Being Aware

One can't help but feel sorry for the self-declared 'feminist mentor' Thio, who till yesterday appeared to be still helpless and clueless about why she has been met with such vehement disapproval from many Singaporeans. Did she realise that the strong tide of opposition against her and Josie Lau & Co has made a huge mockery of her claim to be 'feminist mentor'? Apparently at the AWARE EOGM yesterday, Thio spoke of her achievements and held out a 2007 book that mentioned her as the first woman dean of the Law Faculty at the then-University of Singapore. With all due respect, it was a rather painful sight to see her try to reclaim some degree of credibility and thereby assert moral authority with the raucous audience. She may have achieved much as a successful woman in Singapore, but now all that has been irreversibly tainted by her indelible involvement in the momentous AWARE episode.

The saddest thing is that even as the ex-committee and Thio were resoundingly rejected at yesterday's AWARE EOGM, they might be none the wiser still on why a huge segment of Singapore society has emerged to be so strongly against them. They believed in the self-righteousness of their actions and appeared incapable of understanding why their supposedly good intentions were not met with well-meaning support but were instead cast aspersion at. One would have thought that after so many weeks have passed, they would have had time to digest the arguments raised and therefore better understood the emotions and concerns of the opposite camp. In so doing, they should have been expected to be well-prepared for the EOGM.

But they were not. Therein, it was not just their weakness and ineptitude that emerged. It showed that they were motivated to assume office because they were only concerned with particular issues, not because they were truly passionate about all-encompassing women's issues.

To hear their own words, one almost suspects they have chosen to be led blindly by their own faith without regard for rational thought. It could not be that the women and men, Christian or non-Christians, who have spoken up against them were pro-gay or anti-family (as opposed to their being anti-gay and pro-family). Many concerned men and women have stood up, voiced their opinions and felt morally obligated to make a stand for fundamental values that they perceived were being eroded and for what they saw as unacceptable behaviour.

I was shaking my head when I read in the Sunday Times (May 3, 2009, p.11) this:

She (Thio) wanted to continue, but she was drowned out by the chants of "Your three minutes are up, three minutes, three minutes."

Later, she told the Sunday Times she was surprised by the "anger" and "vehemence" she felt from the AWARE members.

"It's very scary," she said. "What is happening to women in Singapore?"

What is happening to women in Singapore? To hear this coming from a top corporate lawyer and once Dean of the Law Faculty is almost bewildering. More so as it is a case whereby a woman doesn't get her own kind - other women. And even more bewildering to this writer is the fact that although weeks have passed and people's reasons for their unhappiness and disapproval have been presented all over the papers and the internet, this brilliant lawyer appears aghast and clueless still about the strong negative reactions received.

As for Josie Lau, this was reported in the interview in Sunday Times (May 3, 2009, p.31) that she had with Sumiko Tan:

"The truth of the matter is we were elected democratically through an open election. You can't ignore the fact that the team was elected according to the Constitution."

Constitutionally, yes, but in the eyes of her detractors, not ethically.

She shrugs off the critics and says she is not losing sleep over them. "I try not to read. I don't surf the Net much anyway - first I can't surf in the office and at home, I'm not very computer savvy."

Shrugging off the critics? Not bothering to read legitimate criticisms of others? Is it any wonder then that her team lost so resoundingly? Any leader would tell you that if you want to win over followers, if you want to lead with moral authority, you should rightly be concerned with criticisms: Not because you want to lead by popularity, but because criticisms have a place in any organisation. Where invalid and untrue, they allow you to present your arguments, establish an even stronger case for your stand or product, and to dispel misrepresentations or untruths that can potentially bring greater harm to your reputation; where the criticisms contain some shreds of truth, then you should be gracious and open-minded enough to consider them and self-reflect so as to right any wrongs and make progress.

What infuriated people and elicited strong ground-up activism was that Josie & Co persistently repeated evasive answers and did not, or could not, address the legitimate concerns raised by numerous people. Ultimately, they sowed their own seeds of distrust and allowed their credibility to be torn apart. When their 'feminist mentor' revealed herself, i think that was a major turning point which got more people riled and decided to stand up and be heard.

As I mentioned at the start, I feel more sorry and pity than dislike for Thio, Josie Lau and her committee. They often appeared helpless and clueless, and seemed more in need of help than being able to help others or further the cause of women's issues in Singapore. Well-meaning citizens though they may be - even if they were acting on their religious convictions to propagate their beliefs - I hope they do take the opportunity to reflect upon the "anger" and "vehemence" showed towards them.

At the same time, like many others, I am heartened and strongly encouraged by the activism of women and other Singaporeans who have stood up and helped right an injustice. This - civil activism - is what Singapore, or any society for that matter, needs in order to fight against bigorty, fundamentalism of any type, and deleterious incitements by any groups.