'Sexually challenged' isn't an offensive term referring to gays
I WISH to comment on Dr Thio Su Mien's reference to homosexuals as sexually challenged people ('Gay activists a key constituency of Aware', May 18).
Unlike one letter writer to Forum, I do not think that is offensive. It is a fact that homosexuality is an abnormality for the simple reason that it is against the laws of nature. Nature intended each species to reproduce itself and homosexuality does not do the job.
It is possible that some people are born with homosexual inclinations but that does not make them normal. They are in the same category as people born mentally retarded or blind or deaf or mute. While we may sympathise with them, we do not think of them as normal.
This is an important point we need to convey to children in school. Human behaviour is malleable. According to many historians, homosexuality was rampant in ancient Greece because it was socially acceptable.
So if teachers and parents do not teach our young that homosexuality is unnatural, our young may decide to experiment and opt for the homosexual lifestyle.
Tan Keng Soon
http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=28024.450
Showing posts with label Thio Su Mien. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thio Su Mien. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
LHZB interview special with Dr. Thio Su Mien
LHZB interview special with Dr. Thio Su Mien
“Feminist Mentor” Dr. Thio Su Mien: The “coup” was accidental
The “coup” that occurred at AWARE’s AGM several weeks ago was actually an accident.
At least this was how Dr. Thio Su Mien perceived it.
At the AWARE AGM on March 28th, a twelve-member executive committee (exco) was voted in but the majority of the exco members, including Ms Josie Lau who later took over as president, were new and relatively unknown members. This provoked unease and dissatisfaction amongst the veteran members of AWARE; later, this also sparked a series of tussles between the old guard and new guard of AWARE.
However, Dr. Thio, widely perceived as the one who orchestrated this “coup”, in an interview with this newspaper, claimed that she did not expect the outcome of the AGM elections to result in a new guard taking over as the exco. She also claims that her encouraging of young women to join AWARE was aimed only at injecting new vitality into the organisation and to preserve the core family values of Singaporean society.
According to reports, AWARE’s membership numbers have, in recent years, been declining, reaching a low of 200 members at the end of last year. However, amongst those attending AWARE’s AGM on March 28th, only a minority was long-standing members of AWARE while the majority were new members who joined only shortly before the AGM.
According to Dr. Thio, if the long-standing members of AWARE had all attended the AGM, the new members “may not even have a single chance of winning a position, hence who can we blame for the outcome of the exco elections; even I was not expecting such an outcome”.
In a media report in April, it was revealed that Ms Josie Lau, the new AWARE president, along with another 5 new exco members are from the same church of Church of Our Saviour (COOS) while Dr. Thio is also a member of COOS and a mentor to Ms Lau and company. It was later revealed that Ms Lau is married to Dr. Thio’s nephew. All this were cited as proof of a well-orchestrated “coup” by Dr. Thio.
When reminded of this during the interview, Dr. Thio laughed and said: “If you say that I planned all this, I indeed was the one going around encouraging people I know to join AWARE. But all these people were mobilised at the last moment. Some amongst them did not know one another but only know me; some in fact are not that familiar with me. My purpose was: if you are able to, you should join this organisation and contribute to society”.
She added that if she was indeed the mastermind behind the whole thing, she would not be “as stupid as to find people from the same church”.
“If I really premeditated this, then I would be a real strategist; if so, I should organise a rainbow coalition like them (the old guard of AWARE). However, my thinking was very simple. But now thinking back, I was in fact rather foolish and naïve in my thinking. I never thought that the outcome will be this and that things will get so out of hand”.
On the April 23rd press conference held by the exco headed by Ms Lau, Dr. Thio was present to answer questions on behalf of the exco. At that press conference, Dr. Thio made statements about AWARE’s declining membership numbers, the proposed changes to its constitution to allow for male members to be eligible to vote. Her accusations about AWARE’s Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) programme and about it promoting a homosexual lifestyle were also made at that press conference.
The AWARE saga later attracted more attention from outsiders and supporters of the old guard and this was because of Dr. Thio’s confession that she has been the mentor of the exco for several years and was the one who encouraged them to join AWARE. Also, it was revealed through online sources that Dr. Thio had, before the AGM, sent out mass emails criticising the CSE and encouraging people to vote for “reformers who want to be in charge”.
The question is: why didn’t this retired veteran lawyer personally run for a position on the AWARE exco if she was so concerned about the supposed direction the organisation was heading in?
Dr. Thio, who is already 71 years of age, explained that besides her age, another more important reason why she didn’t personally run for an exco position was that she felt that being a mentor, her responsibility was to nurture people who can make contributions to society and not try to glorify herself.
Similarly, it was because of her role as a mentor that Dr. Thio decided that it was necessary for her to present at the April 23rd press conference to defend Ms Lau and company.
Surprised at the anger and emotions at the EOGM
“I originally only planned to speak at the EOGM but when I saw the exco being lambasted, I felt that I have the responsibility, since I was the one who encouraged them to join AWARE and serve the interests of womenfolk and the nation, to be present at the press conference. I did not expect that they will be attacked and, even worse, that their lives, livelihood and businesses will also come under threat.”
The exco originally has no plans to hold a press conference and had wanted to wait till the EOGM to express their views.
“But”, said Dr. Thio, “the media was having a field day with the AWARE saga so we had to hold a press conference to clarify matters”.
Besides being surprised at the “coup”-like outcome of the AGM, Dr. Thio also expressed great surprise at the sudden increase in membership numbers for AWARE and the intensity of the emotions displayed at the EOGM on May 2nd.
During the 7 hours long EOGM, a scene which is perhaps most memorable to those present and those paying close attention to the happenings at the EOGM would be that of Dr. Thio proudly holding up a publication by AWARE to announce that she is on page 73 of the publication. This act was heavily criticised by the supporters of the old guard present at the EOGM. Dr. Thio’s attempts to rein in the noisy crowd by reminding them that they need to respect their elders also provoked a round of jeers.
Reminded about this during the interview, Dr. Thio expressed surprise: “I never thought that on the day of the EOGM, people’s emotions would be so intense, that the atmosphere will be so filled with anger”.
Nothing to be angry about
However, with regards to being unable to finish her speech due to the jeers, Dr. Thio said that there was nothing to be angry about.
“There is no need to be angry. Being angry will be like playing an old record non-stop”. Dr. Thio feels that if an individual is not able to let go, he or she will only cause him/herself to be trapped in the past and not be able to move on.
Hence, even though her remarks of “Please respect your elders” and “I am on page 73” was printed onto slogan t-shirts, Dr. Thio also laughed it off, saying: “This sort of design is quite interesting and can increase the income for the designer; I also want to buy one to take a look”.
As for what her future plans for herself and her “mentees” will be, Dr. Thio said: “Let’s talk about this after I return from a vacation! Perhaps taking a vacation will inspire me. And hopefully, the anger over this saga will dissipate and Josie will be able to continue using her strengths to contribute to society”.
Box story: “Homosexuality is a political movement”
Been keenly aware of the developments in homosexuality in Europe and North America, Dr. Thio firmly believes that there is a political movement promoting homosexuality. And the aims of this movement will include the de-criminalisation of anal sex. This may be witnessed in the attempts by individuals in Singapore to repeal Section 377A of the local Penal Code.
Dr. Thio said: “This is a significant point. Because if once the law is abolished or liberalised, homosexual activists will start to raise issues, such as marriage equality, education equality, and medical equality, to ask for funds from the government.”
In Finland, singles and lesbians are, with government subsidies, able to receive artificial insemination. This, according to Dr. Thio, will thus involve how taxpayers’ money should be used.
Dr. Thio also cited an example from Canada. According to her, there was a case in Canada in which a kindergarten teacher filed a lawsuit against the school management committee, accusing the committee for not including three books with contents about same-sex parents in the syllabus for kindergarten and primary one students. Although parents from different religious backgrounds, e.g. Hinduism, Sikhism, Catholicism and Christianity, supported the school management committee in the Canadian Supreme Court, the school management committee lose the case and had to put the three books into the school library.
She originally did not want this interview to be published
This interview with Dr. Thio almost did not get published.
Although she readily agreed to be interviewed one week ago, Dr. Thio later wanted to prevent this interview from being published.
As one of the central figures in the AWARE saga, Dr. Thio felt that Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng’s statement about the government stance on the AWARE saga and call for individual religious groups and secular organisations to be tolerant and exercise restraint already provided a very good conclusion to the AWARE saga. Thus, she did not want this interview to be published lest it stirs up emotions or polarise society.
Eventually, Dr. Thio was convinced to allow this interview to be published. This was because she knew that the focus of this interview will be the family values she espouses. As she said, one week ago, when she agreed to be interviewed: “If you all want to find out my views on family and values, then we may talk. But if you all want to talk about the AWARE saga, then forget about it”.
The interview was conducted at a restaurant in the Botanical Gardens. The day before the interview (6/5/2009), Dr. Thio attended the 150th anniversary dinner and dialogue session with Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew organised by the Botanical Gardens; amazed by the beauty of the Botanical Gardens, Dr. Thio wanted us journalists to also experience it.
Dressed in a purple floral top and a long skirt, Dr. Thio looked markedly different and softer from how she looked like during the AWARE saga – serious and dressed in proper business attire. Without wasting any time, Dr. Thio proceeded to, through sharing one story after another, express her staunch belief in the core family values which she seeks to protect.
The first story was the “Chicken Egg” story, a story her daughter, Ms Thio Li-Ann, in conjunction with Mothers’ Day, wrote in The New Paper to express her gratitude towards Dr. Thio.
With regards to this story, Dr. Thio said: “I was in disrepute after the AWARE saga, thus I was very moved by Li-Ann’s use of this story to express her respect and support for me; it also shows that she still remembers the meaning behind the story”.
