Why women should never lead.

AWARE president gives first media interview since appointment

SINGAPORE: President for women’s advocacy group, AWARE, said the organisation has lost its focus and has become too diversified.
ADVERTISEMENT

In an exclusive interview with Channel NewsAsia’s Talking Point on Saturday, the recently appointed president, Josie Lau, spoke on why she chose to run for her post.

"I was the last woman standing. And I felt that I had to pick up the baton, to run and to continue to lead this organisation that has been marred in controversies in the last one, two weeks," she said.

Without mincing her words, she said the group has lost its focus.

"What the new committee wants to do is that, like any good corporation, if you’ve diversified too much, consolidate. And as with any new committee, we know that resources are always limited, let’s take a look and review what’s done in the past that’s good, let’s keep (that), and what new ideas we have to bring on," said Ms Lau.

She stressed that while members may focus on different things, at the end of the day, they are all fighting a common cause.

Over the past three weeks, the saga between the new and the old guard has escalated into a war of words, with each side accusing the other of harbouring hidden agendas.

So the question everyone is asking is whether the two sides are able to reconcile their differences and move forward.

Ms Lau said that is one of the first tasks she is planning to work on. She wants to create an environment where all members can disagree in an agreeable manner.

But this could be easier said than done.

Dana Lam, former AWARE president, said: "What are we supposed to reconcile if we don’t know what you’re about? AWARE is not about whether we are for or against Christianity; AWARE is not about whether we are for or against homosexuality."

Veteran members are also concerned that the current saga may have damaged the group’s reputation.

Old and new members have petitioned for an extraordinary general meeting to call for a vote of no—confidence in the new exco. This will be held on May 2.


THe recent spate of events in AWARE, has raised eyebrows on many people, leaving many with questions and doubt of the organization skills and agendas. The cat-fight within these group of people is something that i would say ridiculous. As always on how i felt about female being a leader of a big group. I do agree that at times, women do fair better in certain areas such as multi-tasking, ensuring their staff under them is not ill-treated by other departments.

We should also not forget that, women are extremely good at gossiping, influencing each other and other peers into their personal emotional thinking. Many say men are creatures without a heart, however, in my humble opinion, i agree that in running a big organization, the person heading the front should be impartial, which explains the heartless and creature part. Ladies, please bring this cat fights to your own office, settle them, there and then. Stop hogging the front page of our papers. Such news over the past few days have been so boring, and show nothing except the bitching of the members bickering and disgruntlement against each other.

DBS should also just sack that employee whom ignore the policy they had laid for her, instead of just letting her off. Else more ladies like here would never understand the importance of work and greater good, but only remember that they are doing things for themselves.

For the first time in so many years, I really think that such headlines on the newspaper has been a waste of ink, paper, trees and time. Strait Times, i besiege you to change the headlines, to Ming Yi whom case I would deem more interesting then those scratches that the cats leave on each other backs.