Lam – File Photos February 22, 2009 IS Interview: Dana Lam June 18, 2009 Video: Yvonne Reflects “Looking through my lens, I could see the expressions, hear everything…I have history on my harddisk! That’s really cool!” Yvonne was part of the volunteer audio-visual-video team at the EGM, who said yes at the drop of a hat. Thanks! ___ Give us your feedback: who else would you like to see interviewed? Related: Video: Hafizah Reflects June 25, 2009 Video: Aye See Reflects June 18, 2009 Video: Meera Jane Reflects June 10, 2009 Video: Vadivu Reflects June 4, 2009 Video: New AWARE Training Institute Programmes July 7, 2009 What’s with WAA? The original purpose of We-Are-Aware was to galvanise support for the Old Guard in order to win back control of AWARE from the Feminist Mentor’s team. Mission Accomplished.   Then, with the EGM passed, the We-Are-Aware volunteers found themselves with a website that represented the spirit of fighting for what you believe in, for standing up and for speaking out. So instead of letting the site die, we chose to revamp and continue it in order to give a platform to not only those who spoke out at the EGM but also to those who would one day follow. As part of this, we are regularly publishing new video content. Initially, this will focus on EGM reflections but eventually we hope to widen the focus to look at issues of interest to our supporters be it secularism, homophobia, migrant workers, women’s rights, etc. We hope this will generate dialogue and cross fertilization of ideas that will help direct the growth of civil society.   Is it working? The risk is that such a goal may seem too mundane to some – certainly for the online community that prefers to get frothy and vitriolic in comments to the ST Forum or over at Reach.gov.sg. Saying that, we are still genuinely surprised at how unscathed we have been by the astroturfers who have otherwise had AWARE and the CSE in their sights for some time. Does this mean we are playing it too safe?! We-Are-Aware has clearly been used to push out a lot of AWARE news lately. This will probably tail off when the AWARE.org.sg site is revamped (yes we know it needs it!). Is all the AWARE news more than people can bare after the deluge of stories in April & May? Perhaps. We’re AWARE volunteers so we live and breath this stuff. Feel free to give us some perspective! Which brings us to the main point: We would really appreciate your feedback on how to make WAA! a better website. What do you like/dislike about WAA! ? What other content would you like to see – in particular what non-AWARE content would be of interest to you – what civil society topics/issues? How can we collaborate with other bloggers to generate discussion? Do you think we’re getting this right or have we missed the boat? Please talk to us. Feel free to be brutal. Of course if you are overflowing with love for us, you are welcome to express that too. Thanks. Related: No Related Post Who would you like us to interview? Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll. Jean Ann Hedwig Myrna Lena Margie Kum Hong Mark Ching Wi Halijah Poonham I-Jin   Related: No Related Post Video: Hafizah Reflects Fizz sees her participation in a secular organisation as also contributing to the Muslim & Malay community. “Singapore is too small to only contribute to our race or religion – we are part of a greater society.” Hafizah (”Fizz”) was elected to the AWARE EXCO at the 2nd May 2009 EGM ___ Give us your feedback: who else would you like to see interviewed? Related: Video: Yvonne Reflects July 2, 2009 Video: Aye See Reflects June 18, 2009 Video: Meera Jane Reflects June 10, 2009 Video: Vadivu Reflects June 4, 2009 IS Interview: Hafizah Osman June 14, 2009 IS Interview: Dana Lam The following are the full answers to the written questions put to Dana Lam by I-S Magazine for their June 12 article. Dana is President of AWARE. Dana   Will you be making changes to your constitution to prevent a repeat of a backdoor takeover? YES. We are looking into tightening processes to ensure whoever is standing for election will have at least done some groundwork and has some knowledge of what is to be AWARE.   There is also a sizeable groundswell of opinion that some of your policies are out of step of with Singapore’s societal values. What do you say about that? And what are you doing about such perceptions? Our programmes and policies are guided by the principles of gender equality for all. In the past 24 years we have successfully lobbied for the removal of the quota on women entering medical school, for equal medical benefits in the civil service, for protection against spousal violence and the rights of children born to Singapore women with foreign spouses. We have contributed research papers on the experiences in our schools, on population issues and, on aging in Singapore among others. Ultimately, we are for a gender equal society where women have equal opportunity, choices and responsibilities with men. If this is against Singapore values, what can I say? But, I would like to think we live in a more compassionate and reasoned society than our detractors appear to imply. I don’t think of it as being conservative or liberal. You can be conservative and still be compassionate and reasoned. You can be liberal and still be reasoned and compassionate, can’t you?   How did last Saturday’s “touch-base” with new members go? How many actually turned up? What events did you guys have? We had over 20 people. Among them was an 18 year old college student who has volunteered her time during this June break. She said she was moved by the discovery that she didn’t have to fight for what are her rights today because they had been fought for her. We also heard AWARE has gone up in ‘cool’ factor among younger women! That is good to know. I think the best thing from May 2 is how it gave women and men a very real experience of what it is like to be counted.   Will you use this new mandate to try to build more tolerance and openness in other areas of Singapore life – not just gender equality but also racial and religious equality. Our constitution is women specific. Although, I would say tolerance -non discrimination – is implicit in the core values of Trust, Respect and Choices for all women. Related: IS Interview: Margaret Thomas June 14, 2009 IS Interview: Farid Hamid June 14, 2009 IS Interview: Hafizah Osman June 14, 2009 IS Interview: Pamela Poh June 14, 2009 IS Interview: Joanna D’cruz June 13, 2009 Video Tribute to Volunteers This video was first aired at the AWARE EGM volunteers party on June 14.     A warm thank you to everyone who made the day possible. Related: Video: New AWARE Training Institute Programmes July 7, 2009 Video: Yvonne Reflects July 2, 2009 Video: Hafizah Reflects June 25, 2009 Video: Aye See Reflects June 18, 2009 Video: Meera Jane Reflects June 10, 2009 Video: Aye See Reflects It was a day when I felt proud to be a woman in Singapore!     We-Are-Aware Video Series Talking Heads Every Thursday More Related: Video: Meera Jane Reflects June 10, 2009 Video: Vadivu Reflects June 4, 2009 Video: Yvonne Reflects July 2, 2009 Video: Hafizah Reflects June 25, 2009 Video: New AWARE Training Institute Programmes July 7, 2009 IS Interview: Margaret Thomas The following are the full answers to the questions put to Margaret Thomas by I-S Magazine for their June 12 article. Margie is a member of the Aware EXCO. Margie   How long have you been with Aware? Right from the start. Was a speaker at the Women’s Choices, Women’s Lives forum in 1984 that led to the formation of Aware, and then a member of the pro-tem committee. What is your role within the organization as an exco member? Ordinary exco member.   Individually, what are you tasked to do in the next 12 months or so? Communications.   What have you learnt from the recent Aware controversy? Several lessons: Singaporeans are not as apathetic as they have sometimes been made out to be, judging from the turnout at the EGM Many Singaporeans see the vital importance of maintaining our secular society, and are ready to step forward and defend it There are, however, some who are so caught up in their religiously defined perspective that they will act in very questionable ways NGOs like Aware have to be alert to the possibility that people who disagree with their aims and activities will attempt to hijack their organisations If the hijack fails, these people may continue to snipe at the NGO and keep repeating baseless accusations about the NGO’s aims and activities   In your individual opinion, what misconceptions about Aware continue to remain after this saga? That Aware now has a pro-gay agenda and has attempted to promote homosexuality.   