After the end of World War Two, Dr. Thio, who was then only 7 years of age, was visiting her grandmother’s hometown in Fujian along with her parents and siblings. Her relatives there, although they were very poor, will always present Dr. Thio and her family with a big bowl of noodles with an omelette placed on top. Seeing this, Dr. Thio’s father will remind her and her siblings to finish the noodles as although her relatives were poor, they offered them the best. This childhood lesson about respecting others that Dr. Thio’s father imparted to her was a memorable one to Dr. Thio which she later imparted to her own children.
Dr. Thio said: “My parents each had their own personalities and strengths and it was them who provided me with an environment that shaped my character and value system. Hence, I firmly believe that every child should be able to live and grow up in a family with full parental support. A family headed by a same-sex couple will find it difficult to provide children with a conducive environment to best grow up in”.
For the past 10 years and more, Dr. Thio has been involved in church counselling work and once, a father lamented to her that it is most unfortunate that a small golfing ball can alienate a father from his family. This lamentation by this father also illustrated to Dr. Thio the importance that parents have in their children’s lives and education.
“When my children were about 2 to 3 years old, my husband gave me a set of golfing equipment. I went to play a few rounds of golf but I realised that I was neglecting my children. Thus, I decided to throw the golfing equipment into the storeroom and brought my children out for swimming. In the years which I have been doing family counselling, I have also been encouraging parents to bring their children for swimming or cycling to strengthen the bonds between them and their children; don’t play golf. When it comes to discerning what is truly important, we often make mistakes”.
Witnessing the trends and changes in Europe and North America with regards to the family and gender relations, Dr. Thio was more convinced of the paramount importance of family education and that many societies, including Singapore, are facing challenges to their value systems.
Dr. Thio is especially worried about the erosion of values by a movement, originating in the West, that is challenging people’s belief in the family. And this movement, according to Dr. Thio, aims to “basically redefine the meaning of marriage, to redefine marriage as not only belonging to couples of different sexes but also to same-sex couples. This movement aims to legalise same-sex marriage and to redefine the traditional concept of the family”.
“This is a movement which constantly appeals to people to support it. You can recognise its existence but you cannot allow it to become part of the mainstream. Schools should have sex education but this should be done appropriately to preserve our core values about the family”.
And encouraging eligible women to serve and contribute to society is one way that Dr. Thio has been using to preserve the core values of Singaporean society. As the mentor of Ms Josie Lau and others, she often “nags” at them to be more concerned about society at large and “not to be only interested in fashion and handbags”.
This is basically why she encouraged them to join AWARE.
“We cannot depend on the schools and the government for everything. We all understand the need to seriously learn how to be good reporters and lawyers but this is not the case when it comes to learning how to be a good parent. If parents are only concerned their children’ academic grades and leave the rest to maids and society to handle, the family and society will collapse”.
In an interview that spanned 2 hours, two-thirds of the time was spent on discussing the importance of maintaining core values. As the interview came to an end, Dr. Thio said to us journalists: “If I had known you all earlier, I would perhaps also encouraged you all to join AWARE”.
“Why is it that everytime someone offers an opposing view to homosexuality, that person will receive death threats or have his/her livelihood threatened? Does this involve the use of politics of fear? Shouldn’t the media be concerned about this? Shouldn’t we be having a regulatory mechanism to ensure objective and fair reporting by the media?” – On the former exco of AWARE and herself receiving death threats during the AWARE saga
“I am very glad that now there are more people discussing about the issue of sex education and desiring a better vetting process to be put in place for sex education in schools. However, I am not sure how the Education Ministry will oversee the matter, as in how will they check on the teachers, who are crucial figures in sex education, who are teaching sex education? This point will need to be clarified.
Originally, the Education Ministry wanted me to produce evidence for my claims about there being parents complaining about sex education. However, the report in the April 24th edition of The Straits Times and my response letter to the Education Ministry have made it clear that I never said I received complaints from parents. Also, after investigations, the Education Ministry has publicly announced that some sex education programmes have contravened its guiding principles. This shows that my accusations were not inaccurate.
What is comforting is that the Education Ministry has decided to examine how it can enhance its vetting process for sex education. We should improve on the transparency and credibility of this process. A supervisory body should also be specially set up to communicate with and consult parents. Also, perhaps the vetting process should include placing relevant information online as a display of transparency?” – On the Education Ministry announcing on June 7th the suspension of sex education programmes provided by external organisations e.g. AWARE after its initial statement that it did not receive any complaints from parents
“The responsibility of a mentor is to nurture and groom them before allowing them to go out to contribute to society; to allow for the continued increase in the numbers of talented individuals. If you do not let young people to serve in leadership roles but do everything by yourself, this will be most inefficient.” – On why she did not personally run for a position on the AWARE exco
“50% of Singapore’s population consists of women; we actually have an abundance of talent. If we are able to have 10 Mrs. Lim Hwee Hua (Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office), 50 Professor Chan Heng Chee (Singapore’s Ambassador to the United States) or 100 Olivia Lum (CEO of Hyflux), that will be a great blessing. There are two levels to this: firstly, on the societal level, we will need to help those women at the bottom of the social ladder to improve themselves and for those women who are better off, we will have to let them possess more skills and to inspire them to contribute more to society.
We will have to nurture more women leaders in different fields because CEDAW’s target is to have women have 30-35% representation in different fields. I, with my life experiences, should be able to contribute towards this endeavour.” – On why she encouraged more eligible women to join AWARE
http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=28024.408
Monday, May 18, 2009
LHZB interview special with Dr. Thio Su Mien
LHZB interview special with Dr. Thio Su Mien
“Feminist Mentor” Dr. Thio Su Mien: The “coup” was accidental
The “coup” that occurred at AWARE’s AGM several weeks ago was actually an accident.
At least this was how Dr. Thio Su Mien perceived it.
At the AWARE AGM on March 28th, a twelve-member executive committee (exco) was voted in but the majority of the exco members, including Ms Josie Lau who later took over as president, were new and relatively unknown members. This provoked unease and dissatisfaction amongst the veteran members of AWARE; later, this also sparked a series of tussles between the old guard and new guard of AWARE.
However, Dr. Thio, widely perceived as the one who orchestrated this “coup”, in an interview with this newspaper, claimed that she did not expect the outcome of the AGM elections to result in a new guard taking over as the exco. She also claims that her encouraging of young women to join AWARE was aimed only at injecting new vitality into the organisation and to preserve the core family values of Singaporean society.
According to reports, AWARE’s membership numbers have, in recent years, been declining, reaching a low of 200 members at the end of last year. However, amongst those attending AWARE’s AGM on March 28th, only a minority was long-standing members of AWARE while the majority were new members who joined only shortly before the AGM.
According to Dr. Thio, if the long-standing members of AWARE had all attended the AGM, the new members “may not even have a single chance of winning a position, hence who can we blame for the outcome of the exco elections; even I was not expecting such an outcome”.
In a media report in April, it was revealed that Ms Josie Lau, the new AWARE president, along with another 5 new exco members are from the same church of Church of Our Saviour (COOS) while Dr. Thio is also a member of COOS and a mentor to Ms Lau and company. It was later revealed that Ms Lau is married to Dr. Thio’s nephew. All this were cited as proof of a well-orchestrated “coup” by Dr. Thio.
When reminded of this during the interview, Dr. Thio laughed and said: “If you say that I planned all this, I indeed was the one going around encouraging people I know to join AWARE. But all these people were mobilised at the last moment. Some amongst them did not know one another but only know me; some in fact are not that familiar with me. My purpose was: if you are able to, you should join this organisation and contribute to society”.
She added that if she was indeed the mastermind behind the whole thing, she would not be “as stupid as to find people from the same church”.
“If I really premeditated this, then I would be a real strategist; if so, I should organise a rainbow coalition like them (the old guard of AWARE). However, my thinking was very simple. But now thinking back, I was in fact rather foolish and naïve in my thinking. I never thought that the outcome will be this and that things will get so out of hand”.
On the April 23rd press conference held by the exco headed by Ms Lau, Dr. Thio was present to answer questions on behalf of the exco. At that press conference, Dr. Thio made statements about AWARE’s declining membership numbers, the proposed changes to its constitution to allow for male members to be eligible to vote. Her accusations about AWARE’s Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) programme and about it promoting a homosexual lifestyle were also made at that press conference.
The AWARE saga later attracted more attention from outsiders and supporters of the old guard and this was because of Dr. Thio’s confession that she has been the mentor of the exco for several years and was the one who encouraged them to join AWARE. Also, it was revealed through online sources that Dr. Thio had, before the AGM, sent out mass emails criticising the CSE and encouraging people to vote for “reformers who want to be in charge”.
The question is: why didn’t this retired veteran lawyer personally run for a position on the AWARE exco if she was so concerned about the supposed direction the organisation was heading in?
Dr. Thio, who is already 71 years of age, explained that besides her age, another more important reason why she didn’t personally run for an exco position was that she felt that being a mentor, her responsibility was to nurture people who can make contributions to society and not try to glorify herself.
Similarly, it was because of her role as a mentor that Dr. Thio decided that it was necessary for her to present at the April 23rd press conference to defend Ms Lau and company.
Surprised at the anger and emotions at the EOGM
“I originally only planned to speak at the EOGM but when I saw the exco being lambasted, I felt that I have the responsibility, since I was the one who encouraged them to join AWARE and serve the interests of womenfolk and the nation, to be present at the press conference. I did not expect that they will be attacked and, even worse, that their lives, livelihood and businesses will also come under threat.”
The exco originally has no plans to hold a press conference and had wanted to wait till the EOGM to express their views.
“But”, said Dr. Thio, “the media was having a field day with the AWARE saga so we had to hold a press conference to clarify matters”.
