RI Y4 SS T2W1 AWARE Saga 2022

Part 3: The Challenges of Growing Civil Society

Is Civil Society Always Good?•NGOs generally serve public interest by providing necessary public services, checking state power, and protecting minority interests•But violent, disruptive, undemocratic or uncivil pursuit of self-interest can lead to conflict with other NGOs and the state, impeding governance –e.g. eco-terrorism and industrial (vs. consumer) lobby groups

Introduction to AWARE•Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) founded in 1985 during graduate mother eugenics debate•Membership mainly professional women•Focuses on advancing women’s rights •Mixed results, with some success in changing legislation on domestic abuse and foreign spouses •More independent from govt. (self-funded), willing to take issues to public, and aggressive, but has avoided direct confrontation with the govt.

In 1984, the Graduate Mothers' Scheme gave children of graduate mothers priority admission to schools. Women who were better-educated -defined as those with at least five O-level passes -could also get generous tax benefits if they had children, with tax breaks of 5, 10 and 15 per cent of earned income respectively for the first, second and third child.All these policies were to encourage better-educated married women to have more children.Other women, however, were paid to Stop At Two or even at one. Women below 30 who agreed to sterilisation after the first or second child could get a cash grant of $10,000 -provided both the parents did not have any O-level passes, and earned less than $1,500 a month together. If she went on to have another child, she would have to repay the $10,000 cash grant with 10 per cent compound interest a year. …The scheme to give children of graduate mothers priority in school admission was reversed in 1985. Some of the measures to discourage less-educated women from having babies were gradually rolled back as well.-The Straits Times, 24 Mar 2015

Chronology of Key Events•Jan-Mar 2009: Sudden and unprecedented spike in AWARE membership•Sat Mar 28: Unusually large turnout during the AWARE AGM (about 3 times bigger than normal, almost 80% new members); newcomers defeat existing AWARE members to win 9 of 12 positions on the executive committee•Wed Apr 8: Claire Nazarresigns as president, stating differences in decisonto remove key sub-committee members and her disapproval of their “stormtrooper” tactics

The Straits Times, 12 Apr 2009

Chronology of Key Events•Tue Apr 14: AWARE old guard leads 160 members in calling for an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM)•Wed Apr 15: New Exco appoints DBS executive, Josie Lau, as new AWARE President; DBS issues a statement saying it does not support her taking up the post•Fri Apr 17: Josie Lau issues statement questioning motives of the old guard in calling for an EGM and asks if they harbouranother agenda; Old guard issues statement to say its motives and objectives have been fully visible the past 25 years

Chronology of Key Events•Sun Apr 19: Josie Lau refuses to be interviewed on TV together with Dana Lam, ex-President; she and Maureen Ong are subsequently interviewed on Talking Point (without Ms. Lam presence at the same interview)•Tue Apr 21: Campaign site launched –www.we-are-aware.sg/

Chronology of Key Events•Thu Apr 23: Introducing Dr ThioSuMien, as their “feminist mentor”, new Exco claims AWARE has become single purpose organisation overly concerned with promoting lesbianism, and criticisesAWARE’s sexuality education programme in schools for regarding homosexuality as a neutral word.

Chronology of Key Events•Thu Apr 23 cont’d: •New Exco intentionally excludes current Honorary Treasurer Chew I-Jin(elected by old guards) from their news conference•Current president Josie Lau claims she received death threats•New Exco changes locks at the office despite vote of no-confidence and upcoming EGM•Centre’s manager, Schutz Lee, is fired without reason