There is also a sizeable groundswell of opinion that some of your policies are out of step of with Singapore ’s societal values. What do you say about that? And as an individual, what are you doing about such perceptions? If there is indeed such a ‘groundswell’ it is one that has been engineered by someone who, driven by her faith-based perspective, has decided that Aware needs to be fixed. She has completely misread Aware’s activities and continues to mislead the public on this. It is sobering to see how mis-truths can spread and cloud public perception, and it is worrying to find that there are Singaporeans who will make judgments on the strength of these mis-truths.   What are some the biggest challenges faced by Singapore women today? Lack of support for the multi-layered roles they play in society, compounded by the perception in many quarters that men should be the head of the household.   Has the recent controversy set the organization back? If so, how should the organization build itself up from here on in? Yes and no. We now have 10 times as many members, and many more people in Singapore are now aware of AWARE. Unfortunately some of these people see Aware in the wrong light. Contrary to what Dr Thio Su Mien continues to maintain, Aware does not have and has never had a pro-gay agenda. Aware has never promoted homosexuality. Aware has only ever promoted gender equality. We just have to keep countering the mis-truths and misconceptions while continuing with our work. We have to stay connected to the many new members who signed up because they either believed in Aware’s cause or wanted to help maintain secularism in Singapore and the space for a diversity of views. Related: IS Interview: Dana Lam June 18, 2009 IS Interview: Farid Hamid June 14, 2009 IS Interview: Hafizah Osman June 14, 2009 IS Interview: Pamela Poh June 14, 2009 IS Interview: Joanna D’cruz June 13, 2009 IS Interview: Farid Hamid The following are the full answers to the questions put to Farid Hamid, by I-S Magazine for their June 12 article. Farid is a Diversity Consultant and Trainer and a new member of Aware. Farid   Why have you joined Aware now? Was it solely because of the saga? AWARE had always inspired me. However, due to work, family and other civil society commitments which I am involved in, I felt AWARE was in good hands and supported its efforts from the outside. I joined AWARE because I felt my support was needed in a time of `crisis’. While I may/may not agree with some of the `content’ issues being debated, I stood firmly on the side of drawing the line between having `inclusivity’ in civil society. I stood for a clear separation between religious institutions and secular one. I stood for transparency in the election process. I stood for meritocracy…the old guard had (and still do) contributed much to the cause of women in our society…Dr Thio and the new team hadn’t. They should, as members, aired their views, lobbied for reform, volunteered and earned their right to be leaders instead of what they did. There were serious precedents developing during the saga that would have had reverberations throughout society as we know it. Inter-religious and inter-ethnic/cultural harmony was being risked…I could not have just stood aside and watched.   What do you hope from the organization going forward? I hope that AWARE remains inclusive, dynamic and robust – a shining example to the men and women of our society and, the rest of the world. I hope AWARE can bring the faith communities into the dialogue process too. There is much we can learn from each other.   As a new member, how do intend to help? During the EGM, I volunteered as a First-Aider, just in case some assistance in this area was needed – regardless whether members came from either `side’. I responded to a case of breathlessness – due to an asthmatic condition. I have also volunteered to assist in the design, planning, organization and facilitation of the “New Members” Forum in June.   As a man, what do you think you can bring to the organization? I feel the issues being addressed by AWARE, although it concerns the development, and welfare of women in our society, can only be effectively addressed if BOTH men and women, boys and girls are included in the processes and platforms. The perceptions, issues, challenges and opportunities that face women and the `other side of the coin’ for men… and as such, the perspectives, experiences, voices and efforts of both men and women are needed. As a man… as a husband to my wife… as a son to a mother… as a Father to 3 daughters…I can bring those perspectives, not only to the organization but to the circles of influence that I have in society.   As a concerned citizen, what in your opinion is the biggest challenge facing Singaporean women today? “Singaporean women” are not monolithic in nature…different challenges face different ethnic/cultural, socio-economic, age groups….a large part of the issues facing the aged in our society are `women’s issues’ as they find themselves widowed. Women in Different cultural/ethnic and faith communities face different issues, challenges, opportunities as they attempt to grow side by side with their male counterparts – balance tradition, their personal needs and the needs of their families and communites. The issues facing women include increasing the awareness of men – of their (men’s issues)…without men taking ownership of these issues, it can’t be `foisted’ upon them by women…the individual and society cannot grow optimally. Men need to explore and re-examine their values, their prejudices, their biases, stereotypes (of men and women) and establish new values… new awareness….   How would you help with gender equality in Singapore going forward? As above. I would work on myself….I would work on the circles of influences I have….I must be congruent and walk my talk. Related: IS Interview: Dana Lam June 18, 2009 IS Interview: Margaret Thomas June 14, 2009 IS Interview: Hafizah Osman June 14, 2009 IS Interview: Pamela Poh June 14, 2009 IS Interview: Joanna D’cruz June 13, 2009 IS Interview: Callan Tham The following are the full answers to the questions put to Callan Tham by I-S Magazine for their June 12 article. Callan is a new member of Aware. Callan works in IT Networking   Why have you joined Aware now? Was it solely because of the saga? No. I have always been supportive of AWARE and their activities before this, but chose to step up and contribute when the story of the takeover broke. AWARE’s track record over the 24 years of their existence speaks for itself, and I feel that I can contribute my efforts into helping the organization move forward.   What do you hope from the organization going forward? Besides continuing their enthusiastic work for the women of Singapore as well as raising awareness and research for issues affecting women, I also hope to see continued support from the members, especially those who have joined recently, as well as a concerted effort from AWARE to harness the energies of these members. Perhaps also a relook at what feminism means in the current context, as times and mindsets have changed.   As a new member, how do you intend to help? In whatever way I can; my experience is in the IT networking field, and if they can make use of that experience I will be more than willing to pitch in.   As a man, what do you think you can bring to the organization? I can bring a different perspective to feminist and women issues, both inside and out of the organization. The involvement of men in AWARE cannot be understated, as it means that feminist issues are not just affecting women alone.   As a concerned citizen, what in your opinion is the biggest challenge facing Singaporean women today? In my opinion, it is one that is challenging to both women and men alike: how to balance a successful career with a family. There is still a fair bit of pressure for women to place a priority on family over her career, and sometimes many would feel that they have to choose one or the other when it should not be the case. And even though it is not the biggest challenge in my opinion, I think the obsession with body shape issues is a close second. The fashion industry is not helping obviously, with the standards of beauty promulgated as an unhealthy shade of “slim”. It is not healthy physically or mentally to portray beauty in such a way.   