Besides being surprised at the “coup”-like outcome of the AGM, Dr. Thio also expressed great surprise at the sudden increase in membership numbers for AWARE and the intensity of the emotions displayed at the EOGM on May 2nd.
During the 7 hours long EOGM, a scene which is perhaps most memorable to those present and those paying close attention to the happenings at the EOGM would be that of Dr. Thio proudly holding up a publication by AWARE to announce that she is on page 73 of the publication. This act was heavily criticised by the supporters of the old guard present at the EOGM. Dr. Thio’s attempts to rein in the noisy crowd by reminding them that they need to respect their elders also provoked a round of jeers.
Reminded about this during the interview, Dr. Thio expressed surprise: “I never thought that on the day of the EOGM, people’s emotions would be so intense, that the atmosphere will be so filled with anger”.
Nothing to be angry about
However, with regards to being unable to finish her speech due to the jeers, Dr. Thio said that there was nothing to be angry about.
“There is no need to be angry. Being angry will be like playing an old record non-stop”. Dr. Thio feels that if an individual is not able to let go, he or she will only cause him/herself to be trapped in the past and not be able to move on.
Hence, even though her remarks of “Please respect your elders” and “I am on page 73” was printed onto slogan t-shirts, Dr. Thio also laughed it off, saying: “This sort of design is quite interesting and can increase the income for the designer; I also want to buy one to take a look”.
As for what her future plans for herself and her “mentees” will be, Dr. Thio said: “Let’s talk about this after I return from a vacation! Perhaps taking a vacation will inspire me. And hopefully, the anger over this saga will dissipate and Josie will be able to continue using her strengths to contribute to society”.
Box story: “Homosexuality is a political movement”
Been keenly aware of the developments in homosexuality in Europe and North America, Dr. Thio firmly believes that there is a political movement promoting homosexuality. And the aims of this movement will include the de-criminalisation of anal sex. This may be witnessed in the attempts by individuals in Singapore to repeal Section 377A of the local Penal Code.
Dr. Thio said: “This is a significant point. Because if once the law is abolished or liberalised, homosexual activists will start to raise issues, such as marriage equality, education equality, and medical equality, to ask for funds from the government.”
In Finland, singles and lesbians are, with government subsidies, able to receive artificial insemination. This, according to Dr. Thio, will thus involve how taxpayers’ money should be used.
Dr. Thio also cited an example from Canada. According to her, there was a case in Canada in which a kindergarten teacher filed a lawsuit against the school management committee, accusing the committee for not including three books with contents about same-sex parents in the syllabus for kindergarten and primary one students. Although parents from different religious backgrounds, e.g. Hinduism, Sikhism, Catholicism and Christianity, supported the school management committee in the Canadian Supreme Court, the school management committee lose the case and had to put the three books into the school library.
She originally did not want this interview to be published
This interview with Dr. Thio almost did not get published.
Although she readily agreed to be interviewed one week ago, Dr. Thio later wanted to prevent this interview from being published.
As one of the central figures in the AWARE saga, Dr. Thio felt that Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng’s statement about the government stance on the AWARE saga and call for individual religious groups and secular organisations to be tolerant and exercise restraint already provided a very good conclusion to the AWARE saga. Thus, she did not want this interview to be published lest it stirs up emotions or polarise society.
Eventually, Dr. Thio was convinced to allow this interview to be published. This was because she knew that the focus of this interview will be the family values she espouses. As she said, one week ago, when she agreed to be interviewed: “If you all want to find out my views on family and values, then we may talk. But if you all want to talk about the AWARE saga, then forget about it”.
The interview was conducted at a restaurant in the Botanical Gardens. The day before the interview (6/5/2009), Dr. Thio attended the 150th anniversary dinner and dialogue session with Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew organised by the Botanical Gardens; amazed by the beauty of the Botanical Gardens, Dr. Thio wanted us journalists to also experience it.
Dressed in a purple floral top and a long skirt, Dr. Thio looked markedly different and softer from how she looked like during the AWARE saga – serious and dressed in proper business attire. Without wasting any time, Dr. Thio proceeded to, through sharing one story after another, express her staunch belief in the core family values which she seeks to protect.
The first story was the “Chicken Egg” story, a story her daughter, Ms Thio Li-Ann, in conjunction with Mothers’ Day, wrote in The New Paper to express her gratitude towards Dr. Thio.
With regards to this story, Dr. Thio said: “I was in disrepute after the AWARE saga, thus I was very moved by Li-Ann’s use of this story to express her respect and support for me; it also shows that she still remembers the meaning behind the story”.
After the end of World War Two, Dr. Thio, who was then only 7 years of age, was visiting her grandmother’s hometown in Fujian along with her parents and siblings. Her relatives there, although they were very poor, will always present Dr. Thio and her family with a big bowl of noodles with an omelette placed on top. Seeing this, Dr. Thio’s father will remind her and her siblings to finish the noodles as although her relatives were poor, they offered them the best. This childhood lesson about respecting others that Dr. Thio’s father imparted to her was a memorable one to Dr. Thio which she later imparted to her own children.
Dr. Thio said: “My parents each had their own personalities and strengths and it was them who provided me with an environment that shaped my character and value system. Hence, I firmly believe that every child should be able to live and grow up in a family with full parental support. A family headed by a same-sex couple will find it difficult to provide children with a conducive environment to best grow up in”.
For the past 10 years and more, Dr. Thio has been involved in church counselling work and once, a father lamented to her that it is most unfortunate that a small golfing ball can alienate a father from his family. This lamentation by this father also illustrated to Dr. Thio the importance that parents have in their children’s lives and education.
“When my children were about 2 to 3 years old, my husband gave me a set of golfing equipment. I went to play a few rounds of golf but I realised that I was neglecting my children. Thus, I decided to throw the golfing equipment into the storeroom and brought my children out for swimming. In the years which I have been doing family counselling, I have also been encouraging parents to bring their children for swimming or cycling to strengthen the bonds between them and their children; don’t play golf. When it comes to discerning what is truly important, we often make mistakes”.
Witnessing the trends and changes in Europe and North America with regards to the family and gender relations, Dr. Thio was more convinced of the paramount importance of family education and that many societies, including Singapore, are facing challenges to their value systems.
Dr. Thio is especially worried about the erosion of values by a movement, originating in the West, that is challenging people’s belief in the family. And this movement, according to Dr. Thio, aims to “basically redefine the meaning of marriage, to redefine marriage as not only belonging to couples of different sexes but also to same-sex couples. This movement aims to legalise same-sex marriage and to redefine the traditional concept of the family”.
“This is a movement which constantly appeals to people to support it. You can recognise its existence but you cannot allow it to become part of the mainstream. Schools should have sex education but this should be done appropriately to preserve our core values about the family”.
And encouraging eligible women to serve and contribute to society is one way that Dr. Thio has been using to preserve the core values of Singaporean society. As the mentor of Ms Josie Lau and others, she often “nags” at them to be more concerned about society at large and “not to be only interested in fashion and handbags”.
This is basically why she encouraged them to join AWARE.
“We cannot depend on the schools and the government for everything. We all understand the need to seriously learn how to be good reporters and lawyers but this is not the case when it comes to learning how to be a good parent. If parents are only concerned their children’ academic grades and leave the rest to maids and society to handle, the family and society will collapse”.
In an interview that spanned 2 hours, two-thirds of the time was spent on discussing the importance of maintaining core values. As the interview came to an end, Dr. Thio said to us journalists: “If I had known you all earlier, I would perhaps also encouraged you all to join AWARE”.
“Why is it that everytime someone offers an opposing view to homosexuality, that person will receive death threats or have his/her livelihood threatened? Does this involve the use of politics of fear? Shouldn’t the media be concerned about this? Shouldn’t we be having a regulatory mechanism to ensure objective and fair reporting by the media?” – On the former exco of AWARE and herself receiving death threats during the AWARE saga
“I am very glad that now there are more people discussing about the issue of sex education and desiring a better vetting process to be put in place for sex education in schools. However, I am not sure how the Education Ministry will oversee the matter, as in how will they check on the teachers, who are crucial figures in sex education, who are teaching sex education? This point will need to be clarified.
Originally, the Education Ministry wanted me to produce evidence for my claims about there being parents complaining about sex education. However, the report in the April 24th edition of The Straits Times and my response letter to the Education Ministry have made it clear that I never said I received complaints from parents. Also, after investigations, the Education Ministry has publicly announced that some sex education programmes have contravened its guiding principles. This shows that my accusations were not inaccurate.
What is comforting is that the Education Ministry has decided to examine how it can enhance its vetting process for sex education. We should improve on the transparency and credibility of this process. A supervisory body should also be specially set up to communicate with and consult parents. Also, perhaps the vetting process should include placing relevant information online as a display of transparency?” – On the Education Ministry announcing on June 7th the suspension of sex education programmes provided by external organisations e.g. AWARE after its initial statement that it did not receive any complaints from parents
“The responsibility of a mentor is to nurture and groom them before allowing them to go out to contribute to society; to allow for the continued increase in the numbers of talented individuals. If you do not let young people to serve in leadership roles but do everything by yourself, this will be most inefficient.” – On why she did not personally run for a position on the AWARE exco
“50% of Singapore’s population consists of women; we actually have an abundance of talent. If we are able to have 10 Mrs. Lim Hwee Hua (Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office), 50 Professor Chan Heng Chee (Singapore’s Ambassador to the United States) or 100 Olivia Lum (CEO of Hyflux), that will be a great blessing. There are two levels to this: firstly, on the societal level, we will need to help those women at the bottom of the social ladder to improve themselves and for those women who are better off, we will have to let them possess more skills and to inspire them to contribute more to society.
We will have to nurture more women leaders in different fields because CEDAW’s target is to have women have 30-35% representation in different fields. I, with my life experiences, should be able to contribute towards this endeavour.” – On why she encouraged more eligible women to join AWARE
http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=28024.408
“女权导师”黄嗣绵：“夺权”事件是一场意外
AWARE风波 专访黄嗣绵
“女权导师”黄嗣绵：“夺权”事件是一场意外
（2009-05-17）
● 林妙娜 吴新慧
几个星期前在妇女行动及研究协会（AWARE）执委选举上闹出的“夺权”事件，原来是一场意外。
至少对“女权导师”黄嗣绵博士来说，这是如此。
在3月28日的AWARE会员大会上，产生了由12人组成的新执委，但当中包括新任会长刘鸣鹂等人在内的九名新成员占了绝大多数，引起了旧执委及会员的不安和不满，也因此引起了双方在之后的一连串反弹动作。
被视为是“夺权”事件幕后推手的黄嗣绵博士，在接受本报专访时却表示，她并没预料到选举会产生新成员掌权的结果，声明自己在AWARE会员大会前号召年轻女性入会及参加竞选，纯粹是希望这些新人能为AWARE注入生气，通过AWARE维护新加坡社会的家庭核心价值观。
据报道，AWARE近年会员人数不断下降，截至去年底有200多名会员，但出席3月28日AWARE会员大会的百多人当中，只有一小部分是入会已久的会员，其他大部分是在大会召开前才加入的。
黄嗣绵博士说，如果较资深的会员当时都出席大会，新会员“可能连一个中选的机会都没有，所以执委改选出了意外结果能怪谁，连我自己都没料到”。
有媒体在4月中的报道中，突出大会产生的新会长刘鸣鹂和其他5位新执委都是救主堂（Church of Our Saviour）成员，而黄嗣绵也是救主堂成员及刘鸣鹂等人的指导。过后又有报道爆出刘鸣鹂是黄嗣绵的甥媳妇，这一切都被看作是黄嗣绵幕后精心策划这场“
夺权”戏的力证。
本报在专访中重提这事，黄嗣绵笑了起来。“如果你说这是我策划的，那我确实是四处鼓励我认识的人参加AWARE，但这都是临时召集的。她们当中有的彼此并不相识，只认识我；有的其实也跟我并不相熟。我的用意是，如果你有能力，就应该参加个组织，贡献社会。”
她坚称，如果事件真是她一手策划，她不会“笨到找同一个教会的人”。
“如果我真有预谋，真是个懂得谋略的战略家，那我应该组织一个彩虹联盟，就像他们（旧阵营）那样。但是我的想法其实很简单，只不过现在想想其实我挺愚蠢天真。没想到结果会是这样，更没想到事情会演变到一发不可收拾。”
在4月23日新执委召开的记者会上，黄嗣绵代表新执委回答媒体的提问，也对AWARE近年来会员人数锐减、计划修改章程以让男会员投票等课题提出看法。而她对AWARE的性教育计划和“鼓吹同性恋生活方式”的指责，也是在那次记者会上提出的。
AWARE改选风波后来引起更多局外人及旧阵营支持者的注意，也因为黄嗣绵在记者会上坦言她是刘鸣鹂等人多年来的指导，以及她们是在她的鼓励下参加
AWARE竞选。另外，网上的消息也揭露，她在常年大会之前曾广发电邮，在指责性教育计划的同时，也鼓励大家把票投给“想要作主的变革使者”。
问题是，这名退休的资深律师，为何不自己出来竞选，从中改变她所期望的AWARE发展方向？
现年71的黄嗣绵解释说，除了因为年纪大了，另一个更重要的原因是她觉得身为导师，她的责任是培养能够为社会作出贡献的人，而不是忙着让自己光芒四射，把光环套在自己身上。
也因为是为人导师，黄嗣绵觉得她有必要在4月23日的记者会上现身，为刘鸣鹂等人辩护。
对特别大会上的愤怒情绪感到意外
“我原本只打算在特别大会上讲话，但是看到新执委遭到炮轰，我觉得自己有责任，毕竟是我鼓励她们参加AWARE，鼓励她们通过社会组织为妇女及国家服务。我没有想到她们会遭到攻击，更严重的是生命、生计和业务也受恐吓。”
新执委原本不打算就改选风波召开记者会，想要等到特别大会上才对所有会员发表看法，而黄嗣绵也计划在会上发言。
她说，“可是，媒体对AWARE事件作广泛报道，我们只好召开记者会澄清。”
除了对改选会出现“夺权”结果感到意外，这个风波让黄嗣绵感到震惊的另一个“意外”，是突然激增的3000多名AWARE会员在本月2日的特别大会上的愤怒情绪。
长达7个小时的会议中，让与会及网上观望者印象非常深刻的一幕，是黄嗣绵举着AWARE出版的刊物，自豪地说自己在第73页里被特别点出。这个动作遭到与会广大旧阵营支持者的强烈反弹，而黄嗣绵也因为会员过于吵闹，激动地提醒他们要“请尊重长辈”，招来另一轮的喝倒采。
在专访中被提起这一幕，她不解地说:“没想到那一天的大会，大家的情绪是这么激动，空气中充满愤怒。”
一再被喝倒采无法发言 没什么好生气的
不过，对于一再被喝倒采而始终无法发言，她笑称没什么好生气的。
“没必要，因为生气就好比不断重播着一块旧唱片”，她觉得一个人如果无法释怀只会使自己受困，没法往前看。
也因此，即使事后有人将她说的“请尊重长辈”和“我出现在第73页”这两句话印制成T衫出售，戏谑她在特别大会上的表现，她也一笑置之。“这样的设计还挺有意思，又能给人家增加收入，我也想买一件来看看。”
下来要怎么继续自己的信念及鼓励刘鸣鹂等人往前走，黄嗣绵说：“等我放假回来后再说吧！也许放假会给我一些启发。也希望这场风波的怒气能缓和下来，刘鸣鹂也能继续发挥特长，服务社会。”
“同性恋主义是一场政治运动”
同性恋主义在欧洲和北美的发展，让关心这一趋势的黄嗣绵博士深信，这是一场政治运动。这运动的目的包括使肛交除罪化；而在新加坡，这可从有人要求废除刑事法典第377A条文中看出。
黄嗣绵说：“这是个关键，因为法律一旦废除或放宽，同性恋活跃分子就可基于平等婚姻权利、平等教育权利，平等医药权利等议题，向政府申请拨款。”
在芬兰，单身者和女同性恋情侣就可在政府津贴下，接受人工授精。她说，“这就引发纳税人的钱如何使用的问题。”
黄嗣绵引述加拿大的例子指出，当地一名幼稚园教师起诉学校董事局，指校方没有将三本有关同性家长的书籍列为幼稚园和一年级学生的教材。来自不同宗教背景——印度教、锡克教、天主教和基督教的家长入禀加拿大高庭，声援校方。但校方败诉，须把三本书放进学校图书馆。
黄嗣绵谈话录
为什么每当有人对同性恋提出异议时，就会接到死亡恐吓，或生意受到威胁？这是否涉及到恐吓性的政治手段？媒体是不是应该关心这一点？我们是不是应该有一个能确保媒体平衡报道的监察机制？
——针对本身及新执委在AWARE
事件上曾接到死亡恐吓
我很庆幸现在有更多人讨论性教育课题，也希望学校的性教育会有更好的审核程序。但我不知道教育部可以如何监督，因为性教育的关键人物是教师，教育部打算如何监察？这一点须澄清。
教育部原本要我就我的指责拿出性教育遭家长投诉的证据，《海峡时报》4月24日的报道以及我回复给教育部的信，都说明我并没有说我曾接到家长的投诉。而教育部在调查后，公开表示一些性教育计划违反了教育部的指导原则。这显示我的指责并没有错。
让人感到欣慰的是，教育部已在探讨如何改进性教育的审核程序。我们应提高这方面的透明度和公信力，并成立一个特别与家长沟通的监管单位。监管过程是否也应包括把有关资料放上网，以示透明？
——针对教育部先是表示不曾接到家长的投诉，后来在本月7日宣布中止妇协等校外机构提供的性教育课程
为人导师的责任是栽培他们，然后将他们释放到社会贡献，让有才华的人不断增加。如果你不让年轻人去扮演领袖的角色，而是由自己包办，这是没有效率的做法。
——针对自己为何不亲自竞选AWARE执委
我国有50％人口是女性，我们其实有很多人才。如果我们能有10个陈惠华（总理公署部长）、50个陈庆珠教授（新加坡驻美国大使），甚至100个林爱莲（凯发公司总裁），那将是件乐事。这里两个层面：首先是社会层面，我们必须帮助社会底层的女性提升自己；第二，条件已不错的女性，我们要让她们掌握更多技能，激发她们为社会作出更大贡献。
我们要在社会的各个领域培养更多女性领袖，因为‘消除对妇女一切形式歧视公约’（CEDAW）的指标，是让女性在各领域有30至35％的代表性。我的人生经历，应该可让我在这方面献一份力。
——针对为何鼓励更多有条件的女性参加AWARE
“黄根成答复很好地
为事件划上句号”
副总理兼内政部长黄根成本周四针对AWARE事件回复媒体的询问时，重申了李显龙总理前年在国会参与刑事法典（修正）法案辩论时的立场，新加坡是个保守社会，奉行男婚女嫁、生儿育女为家庭伦理观念，但同性恋者有权过自己的生活。黄根成也保证，政府对同性恋的立场没有改变，更不会因任何团体施压而改变。
从网上得知黄根成的回应后，黄嗣绵当晚就在电话上告诉本报，副总理的答复“很好地为AWARE事件划上了句号”。她的语气是平和的。
http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=28024.407
Gay activists a key constituency of Aware
Gay activists a key constituency of Aware
I REFER to last Saturday's letter, 'Aware has never had a 'gay agenda'' by Ms Dana Lam, president of the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware). Since I was specifically mentioned, a response is called for.