How would you help with gender equality in Singapore going forward? One of the best ways I can help with is promoting awareness of the issues amongst my friends and contacts, and by encouraging open-minded debate and discussion on them. Both men and women must be involved if true gender equality is to be achieved, and without a good understanding of the issues involved no one can make any informed decisions at all. Related: IS Interview: Dana Lam June 18, 2009 IS Interview: Margaret Thomas June 14, 2009 IS Interview: Farid Hamid June 14, 2009 IS Interview: Hafizah Osman June 14, 2009 IS Interview: Pamela Poh June 14, 2009 Sin Boon Ann: AWARE & Failure of the Media Among the speakers in Parliament who brought up AWARE was Tampines GRC MP Sin Boon Ann. He spoke to the defence of a “group of concerned ladies” (aka The New Guard) arguing that their actions were a legitimate manoeuvre to effect a “new agenda.” He also had words for the media singling out The Straits Times for a failure to report all sides of the story.   Extract: The recent incident involving the takeover of AWARE by a group of concerned Singaporeans demonstrates how fragile our society is. For a brief period of time, our nation was on the boil. What turned out to be a relatively simple and lawful act of democracy suddenly turned into a deeply polarized and heated debate between the Christian Right and the homosexual and lesbian interest groups. The spotlight was quick to focus on a few key groups, rightly or wrongly; namely the Church, as seen to be represented by supposed usurpers, the old leadership who were seen to champion the rights of the homosexuals and the lesbians in Singapore, the Ministry of Education who denied all knowledge of the instructor’s manual for the Comprehensive Sexual Education (CSE) in schools run by AWARE, and of course the press. Sir, I do not intend to go into the rights and wrongs of the way in which a group of concerned ladies decided take over the leadership of a voluntary welfare organization, save to say that I find it odd that democracy suddenly takes on a very different meaning when a group of new members decide to legitimately contest in an election to determine a new agenda. I also find it odd that many of the members who did not bother even to attend the most important meeting in the year to elect a new leadership should now decide to raise a howl of protest after the event. If they, meaning the older members, were that concerned in the first place, I believe they should have taken a more active role in the affairs of the organization. Perhaps, AWARE should have been more selective of its membership? The question of who should be given the right to vote has deep philosophical implications that would be applicable not only to AWARE, but for Singapore as well. Role of the Media Of the few protagonists involved in the saga, I would like to mention the role of the press in reporting this spat. One self evident condition of a free press in a democracy is the need to be responsible, impartial and to present the facts as neutrally and objectively to the readers. One wonders whether the press can be truly called upon to discharge that duty when some of its own members feel rather passionately about the issues in the public domain. The recent saga surrounding AWARE is one but one example. I will quote one email that I received from one Cheryl Ng. I must add that I do not know Ms Ng and I have not verified the substance of her email. However, I would say that I would not be surprised if it were true and would be very concerned if it is. Her email reads: “I’m also surprised and deeply troubled that the reporting in The Straits Times has not been honest in presenting the full picture to the public, especially concerned parents following the AWARE saga. There was a concerted effort by both the press and TV coverage not to mention the significant presence of the homosexual community. If I had not been there, I would never have known the truth. a) In fact, I witnessed the main reporter responsible for blowing up the whole AWARE story….hobnobbing with the homosexual fraternity at the EGM. b) Some members of the press and TV were candidly jubilant as they celebrated the passing of the ‘no confidence’ vote by punching their fists in the air and hugging the ‘old guard’ they were standing with. c) In the sweep of fervent support, the constitutional amendments were also made to allow men and foreign women full voting rights (in a local women’s association that makes the CEDAW report on the state of women in Singapore). In the perspective that such an amendment was thrown out in the previous AGM, the motives may be called into question. The press made no mention of this important development. I question the cover-up in the press. In review of newspaper coverage of AWARE developments, I’m also beginning to think that press focus on the sensitive issue of religious involvement was but a calculated red herring thrown out to manipulate public sentiments. Sir, I am pleading for the authorities to look into this matter as I am becoming increasingly alarmed that minority groups with a political agenda may not have just reached its grasp into a vulnerable women’s group, and through it attempt to distort our children’s views on sexuality, but has actually infiltrated the press to block out news and prevent the public from accessing the truth. I actually feel frightened that the press in Singapore can attempt to shape my views as it wishes by misinformation or partial information” The accusations brought up by Ms Ng have once again raised the question of whether there should ever be an unregulated press. In reporting the matter, the editors and journalists could have looked at the issue as one of the conservative group in our society taking on the liberals rather than be quick to frame this in the context of the Christian Right against the homosexuals and the lesbians. True, many of the ladies came from the same church. However, the same may be said of any group who comes from any organization. But that alone does not mean that they represent the organization. I do wonder if the press would have been so quick on the take if it were women from another faith who took up the cause instead. It is unfortunate that by framing this episode as one that carries a religions undertone, the whole debate deeply polarized our society very quickly. Apart from the press, the education ministry in the early days of the AWARE leadership struggle has maintained consistently that they did not look into this matter as no complaint was made by any parent. Not surprisingly, what followed was a deluge of complaints from parents which then prompted an investigation by the ministry. The outcome was an implicit acceptance of the serious nature of the allegations against the CSE programmes run by AWARE. I am grateful to note the ministry has now tightened the procedures on the appointment of course providers in the area of sexuality education. The AWARE saga is as much about the kind of values we want to promote in our society as it is about leadership struggle. To build a socially cohesive society, all interest groups must recognize and accept the fundamental building blocks of our society that have come to represent our values on families and relationships. Our values change if at all by evolution than by revolution. Aggressive proselytisation by fringe groups, whether carried out by insidious means or otherwise, will only invite a backlash from mainstream society. This is not how our society should be run. Social cohesion requires the active participation of all. In this particular episode, one wonders if the education ministry had taken a more proactive stand in the first place by being more vigilant, the leadership struggle and the ensuing polarization of our community would not have taken place in the manner that it did. The question that some have asked is whether a formal complaint must be made from someone before the ministry will act on a matter which it has heard about and which comes under its purview. Displaying annoyance at being dragged into the sorry saga does not help with the confidence recovery process in the aftermath. In Full | Video   Follow Up: An Apology During Thursday’s parliamentary session (May 27th), Mr. Sin apologized for not verifying the substance of the contents of the letter quoted above. Rising to speak when Parliament resumed its session after a short break on Thursday afternoon, Mr Sin Boon Ann said: ‘On reflection I thought I should have sought some confirmation from the writer of the e-mail, or separately verify the contents of the e-mail since I believe the privilege of free speech in this House imposes the higher standards of diligence on the part of its members. ‘But to that extent I have fallen short of these standards. I proffer my unreserved apology to those involved.’ Source: Straits Times: MP apologises for slip - May 28, 2009 Koo Tsai Kee: Tolerance & Diversity In his address to parliament on Wednesday Associate Professor Koo Tsai Kee (Tanjong Pagar GRC) commented one of the key issues raised by the AWARE EGM: tolerance of diversity. 26 May 2009:   Your browser does not support iframes. Source: Channel News Asia ‘Intolerance’ is a threat The Straights Times, 28 May 2009, By Jeremy Au Yong INTOLERANCE, not the economic crisis, poses the biggest threat to Singapore, Associate Professor Koo Tsai Kee (Tanjong Pagar GRC) warned in Parliament on Wednesday. While the economic slump will pass, religious and racial bigotry could bring about Singapore’s downfall, he said during the debate on the President’s Address at the opening of the new session of Parliament. ‘This economic crisis cannot set us back permanently. It is a passing thunderstorm,’ he said. ‘But if we fall prey to religious and racial bigotry, then it will be a growing cancer in society.’ Although he did not state it explicitly, it was apparent that Prof Koo was referring in part to the recent leadership tussle at the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware). The controversy sparked a divisive debate on issues such as religion and homosexuality. ‘I see an increasing number of Singaporeans identifying themselves with race and religion. That in itself is nothing wrong if seen in the right perspective,’ he said. ‘But I see small groups becoming self-righteous and becoming intolerant of diversity. This intolerance may be our downfall.’ Singapore has succeeded so far as it has a system of tolerance and meritocracy, one which embraces diversity and inclusiveness, he said. Still, he warned that the country was not in the clear yet: ‘We are still a young country. In the history of nations, we are still a long way from proving that our success in peaceful co-existence can withstand the test of time.’ The Minister of State for Defence used the examples of Sri Lanka and the former Yugoslavia to show how multi-racial, multi-religious societies had fractured. He contrasted this against cities like New York and London which embraced diversity and tolerance ‘in huge doses’. ‘While we focus our energies on solving this economic crisis, we should never lose sight of the long-term challenge of building a tolerant, diverse and inclusive infrastructure where everybody has a private space within the bigger common space,’ he said. Related:Embrace diversity - ST May 27, 2009 By Bryan Huang Koo Tsai Kee Speech to Parliament May 26 Thio Li-ann: Religion & the Secular State In the aftermath of the AWARE EGM, there has been much discussion about the role of religion in a secular state. In her first speech to parliament since the AWARE EGM, Thio Li-ann took the opportunity to share her views on the subject framing “thick secularism” as another kind of religious belief: “anti-religion religion.” 26 May 2009: Your browser does not support iframes. Source: Channel News Asia Excerpts IN A recent interview, Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng reiterated that religion and politics must not be mixed. This is sound, though there are difficulties of definition as no bright line demarcates ‘religion’ from ‘politics’. We need to understand what ’secularism’ entails in Singapore for more specific guidance. A state’s attitude towards religion turns upon its model of constitutional secularism. ‘Secularism’ is a protean, chameleon-like term: what it means depends on the context and who is using it; it can be a virtue or a vice. It is timely to eschew glibness and examine the Singapore model of secularism with precision. There are in fact many secularisms or degrees of secularity. This complex term needs to be unpacked. Historically, ’secularism’ originates from the Latin ’saeculum’, meaning ‘temporal’, worldly affairs, rather than ’spiritual’, other-worldly matters. The word ’secular’ is an emblem of intense historical conflict. Today, in some circles, ’secularism’ connotes systematic hostility towards religion, as a synonym for a politicised form of ideological atheism whose creed is that humanity is destined to wholly shed religious conviction. The atheistic word was made flesh in the atheistic state produced by the Russian Revolution of 1917, devoted to Marx’s assumption that religion stupefies the masses and must be eradicated to bring forth the new Communist Man. The principle of secularity dates back to the Roman Empire. It derived from the teaching of Jesus to ‘render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s’. This principle of limited government opposed state absolutism in suggesting Caesar did not wield absolute authority: While a citizen was to obey civil authority, he was to enjoy freedom from state interference in matters pertaining to the worship of God. Religious liberty thus limits state power. America first experimented constitutionally with dividing sacred from secular authority, rejecting the European conflation of civil and religious power. Senior Minister of State Zainul Abidin Rasheed described Singapore secularism as ’secularism with a soul’. This deft juxtaposing of the material and the metaphysical speaks to the cooperative relation between state and religion. The Constitution does not forbid the state to lend financial or other support to a religion; thus we have the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore as a statutory government body serving the Muslim community. In 1989, Foreign Minister George Yeo observed the Government was ’secular but it is certainly not atheistic’. This evinces a rejection of a thick, atheistic version of secularism. Secular humanism, which posits a morality independent of God, is a comprehensive anti-theistic world view. Some courts recognise it as a religion. It dogmatically asserts the absence of God, without any empirical evidence. We know from elementary logic that it is impossible to prove a universal negative. Whether God exists or not cannot be proved or disproved by evidence or logic. It takes faith to believe or not to believe in God or gods. A lot of faith is needed to believe there is no divine. As Turkish journalist Mustafa Akyol wrote: ‘It is the atheist’s opium to regard that unsubstantiated faith as established fact.’ Thick secularism is thus an anti-religion religion. Secular democracies should be neutral not only between traditional religions but also regarding modern religions with atheistic foundations. What is the situation in Singapore? DPM Wong emphasised the secular nature of the political arena and how keeping ‘religion’ and ‘politics’ separate was a key rule of political engagement. What this means specifically is that laws and policies derive their legitimacy not from divine sanction but from a democratically elected government. Law generally applies to and equally protects all citizens, regardless of race, religion or social status. Clearly, the Singapore model of secularism is anti-theocratic in that religious tenets and secular law are separated, not conflated. While anti-theocratic, the Singapore secularism is not anti-religious. This is a vital distinction. DPM Wong welcomed the public service of individuals inspired by their religious convictions; they also ’set’ society’s ‘moral tone’. He affirmed that religious individuals had the same right as other citizens to ‘express their views on issues in the public space’ guided by their beliefs. Religion is thus separated from politics, but, religion is not separated from public life and culture. Everyone has values, whether shaped by religious or secular ideologies; all may participate