First, the fact that Aware has done sterling work for women in the 24 years of its existence is not disputed. The 'ex-new exco', in its press statement, acknowledged this contribution and declared its commitment to build on these foundations.
What was a matter of concern to the 'ex-new exco' was that in recent years, Aware had veered towards promoting the homosexual political agenda. Aware sponsored the premiere of the movie Spider Lilies, which was about lesbian love. When asked about this, former Aware president Constance Singam said the film explores themes that Aware supports in its Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) programme.
Aware's CSE has been taught in schools for more than two years. Its CSE instruction manual to schools expressly states that homosexuality is neutral and normal. This is a controversial proposition and parents should be concerned about the non-neutral content of the CSE programme. In fact, many are.
Additionally, the CSE manual goes further in stating that anal sex can be healthy or neutral with consent and a condom. Not only is this against the law, this kind of 'education' is designed to condition the minds of teenage students, from ages 12 to 18, towards the acceptability of homosexuality, purposefully equating homosexuality with the norm of heterosexuality. The Ministry of Education has stated categorically that there are aspects of the CSE instructor guide which are 'explicit and inappropriate and convey messages which could promote homosexuality'. These are hard facts and hardly figments of one's imagination.
On the day of the Aware extraordinary general meeting (EGM), the activist homosexual groups were out in full force, supporting the old guard. Many old guard supporters - those in the meeting hall and volunteers outside - were members of the activist homosexual group and spoke openly of their lifestyle. Many sexually challenged women were among the most vocal and vociferous supporters of the old guard.
If Singaporeans were generally unaware of Aware's 'gay agenda', it however, seems that the homosexual and lesbian supporters of the old guard attending the EGM were in the know. It appears that homosexual activists seeking to impose their values by mainstreaming homosexuality have become a significant chief constituency of Aware. Anyone present at the EGM would have seen abundant evidence of this. Discerning Singaporeans can examine the evidence, in print and from online eyewitness accounts, to make up their own minds.
Dr Thio Su Mien
http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=28024.384
I REFER to last Saturday's letter, 'Aware has never had a 'gay agenda'' by Ms Dana Lam, president of the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware). Since I was specifically mentioned, a response is called for.
First, the fact that Aware has done sterling work for women in the 24 years of its existence is not disputed. The 'ex-new exco', in its press statement, acknowledged this contribution and declared its commitment to build on these foundations.
What was a matter of concern to the 'ex-new exco' was that in recent years, Aware had veered towards promoting the homosexual political agenda. Aware sponsored the premiere of the movie Spider Lilies, which was about lesbian love. When asked about this, former Aware president Constance Singam said the film explores themes that Aware supports in its Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) programme.
Aware's CSE has been taught in schools for more than two years. Its CSE instruction manual to schools expressly states that homosexuality is neutral and normal. This is a controversial proposition and parents should be concerned about the non-neutral content of the CSE programme. In fact, many are.
Additionally, the CSE manual goes further in stating that anal sex can be healthy or neutral with consent and a condom. Not only is this against the law, this kind of 'education' is designed to condition the minds of teenage students, from ages 12 to 18, towards the acceptability of homosexuality, purposefully equating homosexuality with the norm of heterosexuality. The Ministry of Education has stated categorically that there are aspects of the CSE instructor guide which are 'explicit and inappropriate and convey messages which could promote homosexuality'. These are hard facts and hardly figments of one's imagination.
On the day of the Aware extraordinary general meeting (EGM), the activist homosexual groups were out in full force, supporting the old guard. Many old guard supporters - those in the meeting hall and volunteers outside - were members of the activist homosexual group and spoke openly of their lifestyle. Many sexually challenged women were among the most vocal and vociferous supporters of the old guard.
If Singaporeans were generally unaware of Aware's 'gay agenda', it however, seems that the homosexual and lesbian supporters of the old guard attending the EGM were in the know. It appears that homosexual activists seeking to impose their values by mainstreaming homosexuality have become a significant chief constituency of Aware. Anyone present at the EGM would have seen abundant evidence of this. Discerning Singaporeans can examine the evidence, in print and from online eyewitness accounts, to make up their own minds.
Dr Thio Su Mien
http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=28024.384
Monday, May 11, 2009
NMP Dr Thio Li-ann on her mother Dr Thio Su Mien
| Mother's Day Tributes | |||||
| I'm proud of her courage | |||||
| NMP Dr Thio Li-ann on her mother Dr Thio Su Mien | |||||
| |||||
AT THE height of the AWARE furore, my mother asked whether she had disgraced me by her infamy.
I hugged her and said I was proud of her courage in standing up for her principles and grace in facing uncouth opposition. I expect nothing less from her. She is a woman of integrity who taught me to always champion what is right, good and just, even if this attracts flak. My mother gave her children the space to be individuals and to follow their own paths. She did have a mean streak and petrified me as a child by singing the songs of Cruella de Ville. She worried for me when I burnt midnight oil studying. The day before my PSLE, she asked me to play squash with her! I used to come home from primary school crying because of the cruel remarks by my mathematics teachers. My mother wanted to confront them, but I begged her to desist. I think she regrets this as I became quite withdrawn because of my academic failings.
We are quite different, my mother and I. She is outgoing, practical and sociable. I am more introspective, melancholic. However, perhaps I ended up a constitutional law professor due to osmosis, as she was pregnant with me when she lectured public law. My father excelled at creative storytelling, but my mother held me rapt with her childhood tales of the Japanese occupation in Malaya and how a British soldier gifted her with her first taste of chocolate. She told me stories about Robin Hood, King Arthur, which fed my love for English literature. I used to sneak off with her dog-eared copy of the Oxford Treasury of English Verse and imbibe the poetry. As a busy lawyer, my mother was often pressed for time. Still, she noticed details and was mesmerised by how BJ, my puppy, would stare at butterflies for hours. We were mutually intoxicated by the BBC production of Pride and Prejudice. I made my mother laugh uproariously with my renditions of Mr Collin's vanity and Catherine de Burgh's pomposity, complete with angmoh accent. My mother took me along during her many overseas business trips. When I was 10, she brought me to Denmark's Elsinore Castle and told me about Hamlet and King Claudius' ghost. I suspect my subsequent love for Shakespeare can be traced to this. She regaled me with the criminal trials of David Marshall and introduced me to the leonine man himself in Paris when I was 13. As adults, my mother and I have become close friends. Our common interest in history, theology and archaeology has inspired recent travels to Jerusalem, Patmos and Istanbul. My mother tolerated my rebellious adolescence when I would lock myself in my room and practise my electric guitar riffs - loudly. She rejoiced when I obtained a place at Oxford University. She entered heated debates with me when I disavowed atheism and became a Christian as a law undergraduate. I think she may have regretted teaching me to think independently! Today, she has a deep faith and lives it. My mother has a tender heart and I have seen her sacrifice hours counselling many hurting people. From her, I have learnt and received the joy of unconditional love. Happy Mother's Day, Mum. I love you and am awfully proud to be your daughter. |
http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=28024.299
Friday, May 1, 2009
Don’t let Dr Thio Su Mien off the hook
Don’t let Dr Thio Su Mien off the hook: MOE should not allow itself to be held hostage by a vocal minority to serve their own selfish agenda
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is investigating the sexuality education programme run in some schools by the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) after receiving “complaints” from parents. (read article here)
Some parents had expressed concern about the content found in an instructor guide for Aware’s programme, which had been posted online.
Actually, MOE should conduct a probe into the background of these so-called parents before taking further action so as not to capitulate to the demands of a vocal minority.
The CSE was conducted way back in 2006 - 2007 and there were no complaints from the students, teachers or parents.
Why then are there so many complaints in the past two days?
This seemed to emanate from segments of the CSE instructor guide which were posted on AWARE website earlier.
AWARE website does not enjoy particularly high volume of traffic. Its alexa.com traffic ranking in Singapore is only 6,119 at last check which translates to less than two thousand views a day.
At the same time, a petition has been circulating online which wants the Education Minister to probe Aware’s programme. In just a few days, more than 1,200 people have put their names on it.
It is highly unlikely that all the petitioners came to be alerted about the CSE guide from the website itself.
Since the ministry’s letter was published on Wednesday, the new guard of Aware has encouraged parents to make their concerns known to MOE .
It is pretty obvious that the latest petition is another ruse orchestrated behind the scene by somebody to justify her earlier statement that the old guards of aware are promoting homosexuality at the expense of family values.
How many of these parents who submitted feedback to MOE are genuinely concerned about the content of the CSE? How many are even remotely aware of the purpose of the programme?
The presentation on the CSE which is posted on AWARE’s website is downright biased, misleading and distorted to serve the insidious motives of the mastermind, that is to misrepresent the good work done by AWARE in order to defend their unconstitutional takeover of the organization.
AWARE’s former programme manager Deeksha Vasundhra said that the guide is meant to be “private and confidential” and was never given to students.
What are the motives of the person(s) to put up such sensitive materials on the internet?
Isn’t it a contradiction to post something it deemed offensive to students online for the public to view, some of whom may be students?
Some well-meaning parents may be misled by the presentation to make a complaint. Are they given the opportunity to study the CSE programme as a whole?
The CSE guide is meant for the instructors only and not for the students. By revealing its details to students, isn’t the perpetuator more guilty of “promoting homosexuality” as accused by the new exco?
MOE should not allowed itself to be held hostage by a minority of self-righteous moral vilgantes who is only interested to impose their own self-serving values and beliefs onto the majority in Singapore who do not subscribe to their creed.