in public discourse to forge an ethical social consensus. While religion is personal, it is not exclusively private and has a social dimension which is not to be trivialised. Thus, Singapore secularism is ‘agnostic’ and ‘thin’. The Government does not favour or disfavour any particular religion. We practise ‘accommodative secularism’ described by the Court of Appeal as removing restrictions to one’s choice of religious belief. Religious values do have a role in public debate. Agnostic secularism of this sort is a virtue; it is a ‘framework’ which facilitates the peaceful co-existence of religions. Conversely, militant secularism is an illiberal and undemocratic vice in seeking to gag religious views in the public square and so to privilege its atheistic values, as in communist states. Secular fundamentalists are oppressive where they seek to mute religiously informed convictions in public debate, by demonising a view as religious. Militant exclusionist secularism is thus a recipe for social disharmony; it feeds the ‘culture wars’ in the US and provokes those it seeks to exclude. It will not promote unity in diversity. When it comes to moral disagreements and public policy, the press is powerfully positioned to promote informed debate. However the press may, by biased and selective reporting, misrepresent, distort or obscure an issue. We need to broaden our understanding of responsible journalism in Singapore, which rejects the extremes of an adversarial American watchdog and a Pravda-like lapdog, or running dog. The feedback I received from friends and strangers on the reporting of the Aware controversy was that much of the reporting, particularly in one paper, was biased. It largely lacked a diversity of views in singing the same chorus that religious groups should not get involved in secular organisations. Some spoke of their new lists of ‘fair’ and ‘unfair’ journalists. Responsible journalism should extend to covering a diversity of views, not a journalist’s preferred view. It should include the accurate representation of differing viewpoints, and not paint the fringe as mainstream or the pathological as normal. Readers may then see all sides of an issue and decide what is true. This is important given the near monopolistic position of Singapore broadsheets. A lawyer recently returned from London wrote to me expressing horror in finding local papers apparently had nothing better to report than the Aware saga, as opposed to the more interesting British papers which offered a lot more variety. This made me somewhat nostalgic for my student days in Cambridge, where I could, with chocolate croissant and Nescafe coffee in hand, survey a range of perspectives from The Times, Guardian, Independent or Telegraph. Quick Guide to Twitter and #awaresg Many of our supporters participated in the May 2009 EGM via Twitter by following the #awaresg hashtag. Since then, there remains an ongoing conversation about the issues surrounding this event. The following is a very quick guide to joining this discussion. What is Twitter? It’s a way to exchange information and talk to millions of people all over the world. Twitter is NOT Facebook style updates of what you are doing every few minutes! How do I join? Get an account here. Hint: Choose an ID that is as short as possible! Hint: Load your personal photo  immediately! No photo is the true mark of a noob (newbie) . If you are shy, a cartoon or logo will do. Hint: Fill in your profile so people know a bit about you. Order: Do NOT protect your updates. You will never get to experience the real Twitter if you do.   OK so I have an account, now what? Stop using Twitter! Virtually nobody actually uses the Twitter website to follow Twitter. There are many better alternatives. For new users, I highly recommend TwitZap.com. It’s a Twitter interface that is easy on the eyes and is intuitive. Just login with your Twitter ID… OK I’m in. So how?   1. Tweet!Send a message, 140 characters or less, to announce yourself to the world: “Hello Twitterverse!” Remember: everyone in the world can see your message if they bother to look for it. Do not tweet your e-mail address, phone number or IC! Duh.   2. Follow someone!When you follow someone you see their updates. However they will not see yours unless they follow you. It’s not automatically mutual. Already have friends on Twitter? Follow them. You can follow anyone you want. It’s not like Facebook - you do not need to know a person to follow them. Just follow anyone you think is interesting. Your list of follows and followers will grow slowly over time.   3. Follow a conversation using hashtags!When a group of people discuss a given topic, they use a key word that can be used as a search term to find all relevant discussions. The keyword is called a hashtag and starts with a hash sign. Talk about AWARE Singapore and related topics is marked with #awaresg. Type this term into your search field in Twitzap called add a channel (bottom right). There are lots of great sites devoted to following hashtagged conversations: Twazzup | Twubs | Twendz | Twitterfall Final Words Health Warning: It takes a while to "get" Twitter but once you do, it can be highly addictive. DMs: You can send DMs (Direct Messages) to anyone that you follow and who follows you back. These are private messages. You cannot DM someone who does not follow you. That’s it! You are not a noob anymore.     More: Using Twitzap - Mashable Ultimate Twitter Guide - Webdesigner’s Depot Quick Guide to Twitter and #awaresg Many of our supporters participated in the May 2009 EGM via Twitter by following the #awaresg hashtag. Since then, there remains an ongoing conversation about the issues surrounding this event. The following is a very quick guide to joining this discussion. What is Twitter? It’s a way to exchange information and talk to millions of people all over the world. Twitter is NOT Facebook style updates of what you are doing every few minutes! How do I join? Get an account here. Hint: Choose an ID that is as short as possible! Hint: Avoid using all capital letters, underscores & pseudonym’s Hint: Load your personal photo  immediately! No photo is the true mark of a noob (newbie) . If you are shy, a cartoon or logo will do. Hint: Fill in your profile so people know a bit about you. Order: Do NOT protect your updates. You will never get to experience the real Twitter if you do.   OK so I have an account, now what? Stop using Twitter! Virtually nobody actually uses the Twitter website to follow Twitter. There are many better alternatives. For new users, I highly recommend TwitZap.com. It’s a Twitter interface that is easy on the eyes and is intuitive. Just login with your Twitter ID… OK I’m in. So how?   1. Tweet!Send a message, 140 characters or less, to announce yourself to the world: “Hello Twitterverse!” Remember: everyone in the world can see your message if they bother to look for it. Do not tweet your e-mail address, phone number or IC! Duh. Follow weareaware on Twitter! 2. Follow someone!When you follow someone you see their updates. However they will not see yours unless they follow you. It’s not automatically mutual. Already have friends on Twitter? Follow them. You can follow anyone you want. It’s not like Facebook - you do not need to know a person to follow them. Just follow anyone you think is interesting. Your list of follows and followers will grow slowly over time. 3. Follow a conversation using hashtags!When a group of people discuss a given topic, they use a key word that can be used as a common search term. The keyword is called a hashtag and starts with a hash # sign. Talk about AWARE Singapore and related topics is marked with #awaresg (see recent #awaresg tweets above). Type #awaresg into your Twitzap search field in called add a channel. You are now following the conversation. For an even richer experience of the buzz, there are lots of great sites devoted to following hashtagged conversations: Twazzup | Twubs | Twendz | Twitterfall | Twitter Search Final Words Health Warning: It takes a while to "get" Twitter but once you do, it can be highly addictive. Who said what to whom? One thing most twitter clients do VERY poorly is showing threaded conversation ie so that you know WHAT tweet is being replied to. If you get confused, try looking at the tweets through Tweetree, another web-based interface. DMs: You can send DMs (Direct Messages) to anyone that you follow and who follows you back. These are private messages. You cannot DM someone who does not follow you. @: The @ symbol is used when you want to reply or refer to a particular user. To reply to someone place the @ symbol before their username. RT: RT stands for Re-tweet. It is proper twitter etiquette to credit the source with RT @username then their message. That’s it! You are not a noob anymore.     More: Twitetiquette and other basics- Caroline Middlebrook Using Twitzap - Mashable Ultimate Twitter Guide - Webdesigner’s Depot Twitter FAQ- Caroline Middlebrook Some interesting Twitter tools - Mashable Retweet Etiquette - DanZarrella Response to MOE Decision Response to Education Ministry’s decision to drop AWARE as a vendor for sexuality education programmes It is regrettable that the Ministry has seen a need to make this move. However, we recognise that the ministry has been under considerable pressure from some parents on the matter and we can understand why it has taken this action. AWARE still believes our Comprehensive Sexuality Education programme is a much needed resource for youths. It was drawn up by professionals and, during the two years it was run in schools, there was no negative feedback. During the furore of recent weeks, many parents made a point of saying they would be keen for their children to benefit from the objective and frank approach AWARE’s programme takes to sexuality. We will continue with our review of the programme, and this will be done in consultation with parents, teachers, counsellors and other relevant parties. At the appropriate time we may offer it again to the Education Ministry. The CSE programme, however, is just one of AWARE’s activities. It has been given disproportionate publicity in recent weeks. It is unfortunate if there are now people in Singapore who associate AWARE only with sex education. AWARE has three areas of activity – research and advocacy, direct services, and public education. The first, research and advocacy, has been AWARE’s hallmark from the start. The work goes on with the CEDAW shadow report, and research into issues such as sexual harassment at work, work life balance, the challenges faced by singles in Singapore, and the trafficking of women and children. The AWARE helpline, along with our counselling service and the Legal Clinic, continues to be invaluable to women in distress. With our newly expanded membership, we have many new members who are offering to help in these areas and we hope to improve and expand these services in the course of this year. We also plan to step up our efforts in public education, including reviving the talks and forums that we used to hold in the early years at public libraries and other community locations. The EGM on 2 May showed very clearly that the women of Singapore have strong views on many matters and that they want to stand up and speak out. AWARE will organise forums and other opportunities for them to do so. We will make greater use of new media to reach out to members and to create channels for them to express their views and to network with each other. Dana Lam, President Information Sheet on MOE SEd Programme Information Sheet on Ministry of Education’s Sexuality Education (SEd) Programme Released today: Goals of Sexuality Education Provide accurate and adequate knowledge on human sexuality and the consequences of sexual activity so that pupils are able to make informed decisions. Impart intra- and inter-personal skills of problem-solving, decision-making and effective communication so that pupils are able to build responsible and rewarding relationships. Inculcate positive values and attitudes of sexuality so that pupils develop a respect for themselves and others as sexual beings, in line with the national value of the family as the basic unit of society. Guiding Principles Parents bear the main responsibility for the sexuality education of their children. Sexuality education is premised on the importance of the family as the basic unit of society. Teaching of facts is integrated with the teaching of values, which reflect that of the mainstream society. Curriculum Sexuality education in schools is covered both in the formal curriculum and co-curricular programmes. The formal curriculum subjects in which topics on sexuality are incorporated include Science, Health Education and Civics and Moral Education. Complementing the formal curricular programme are two co-curricular packages: MOE’s Growing Years (GY) series for upper primary, lower secondary, upper secondary and post-secondary levels. GY is developmental in nature, spanning the upper primary to post-secondary (JC/CI) levels. It addresses the subject of human sexuality from a holistic perspective, involving the intellectual, emotional, social, physical and ethical aspects of sexuality. It is covered under four main themes: Human Development, Interpersonal Relationships, Sexual Health and Behaviour, and Societal Influences. Schools implement minimum lesson hours of between 2-4 hours per year depending on level for the GY Programmes. (See Annex A (52kb .pdf)). Breaking Down Barriers (BDB) programme, jointly developed by HPB in consultation with MOE, for Sec 3 and JC/CI1 pupils, which focuses on STIs/HIV education (See Annex B) (52kb .pdf). Policies on Sexuality Education All schools to provide Sexuality Education. Adoption of GY programme for all government schools. Independent and faith-based aided schools may have their own programmes. Delivery of BDB programme for all Secondary 3 students and JC/CI1 students. Parents may opt their children out of the school’s programme. Schools may tap on relevant expertise and community resources but should follow guidelines on the engagement of external agencies. Enhancements Sexuality Education is an important programme. The following measures will be adopted to strengthen the delivery of sexuality education in schools. A) Maintain core focus on building healthy relationships and preventing STIs/HIV/teen pregnancies GY series will continue to be taught from upper primary to post-secondary levels to teach students the importance of building healthy boy-girl relationships and making responsible choices. All Sec 3 and JC/CI1 students will continue to receive BDB which presents accurate information on STIs/HIV and contraception from a health perspective. Mass lecture by HPB/MOE, as well as structured class-based component facilitated by teachers to understand consequences of unsafe sex and help teens acquire necessary skills to say no to sex. Parents of students who require more guidance will be notified and provided with options for referrals to counsellors, health professionals or to attend additional workshops to reinforce awareness of the consequences of unsafe sex, role-play responsible decision-making with respect to sex. B) Panel of Professionals for Sexuality Education Curriculum Package MOE together with HPB will form a Steering Committee of professionals to advise on and review the curriculum. Steering Committee will include psychologists, counsellors, educationists and medical practitioners and will be chaired by Director-General (Education). COMPASS (COMmunity and PArents in Support of Schools), with representatives from community and parents will periodically review materials taught and provide feedback. C) Build up a core team of teachers to teach Sexuality Education and external agencies to supplement MOE will continue to work with schools to train a core team of teachers to teach the main components of our Sexuality Education programme, through the GY series. As more teachers are trained, MOE will itself teach more of the Sexuality Education package. External agencies will still be used to supplement some lessons. D) Tighten controls and accountabilities in the engagement of external agencies New vetting process will now be centralised at MOE. Vetting process will be tightened with a more stringent checklist to raise the level of accountability of providers. A committee, headed by Director (Education Programme) will vet and approve agencies/trainers on a panel. Schools to select external agencies from the approved panel if they need to supplement programmes delivered by teachers. External agencies can apply to MOE from mid June 09. Agencies to be appointed to the panel by mid Aug 09. Appointed agencies to sign agreement with MOE. The