We cannot rule out that a certain proportion of the petitioners are members of COOS who have been egged on by their peers to pen their names down.
According to AWARE’s first president, Lena Cheng, the group had consulted religious groups, academics, social workers and teachers when they adapted the guide from the 25-year-old International Women’s Health Coalition, which promotes and protects girls’ and women’s sexual and reproductive rights and health. (read article here)
The International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC) promotes and protects the sexual and reproductive rights and health (SRRH) of all women and young people, particularly in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, by helping to develop effective health and population policies, programs, and funding. (read about IWHC here)
In other words, AWARE’s CSE is not made up by the old guards themselves, but adapted from an international, secular and non-sectatarian NGO with 25 years of history behind them serving 179 countries all over the world.
How can programme which is widely accepted and promulgated by the international community be deemed inappropriate and offensive in cosmopolitan Singapore?
MOE has already said its programmes reflect ‘the mainstream views and values of Singapore society, where the majority of Singaporeans hold conservative views of sexuality’.
I suggest MOE conduct a survey amongst the general populace across the board from all races and religion to study the appropriateness of the CSE programme.
In a multi-racial and multi-cultural society like Singapore, it is impossible for everybody to share the same views of sexuality.
The wishes and sentiments of the silent majority should not be compromised by some with a holier-than-thou attitude who are able to exert seemingly more influence on the government because of better organization and cohesion.
The latest fracas is nothing more than a smokescreen to deflect public pressure on the group’s ‘feminist mentor’ Dr Thio Su Mien to reply to MOE’s questions directly.
Till today, Dr Thio still hasn’t replied to MOE’s call to substantiate her claims that the CSE is promoting homosexuality in schools and that complaints had been made to MOE in the past.
The complaints which surfaced lately after the leak of the CSE guidebook online doesn’t absolve Dr Thio from the responsibility to clarify herself.
Show us the proof! Don’t hide behind the church or your ‘feminist group’ to scandalize our national institutions with impunity!
Why didn’t the parents complained to MOE earlier had there been any problems with the CSE’s teaching materials?
Mobilizing a troop of blind flock who came to know about the CSE only through your own colored lenses to lend support to your initial allegation does not validate its authenticity at all.
The fact remained that no parents had lodged a complaint during the two years in which the CSE was taught in 11 schools.
These are two separate issues altogether and I hope MOE will not allow the latest staged “furore” from the ground to obsfuscate the matter proper.
On one hand, the concerns of the parents must be looked into to assess if there are any merits in the complaints. However, Dr Thio should not be let off the hook simply like this.
Should Dr Thio continue to remain reticent, MOE should consider going through proper legal channels in order to seek redress.
After all, 3 Singaporeans went to jail last year for ’scandalizing’ the judiciary by wearing Kangaroo T-shirts outside the court. The same standard must be applied to all government institutions.
As a vital ministry responsible for nurturing our future generation, MOE should not allowed public trust and confidence in its system to be eroded by frivolous and unreasonable actions of an individual.
Dr Thio Su Mien, where are you? Come out now and reply to MOE’s questions! We are waiting to hear from you! As a senior lawyer with many years of experience, surely you do not need so long a time to give us a decent, honest and reasonable explanation?
http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=27734.268
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is investigating the sexuality education programme run in some schools by the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) after receiving “complaints” from parents. (read article here)
Some parents had expressed concern about the content found in an instructor guide for Aware’s programme, which had been posted online.
Actually, MOE should conduct a probe into the background of these so-called parents before taking further action so as not to capitulate to the demands of a vocal minority.
The CSE was conducted way back in 2006 - 2007 and there were no complaints from the students, teachers or parents.
Why then are there so many complaints in the past two days?
This seemed to emanate from segments of the CSE instructor guide which were posted on AWARE website earlier.
AWARE website does not enjoy particularly high volume of traffic. Its alexa.com traffic ranking in Singapore is only 6,119 at last check which translates to less than two thousand views a day.
At the same time, a petition has been circulating online which wants the Education Minister to probe Aware’s programme. In just a few days, more than 1,200 people have put their names on it.
It is highly unlikely that all the petitioners came to be alerted about the CSE guide from the website itself.
Since the ministry’s letter was published on Wednesday, the new guard of Aware has encouraged parents to make their concerns known to MOE .
It is pretty obvious that the latest petition is another ruse orchestrated behind the scene by somebody to justify her earlier statement that the old guards of aware are promoting homosexuality at the expense of family values.
How many of these parents who submitted feedback to MOE are genuinely concerned about the content of the CSE? How many are even remotely aware of the purpose of the programme?
The presentation on the CSE which is posted on AWARE’s website is downright biased, misleading and distorted to serve the insidious motives of the mastermind, that is to misrepresent the good work done by AWARE in order to defend their unconstitutional takeover of the organization.
AWARE’s former programme manager Deeksha Vasundhra said that the guide is meant to be “private and confidential” and was never given to students.
What are the motives of the person(s) to put up such sensitive materials on the internet?
Isn’t it a contradiction to post something it deemed offensive to students online for the public to view, some of whom may be students?
Some well-meaning parents may be misled by the presentation to make a complaint. Are they given the opportunity to study the CSE programme as a whole?
The CSE guide is meant for the instructors only and not for the students. By revealing its details to students, isn’t the perpetuator more guilty of “promoting homosexuality” as accused by the new exco?
MOE should not allowed itself to be held hostage by a minority of self-righteous moral vilgantes who is only interested to impose their own self-serving values and beliefs onto the majority in Singapore who do not subscribe to their creed.
We cannot rule out that a certain proportion of the petitioners are members of COOS who have been egged on by their peers to pen their names down.
According to AWARE’s first president, Lena Cheng, the group had consulted religious groups, academics, social workers and teachers when they adapted the guide from the 25-year-old International Women’s Health Coalition, which promotes and protects girls’ and women’s sexual and reproductive rights and health. (read article here)
The International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC) promotes and protects the sexual and reproductive rights and health (SRRH) of all women and young people, particularly in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, by helping to develop effective health and population policies, programs, and funding. (read about IWHC here)
In other words, AWARE’s CSE is not made up by the old guards themselves, but adapted from an international, secular and non-sectatarian NGO with 25 years of history behind them serving 179 countries all over the world.
How can programme which is widely accepted and promulgated by the international community be deemed inappropriate and offensive in cosmopolitan Singapore?
MOE has already said its programmes reflect ‘the mainstream views and values of Singapore society, where the majority of Singaporeans hold conservative views of sexuality’.
I suggest MOE conduct a survey amongst the general populace across the board from all races and religion to study the appropriateness of the CSE programme.
In a multi-racial and multi-cultural society like Singapore, it is impossible for everybody to share the same views of sexuality.
The wishes and sentiments of the silent majority should not be compromised by some with a holier-than-thou attitude who are able to exert seemingly more influence on the government because of better organization and cohesion.
The latest fracas is nothing more than a smokescreen to deflect public pressure on the group’s ‘feminist mentor’ Dr Thio Su Mien to reply to MOE’s questions directly.
Till today, Dr Thio still hasn’t replied to MOE’s call to substantiate her claims that the CSE is promoting homosexuality in schools and that complaints had been made to MOE in the past.
The complaints which surfaced lately after the leak of the CSE guidebook online doesn’t absolve Dr Thio from the responsibility to clarify herself.
Show us the proof! Don’t hide behind the church or your ‘feminist group’ to scandalize our national institutions with impunity!
Why didn’t the parents complained to MOE earlier had there been any problems with the CSE’s teaching materials?
Mobilizing a troop of blind flock who came to know about the CSE only through your own colored lenses to lend support to your initial allegation does not validate its authenticity at all.
The fact remained that no parents had lodged a complaint during the two years in which the CSE was taught in 11 schools.
These are two separate issues altogether and I hope MOE will not allow the latest staged “furore” from the ground to obsfuscate the matter proper.
On one hand, the concerns of the parents must be looked into to assess if there are any merits in the complaints. However, Dr Thio should not be let off the hook simply like this.
Should Dr Thio continue to remain reticent, MOE should consider going through proper legal channels in order to seek redress.
After all, 3 Singaporeans went to jail last year for ’scandalizing’ the judiciary by wearing Kangaroo T-shirts outside the court. The same standard must be applied to all government institutions.
As a vital ministry responsible for nurturing our future generation, MOE should not allowed public trust and confidence in its system to be eroded by frivolous and unreasonable actions of an individual.
Dr Thio Su Mien, where are you? Come out now and reply to MOE’s questions! We are waiting to hear from you! As a senior lawyer with many years of experience, surely you do not need so long a time to give us a decent, honest and reasonable explanation?
http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=27734.268
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Hanging herself with her own rope?
Hanging herself with her own rope?
SINGAPORE - It was only last week when Dr Thio Su Mien made the following claims regarding AWARE’s comprehensive sexuality (CSE) program especially with regards to her focus on the neutral portrayal of homosexuality:
‘I talked to parents. I said: You better do something about this, otherwise your daughter will come back and say, ‘Mum, I want to marry my girlfriend.’
‘Or your son will say: ‘Dad, I want to marry my boyfriend.”
These parents were flabbergasted, she said, adding that such sexuality education was taking place in the United States and Europe and was not new.
‘What is happening in society is that we are redefining marriage, we are redefining families,’ she said.
‘So I’m a concerned citizen and if people are so ignorant, I think I want to teach them.’
Pointing out that Aware’s programme was already in 30 schools, she said: ‘The suggestion is that in this programme, young girls from 12 to 18 are taught that it’s okay to experiment with each other.
‘And this is something which should concern parents in Singapore. Are we going to have an entire generation of lesbians?’