programmes they deliver in schools will be audited. E) Empower parents with more information More information will be provided to parents such as key messages, guiding principles, the role of parents, school and the community, the scope of topics covered under Sexuality Education, the position on contentious issues and guidelines for the engagement of external vendors. Schools will also provide sufficient information to parents on their Sexuality Education programme, including topics covered at different levels and programmes run by external agencies. F) Streamline processes for parents to opt out Parents can opt their children out of entire school programme for Sexuality Education or just for individual topics, talks and workshops. Schools will provide opt out forms on their website and write to the parents at the start of each year when they provide information on their overall programme and when they hold separate talks and workshops by external agencies. ST Forum: Reaction to DPM Interview Published in ST Forum May 19th 2009 by Vincent Tan. DPM Wong is right, all should be mindful of Singapore’s secularism I REFER to last Friday’s article, ‘Questionable takeover but crucial service’. In it, the Bishop of the Anglican Church in Singapore, Dr John Chew, argued that the women who took control of the secular group, Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware), performed a ‘crucial service’ to Singapore by highlighting the ‘revisionist sexuality norms’ that were purportedly taught by Aware in schools. Let me state unequivocally at the outset that I respect all religions and people with religious beliefs. However, the statement, by a leader of the Christian community, is somewhat misleading. The themes that were advocated in the programmes conducted in schools focused mainly on the virtues of abstinence and the proper use of contraception to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases among teenagers. To claim that ‘mainstream society at large would be grateful for the… vigilance of the Christian community’ equates to saying that our secular society should adhere to the beliefs of a narrow segment of a vocal religious minority. Much has been said about how the group of women seized power and was booted out at the recent extraordinary general meeting. I believe the lessons to be learnt have been well-articulated by Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng - that we have to be tolerant of people with different opinions, and people with different religious beliefs, including those who are not bound to a particular religion. After all, our society is made up of people from a multitude of religions as well as non-believers, people of different races, and people who are straight and those who are gay. As we continue in our quest to be an inclusive society, let us all be acutely mindful of our differences, but even more conscious of the glue that binds us together as Singaporeans. Vincent Tan Being Culturally Aware The following article was written by Tan Dan Feng and reproduced with permission. There has justifiably been much scrutiny on the role of the religious and the secular in society following the recent Aware saga. Just as important in explaining the eventual outcome, I believe, is the fundamental difference in “corporate culture” and “civil society culture”. There is no reason to disbelieve the members of the Thio camp when they say they did not know each other prior to the AGM and were merely a group of like-minded individuals concerned about specific social issues and disappointed in the perceived direction that an established women’s organisation had taken. Rather than coming from activist or homemaker backgrounds, most were successful corporate women. Indeed, one perceives many characteristics of old-line corporate culture in their behaviour: A propensity towards a hierarchical structure of control, an emphasis on the “letter of the law”, a predilection towards measuring success through quantifiable indicators such as membership numbers, a belief that corporate qualifications are sufficient preparation for leadership and a tendency to see clear delineation between work and personal lives. It is perhaps their lack of knowledge of how civil society really works that led to the ill-judged attempt to take over Aware by overwhelming the AGM with a majority of new members. Thus, it was perhaps out of naiveté rather than insidious design that the ensuing saga was set in motion. Seen through the prism of their experiences, one can understand why such a move made good sense. Rather than spending years building up an organisation, would not a “corporate takeover” be more efficient and pragmatic? One acquires an “instant” organisation, “instant” branding, “instant” credibility and instant gratification as leaders of one of the region’s most respected NGOs. In the aftermath, it became embarrassingly obvious just how irrelevant their experiences were in handling their new role. Faced with questions they were ill-prepared to answer, they shunned talking to reporters for two weeks, following which they rolled out damage control in the form of a TV interview that gave no confidence and a press statement that gave no answers. As public perception swung against them, desperate measures were called for. A “big cannon” in the form of Thio Su Mien was trotted out. That the leadership bid was backed by a respected establishment authority figure might have worked in allaying concerns in the corporate world but here, Thio’s own unfamiliarity with and to civil society, her self-declaration of being a “feminist mentor” and her “sky-is-falling” warnings about a homosexual takeover of society led to an even bigger backlash, confirming fears that the takeover was fuelled by religious fundamentalism and validating concerns that the new camp was just not ready to handle the nuances of running a leading NGO and the complexities of navigating the civil society space. The Thio camp was reduced to unconvincing platitudes about their views on women’s issues, implausible claims of ignorance as to why there was such anger, an almost-compulsive resort to hot-button issues as a response to any questioning and ineffectual insistence on the legality of their elected status; when pointed out that the move for a “No Confidence Vote” is equally legitimate, their supporters could but retreat to playground taunts of “sore loser”. Lacking the ability to recognise their predicament, deficient in the knowledge and experience necessary to cope in an alien milieu, bereft of the grace to seek rapprochement in deed rather than in word, they could only succumb to the whirlpool of negativism, culminating in the almost comical authoritarian way they attempted to control the EGM. In an astonishing act of obtuseness, the Thio camp even tried to list the past achievements of Aware at the EGM as accomplishments of “their” organisation, oblivious to the insult this constitutes to the individual veteran members present on whose sweat and tears the achievements were wrenched. Indeed, past Aware president Constance Singam’s ringing question at the EGM cut straight through the pretence: Where WERE you (when we were fighting to achieve all these)? And while developments gradually revealed the inadequacies of the Thio camp, it brought out the best in the Old Guard and its supporters. The veterans found themselves playing a role they had been preparing to play for twenty-odd years. Within their element in terms of issues, bound together in camaraderie by the major crisis, familiar and competent in the role of the underdog, and equipped with the sheer doggedness, resourcefulness and organising ability built up over of two decades of tough struggle, the leadership tussle played completely to their strengths. The vast store of goodwill across society that the organisation and its leaders had accumulated through the years also unleashed itself in a torrent, surprising even the veterans themselves. Indeed, the solidarity, soul-searching and subsequent re-avowal of shared ideals among this group of tested women and their supporters brought their efforts to reclaim Aware to ever dizzying heights, soaring at moments to truly inspirational levels, rousing many in society who had never before been involved in civil society to make a stand for what they believe in. It was a lop-sided battle from Day One and it became apparent to many as the campaigns developed that the usurpers were outclassed on every single front. With the saga now over, we can perhaps look back to see what can be learnt from this event. Distilled to the essence, are not the underlying objectives of both sides the same thing, namely a better life for women and families? And does each side not require the existence of the other to define and energise itself? If all elements of society subscribe to the same value system and beliefs, how do we tell what is progressive and what is conservative? Is it not pluralism and contestation that allow society to continue to progress on a balanced keel? At an individual level, this saga clearly holds valuable lessons for bureaucrats dealing with implementation of policy and company executives starting ventures in new environments with their own unwritten rules. For the rest of us, it will come as no surprise that we find characteristics of both camps within ourselves, buffeted as we are by a myriad of influences in Singapore’s years of rapid growth following independence. Perhaps this is the perfect opportunity to reflect and take stock of our “inner Aware”. Letter to Dr John Chew This letter from the AWARE EXCO is in response to the Pastoral Letter from Dr. John Chew of 10 may 2009. Letter to Dr John Chew, Anglican Bishop of Singapore 15 May 2009 Dear Dr Chew, We note with some concern that in your pastoral letter of 10 May 2009 you appear to be perpetuating the misconception that AWARE has an agenda ‘for redefining mainstream sexual ethics and social norms’. You say that ‘unfolding revelations’ have shown that the concerns of Dr Thio Su Mien and her mentees about AWARE’s direction were ‘not misplaced’. The truth, Dr Chew, is that the concerns were misplaced. AWARE has never promoted homosexuality. In our 24 years of existence, our stand on homosexuality has been identical to that of the government. We agree that the heterosexual family is the norm for our society. But homosexuals are also part of our society and they should be able to live freely and happily, free of any discrimination. Yesterday we issued a statement to the media in response to DPM Wong Kan Seng’s Q&A with the media. We said it is most regrettable that some people in Singapore now have the impression that AWARE has a ‘gay agenda’ as this is totally unfounded. The allegation of a ‘gay agenda’ was made by Dr Thio Su Mien, and the team of women she handpicked to join AWARE and take over its leadership, on the strength of bits of information taken out of context and strung together to create an imaginary and inaccurate picture of AWARE’s activities. This unhappy episode, and the many wrongful allegations made during it, have damaged AWARE’s reputation and insulted the many women and men who, over the last 24 years, have worked so hard to improve the lives of women in Singapore and our society as a whole. Sadly, the allegations and the misperceptions continue in online forums and other channels. We at AWARE are already moving on and putting together our programmes for the year. We assure you that none of the programmes have anything to do with promoting or even endorsing homosexuality. Dr Chew, we would like to invite you and the heads or representatives of other Christian churches in Singapore to join us at the AWARE Centre for lunch sometime in the near future. It would be a chance for us to give you an accurate picture of AWARE’s agenda and our programmes. It would also be an opportunity for you to meet some AWARE members and dispel any notion you might have that we are a bunch of radicals out to promote ‘revisionist sexuality norms’. There is another matter we would like to address in this letter. In the last two weeks or so, highly confidential documents about our Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) programme have been appearing online at various online file storage sites. I attach a screen capture of the list of files available for download at MediaFire, one such service. These documents include the list of schools where the CSE was conducted and the list of CSE trainers and auditors, which gives their mobile numbers and email addresses as well as the results of the tests they sat for as part of their training as CSE trainers. These documents are kept in the AWARE office and are only available to Executive Committee (Exco) members, the members of the CSE subcommittee and relevant staff. In the two years that we ran the CSE programme, these documents were kept strictly confidential. But during the short tenure of the Exco led by Ms Josie Lau, these documents have been put online. Note that along with the CSE files, there is one titled ‘AWARE HOMO SLANT’. This is the PowerPoint document that the previous Exco used at its press conference at Raffles Town Club on 23 April. We can only conclude that the previous Exco either put these documents online themselves, or gave access to the files to someone who then put them online. In either case, this is a serious breach of the confidentiality of our programme and the privacy of our volunteers and clients. Whatever the objections to the CSE programme, this is irresponsible, unethical and reprehensible behaviour. If, as you say in your letter, the previous Exco’s ‘takeover’ actions raised ‘ethical and propriety difficulties’ in the minds of many Christians, this breach of confidentiality is just as bad if not worse. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter, Dr Chew. I will call your office next week to arrange for a suitable date for you to visit the AWARE Centre. Yours sincerely, Letter: On Advocacy Groups vs. Party Politics [This is a response, sent to the Today paper, to a letter published in the same paper on the 14th of May, 2009.] I am writing with regards to an article by Alicia Wong on Advocacy Groups VS Party Politics featured on 14may, 2009 in Today. I honestly thought that the issue on AWARE is already over & done with. The organisation has moved on and back at doing what they do best, to find ways and means to support women who are in need of their help. Apparently I am wrong. What does Ms. Dana Lam’s political affiliation got to do with her involvement or presidency post in AWARE? Let’s not start a new saga. The first was Church VS AWARE and now is it Politics VS AWARE? Why can’t a person volunteer his or her time, effort, expertise etc for the good of mankind? Must everything be scrutinised? AWARE is a non-profit organisation that was established to help but not to influence. I am a member of AWARE and I voted for PAP and I have no qualms about Ms. Lam holding the post of President for AWARE. She is passionate in helping others as a woman and as a human being but not as a WP supporter. Please do not mix politics with NGO. The meaning of NGO, Non-Governmental Organisation, speaks for itself. When one calls the AWARE line for assistance, never before were they asked on matters on their affiliation, beliefs, race etc. Please give Ms Lam and her committee a chance to prove themselves that there is no political agenda behind their election. She said in the same article that “collaborations must be to further the objectives of AWARE” and stated that she will not “push” the agenda on whether one should join the PAP, WP or any party. It’s time to move on and focus on other issues such as the Economic situation, on why NUS is ranked 10th amongst the universities in our region and not top 3 at the least. Siddy ZB S1629xxxx [Address redacted] Featured Post: Heroines & Warriors The following is an extract from Meet the Amazing Amazon Warriors of Singapore by Parameswara, guest columnist at Seelan Palay’s Blog: Shakespeare said “Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.” For these amazing warriors they certainly achieved greatness. I salute you all - Ms Dana Lam, Constance Singam, Brema Mathia, Margeret Thomas and, last but never least, Mr. Siew Kum Hong who - possibly motivated by a sense of justice - took on the legal role for free! So join me friends in saluting these amazing Amazon warriors of Singapore. You can’t find me on page 69 or page 73 of anywhere but you can find me here at this blog. So post your ‘salutes’ here and share this moment. To these warriors, I have a message too. You have earned the respects of many of the 4 million Singaporean; some of whom have come to look upon you all as guardians of civil society. More