I was anticipating a response from the Ministry of Education (MOE), and my prediction finally came true. Allow me to kick things off with an elaboration on how MOE-affiliated schools work based on my experience in running workshops in schools, though not in the area of sexuality education. From time to time, schools may decide to run workshops by external bodies or personnels not within the educational service. Such workshops are usually not part of the examinable content within the mandatory syllabus, but are organized to equip students with useful knowledge. Prior to such workshops, the lesson plans and teaching materials are reviewed by the teachers, department heads or their assistants. Thus, any objectionable material will be siphoned out. This review process is meant to ensure that the materials covered during the workshop adhered to set guidelines. MOE was spot on in its reply to queries on AWARE’s CSE, especially on the part in ensuring that the latter adheres to religious sensitivity guidelines. And, it is a norm for other guidelines to be enforced too, such as racial sensitivity.
If a typical man in the street were to read Dr Thio’s statements, he may interpret it in the following way 1) Schools that run AWARE’s CSE promote homosexuality and lesbianism. 2) It seems that MOE is also advocating the promotion of homosexuality and lesbianism in such schools since they are MOE-affiliated. 3) Or MOE isn’t in control of the curriculum and may not have a proper guideline on sexuality education.
Whilst seeking to demolish the old AWARE’s CSE program, what Dr Thio had done at the same time was to cast aspersions on our education service indirectly. She never said it directly, but the inferences can be made. This is a rope she has tried to use to “hang” the old AWARE. But this indirect attack on the education establishment will prompt a response from the latter.
Thus, it didn’t come as a surprise that MOE came out to issue its stand on sexuality education in schools that run AWARE’s workshops. It has also requested Dr Thio to come up with facts to substantiate her claims:
“Last year, 11 secondary schools engaged AWARE to run workshops for their students. The number of students involved in each school ranged from about 20 to 100, and each workshop lasted 3 hours. The objectives of these workshops were to provide students with accurate information on Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)/HIV, to help students understand the consequences of premarital sexual activity, and to equip students with skills such as decision-making and resisting negative peer pressure.
AWARE also conducted assembly talks, typically of 45-minute duration, for students in a few secondary schools. Some of the areas covered in the talks included body image, self-esteem, eating disorders, teenage pregnancies, sexual harassment and the role of women in today’s context.
The schools that engaged AWARE found that the content and messages of the sessions conducted were appropriate for their students and adhered to guidelines to respect the values of different religious groups. The schools did not receive any negative feedback from students or parents who attended the workshops and talks.
In particular, MOE has also not received any complaint from parents or Dr Thio Su Mien, who was reported to have made specific claims about sexuality education in our schools. MOE has contacted Dr Thio Su Mien to seek clarifications and facts to substantiate her claims.”
Thus, Dr Thio has gotten into some sort of a sticky situation with a government institution with the latter’s disavowal of her claims. Based on the information provided firstly by the old AWARE members and now corroborated by MOE, it is unlikely that Dr Thio is able to substantiate her claims. In other words, she may be hanging herself with the same rope she used to hang the old AWARE.
In light of the new developments, what does that mean for the EOGM? It appears that the anti-homosexuality and anti-lesbianism stance of the new exco and Dr Thio is now becoming some sort of baggage for them. A continual grip on that baggage might prove to be their undoing. And due to the situation with MOE that Dr Thio has gotten herself into, it would seem prudent that the new AWARE exco should start distancing themselves from her. But wouldn’t that mean they would be without a mentor? If they distance themselves from their mentor, would they end up like headless chickens? The build-up to the EOGM on 2nd May is getting interesting by the day.
http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=27734.141
SINGAPORE - It was only last week when Dr Thio Su Mien made the following claims regarding AWARE’s comprehensive sexuality (CSE) program especially with regards to her focus on the neutral portrayal of homosexuality:
‘I talked to parents. I said: You better do something about this, otherwise your daughter will come back and say, ‘Mum, I want to marry my girlfriend.’
‘Or your son will say: ‘Dad, I want to marry my boyfriend.”
These parents were flabbergasted, she said, adding that such sexuality education was taking place in the United States and Europe and was not new.
‘What is happening in society is that we are redefining marriage, we are redefining families,’ she said.
‘So I’m a concerned citizen and if people are so ignorant, I think I want to teach them.’
Pointing out that Aware’s programme was already in 30 schools, she said: ‘The suggestion is that in this programme, young girls from 12 to 18 are taught that it’s okay to experiment with each other.
‘And this is something which should concern parents in Singapore. Are we going to have an entire generation of lesbians?’
I was anticipating a response from the Ministry of Education (MOE), and my prediction finally came true. Allow me to kick things off with an elaboration on how MOE-affiliated schools work based on my experience in running workshops in schools, though not in the area of sexuality education. From time to time, schools may decide to run workshops by external bodies or personnels not within the educational service. Such workshops are usually not part of the examinable content within the mandatory syllabus, but are organized to equip students with useful knowledge. Prior to such workshops, the lesson plans and teaching materials are reviewed by the teachers, department heads or their assistants. Thus, any objectionable material will be siphoned out. This review process is meant to ensure that the materials covered during the workshop adhered to set guidelines. MOE was spot on in its reply to queries on AWARE’s CSE, especially on the part in ensuring that the latter adheres to religious sensitivity guidelines. And, it is a norm for other guidelines to be enforced too, such as racial sensitivity.
If a typical man in the street were to read Dr Thio’s statements, he may interpret it in the following way 1) Schools that run AWARE’s CSE promote homosexuality and lesbianism. 2) It seems that MOE is also advocating the promotion of homosexuality and lesbianism in such schools since they are MOE-affiliated. 3) Or MOE isn’t in control of the curriculum and may not have a proper guideline on sexuality education.
Whilst seeking to demolish the old AWARE’s CSE program, what Dr Thio had done at the same time was to cast aspersions on our education service indirectly. She never said it directly, but the inferences can be made. This is a rope she has tried to use to “hang” the old AWARE. But this indirect attack on the education establishment will prompt a response from the latter.
Thus, it didn’t come as a surprise that MOE came out to issue its stand on sexuality education in schools that run AWARE’s workshops. It has also requested Dr Thio to come up with facts to substantiate her claims:
“Last year, 11 secondary schools engaged AWARE to run workshops for their students. The number of students involved in each school ranged from about 20 to 100, and each workshop lasted 3 hours. The objectives of these workshops were to provide students with accurate information on Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)/HIV, to help students understand the consequences of premarital sexual activity, and to equip students with skills such as decision-making and resisting negative peer pressure.
AWARE also conducted assembly talks, typically of 45-minute duration, for students in a few secondary schools. Some of the areas covered in the talks included body image, self-esteem, eating disorders, teenage pregnancies, sexual harassment and the role of women in today’s context.
The schools that engaged AWARE found that the content and messages of the sessions conducted were appropriate for their students and adhered to guidelines to respect the values of different religious groups. The schools did not receive any negative feedback from students or parents who attended the workshops and talks.
In particular, MOE has also not received any complaint from parents or Dr Thio Su Mien, who was reported to have made specific claims about sexuality education in our schools. MOE has contacted Dr Thio Su Mien to seek clarifications and facts to substantiate her claims.”
Thus, Dr Thio has gotten into some sort of a sticky situation with a government institution with the latter’s disavowal of her claims. Based on the information provided firstly by the old AWARE members and now corroborated by MOE, it is unlikely that Dr Thio is able to substantiate her claims. In other words, she may be hanging herself with the same rope she used to hang the old AWARE.
In light of the new developments, what does that mean for the EOGM? It appears that the anti-homosexuality and anti-lesbianism stance of the new exco and Dr Thio is now becoming some sort of baggage for them. A continual grip on that baggage might prove to be their undoing. And due to the situation with MOE that Dr Thio has gotten herself into, it would seem prudent that the new AWARE exco should start distancing themselves from her. But wouldn’t that mean they would be without a mentor? If they distance themselves from their mentor, would they end up like headless chickens? The build-up to the EOGM on 2nd May is getting interesting by the day.
http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=27734.141
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Aware: He's our 'legal adviser'
| Tussle For Aware MR CONTRARY | |||||
| He's our 'legal adviser' | |||||
| He sat impassively while the ladies smiled and joked. Just as the new guard had a mysterious figure, the new guard had a new character of its own. Who is he? | |||||
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TWO press conferences, two mysterious characters, both dressed in black, sitting at far ends of the table, seemingly apart, yet keeping an invisible hold on things.
On Thursday night, at the press conference of the new exco, Dr Thio Su Mien, mother of Nominated Member of Parliament Thio Li-ann, was a picture of calm and serenity amid the red eyes and quivering voices of the exco members. Last night, a man sat sternly at one end of the long table, where 10 members of Aware sat smiling. He was Mr Mark Goh, a lawyer, introduced by the old exco as 'our legal adviser'. They had promised openness and transparency. It made the presence of the man odd and unexpected. Before the press conference began, he had given a briefing to all the members of the old exco, largely out of sight of reporters, who had taken their seats inside the room. Throughout the two-hour-plus press conference, Mr Goh sat there, dressed in a no-nonsense attire of black shirt and ripped jeans, watching the proceedings with hawk eyes. Amid the easy banter and pally jokes, he listened, mostly stoic. From time to time, as the ladies elaborated on their answers for the media, venturing into uncertain territory, they slowly turned their eyes to him, looking for approval. Silence would mean approval. Disapproval would come in a short, sharp interjection. Former president Dr Kanwaljit Soin was describing the takeover when she paused in mid-sentence, looked to Mr Goh, and finally finished wrapping up her sentence cautiously: '...shall I say it... a slightly stealthy takeover...' Later, when The New Paper probed the panel on the relationship of Dr Thio to the old exco, Mr Goh stopped the panelists' answers in mid-sentence. 'We are not here to talk about Dr Thio,' he said curtly. His was the steel beneath the ladies' smiles. Later, as the media congregated to interview MsSchutz Lee, the Aware Centre manager who was sacked on Thursday night, Mr Goh stood beside her, stern like a bouncer. He stopped her in mid-sentence once, as she was elaborating on the reasons behind her sacking, saying that whatever she had just said would be off the record. Mr Censor? Then, leaning over a reporter from Today newspaper, he said: 'Strike that out.' The man was there for good reason. 'In this potential war of words, we do not want to say anything that will open us up to legal action,' said former Aware vice-president Margaret Thomas. Dr Thio is, after all, a former law dean and her daughter a law professor at the National University of Singapore. 'The openness and transparency is still there,' explained Ms Thomas. 'We have nothing to hide. We make available the facts... these are the values that Aware has held on to throughout the years. 'If it is something we are able to talk about, we will. But if we are not able to, we will also say so openly.' But for a couple of hours last night, it almost didn't seem so. |
http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=27932.3
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Aware: Emotions overflow as women exchange barbs
| SHOWDOWN CRACKDOWN LOCKDOWN | |||||
| Emotions overflow as women exchange barbs | |||||
| It was a press conference that had everything. Aware called it. The media attended it. And while accusations and clarifications were traded amid tears and raised voices, a lone figure sat, watching. | |||||
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IT was a most extraordinary press conference for a civic organisation, one that was hardly civil, one that began with a near-catfight and ended with an awkward silence.
In the middle: Shouting matches, microphone-snatching, wrist-slapping and reporters interrupting one anothers' questions. There were accusations that bordered on religious slurs, clarifications, contradictions and utter confusion. And through it all, a mysterious elderly woman sat at one end of the panel. She introduced herself as 'Feminist Mentor' - a picture of calm alongside exco members who spoke with red eyes and quivering voices. But before the storm, the calm. The invitation for the press conference came late in the afternoon. The press was informed sternly: No free admission. Submit the names of your reporters first. It was a long overdue press conference of the new Exco of Aware. The team had been criticised for remaining largely silent on their agenda ever since they were said to have seized Aware in a planned coup on 28 Mar. So the reporters arrived at Raffles Town Club well before the 7pm appointment. But the exco members arrived 20 minutes late.
The chaos started almost immediately. The five Aware exco members had barely settled into their seats when the first salvo was fired. Ms Chew I-Jin, the assistant honorary treasurer and a member of the old guard, stood up and started berating the new exco, accusing them of not inviting the old guard. The new exco sat tight as they tried to defuse the situation. Sit down, they pleaded. The press conference was only arranged at the last minute, they explained. Ask the press... they can prove it. It didn't work. The shouting match continued, with Ms Chew waving a bag which contained a presentation she said she wanted to give alongside the new exco's presentation.
The new exco continued to plead: If you really care about Aware, sit down and let us explain ourselves. Ms Chew calmed down finally and took a seat on the third row, behind the media. Exco member Lois Ng took a deep breath, gathered herself and officially began the press conference amid forced smiles. The microphone was passed to the new president of Aware, Ms Josie Lau.
And all niceties ended. She looked like she was about to explode as she announced that members of the new exco have received death threats. 'What is Singapore coming to? Is this what we have become?' she shouted. Other members of the new exco took their turns, describing the harrowing days since they were elected, their voices thick with emotion. They claimed they had been locked out of their email accounts and slandered. 'All this could have been sorted out peacefully between the old and the new guard, but it didn't happen,' said Ms Lau. All this while, the elderly woman sat at one end of the table, a picture of calm and serenity. This 'Feminist Mentor' introduced herself as Dr Thio Su Mien, a former law dean. Insiders recognised her as the mother of Nominated Member of Parliament, Dr Thio Li-ann, who became a controversial figure in the gay and lesbian community after speaking out strongly against homosexuality in Parliament last year. She is also the auntie of Dr Alan Chin, Ms Lau's husband. 'All we want to do is to start working, but we have been unable to,' said Ms Lau. And with that, the exco members moved on to explain how they planned to lead Aware. Aware, they said, had previously been hijacked to further the gay agenda. They pointed out that to celebrate Mother's Day in 2006, Aware invited lesbian-friendly mothers and their lesbian daughters to share their experiences. In the Aware newsletter, former president Constance Singam also wrote about her outreach to SG Butterflies, a support group for transsexuals. Aware also supported the screening of Spider Lilies, a movie involving a lesbian couple. 'My plea is that we should re-focus on the excellent objectives of Aware... go back to the original purpose,' said Dr Thio. The floor was then open questions from reporters. Do you have more evidence of Aware's gay agenda, one asked. After all, Spider Lilies is just one of many movies Aware has sponsored in the past. To this, the new exco revealed that the old exco has proposed giving voting rights to men, foreign women and teenagers. Sudden outburst 'We thought that was a bit odd. Why the sudden shift to give them the vote?' asked Dr Thio. Back at the third row, Ms Chew buried her head in her hands, then burst out: 'Because we are inclusive!' 'Don't throw words at me!' countered Dr Thio. 'We are a woman's organisation... why don't you form your own group to chase this cause? 'What we want are more Lim Hwee Huas and Chan Heng Chees... women who can inspire us.' Throughout the question-and-answer session, the new exco members tussled for the lone microphone. Once, as Ms Ng was in the middle of making a point, Ms Lau, sitting two seats away, reached out her hand for the microphone. Honorary secretary Jenica Chua, seated between the two of them, lightly tapped her president's wrists, and hushed her. All this while, a dinner for a golf tournament at the next ballroom was in full swing, with tipsy golfers next door having a lusty go at the karaoke, their songs almost drowning out the exco members' voices at times. Later, Ms Lau was shot a question about her employer DBS, which had publicly criticised her for taking up the presidency. She declined to answer, explaining she did not have permission to do so. Honorary Treasurer Maureen Ong and Ms Chua leapt to her defence but, as they spoke, Ms Lau listened and shook her head several times. Soon, another reporter's hand would shoot up and another hand would reach out to grab the microphone. Up front, the exco members interrupted one another's long-winded explanations, clarifying one another's points, sometimes resulting in even more confusion. At one point, Ms Ong mumbled something about changing Syariah law, but when asked to clarify by a reporter, she took it back and said: 'What I want to say is that we are working for all women, whether you are Muslim, Buddhist, Christian...' 'You haven't answered any of our questions!' exclaimed one exasperated reporter. Said Ms Ng: 'We organised this press conference because we wanted to explain our position. 'Now, we have a question for the media.' What is the newspapers' role in all of this, she asked. Why the unusually keen interest in the gay agenda? Her question was met with silence. And with that, the press conference ended.
3 questions on everyone's lips
'If the old guard was that interested in Aware, why did not they turn up for the AGM?' Honorary Treasurer Mauren Ong
'Aware seems to be only interested in lesbianism and homosexuality, which is a man's problem.' Advisor to new exco, Dr Thio Su Mien
'Yes, we attend the same church. But not all of us knew one another before joining Aware.' Ms Maureen Ong |
http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=27870.1
Aware: Their lives and jobs threatened
| LOCKDOWN | |||||
| Their lives and jobs threatened | |||||
| Ladies of the fight: At the Raffles Town Club, the plot thickened. There were death threats, a heckler and a 'Feminist Mentor' | |||||
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'MY hatred towards Dr Thio (Li-ann) and all Christians is so strong that... you are now on my hit list... wait for the day to come. I may not hurt you but someone you love most, that will cause you great pain.'
That is only the printable parts of the death threat that Honorary Secretary Jenica Chua claimed she received. The typed letter, delivered to the Aware office, contained religious slurs. It was written by a person claiming to be a homosexual who has joined a militant group. Ms Chua also said that someone wrote to her company recently saying that her involvement in the Aware saga has ruined the company's reputation. 'Why should this happen to me?' asked Ms Chua. President Josie Lau received death threats to herself and her family. Details of which school her children attend have been circulating on the Internet. 'Every day, I worry for my kids. If you are a parent, you will know what I mean,' said a visibly shaken Ms Lau. 'It is now a police case.' The exco members also revealed that they were logged out of their e-mail accounts by the Aware secretariat, whose manager, Ms Schultz Lee, has since been fired. Exco member Lois Ng also claimed she has been subject to an online campaign calling for a boycott of her business. 'The person said, 'This is your lesson for joining Aware',' said Ms Ng. 'Suddently, I feel that it is a crime to be a Christian and hold a position in a women's organisation. 'But Singapore is a multi-racial and mutli-religious country. My religion is a private matter.' She questioned the nature of the outburst against the new exco. 'What is happening to our society? Can someone explain...this thing that is so dangerous and irrational?' Outraged Said Dr Thio Su Mien, the mother of Nominated Member of Parliament Thio Li-ann, and advisor to the new exco: 'I am outraged, absolutely outraged, that when a group of women come together to contribute to society, they receive such ferocious attacks.' Said Ms Lau: 'I said in my past interview that Aware has lost its focus. But I was being very polite.' The gay agenda, she said, seemed to have been the 'single objective' of the old Aware. 'We want to bring Aware back to its original, noble objective and address issues like ageism and health care...things which ordinary women care about,' she said. 'All we want to do is to get going with the work. But the old guard has been badgering us.' |
http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=27869.1
Dr Thio Su Mien, what can you teach the ignorant ones, really?
Dr Thio Su Mien, what can you teach the ignorant ones, really?
SINGAPORE - Dr Thio Su Mien has now emerged from behind the scenes to elucidate on her role in mentoring the current members of AWARE’s executive committee. And she has given an interesting exposé into the motivations behind her actions.
According to Dr Thio, her interest in AWARE was piqued when she discovered that the old AWARE comprehensive sexuality program ,which is run in certain schools, regarded homosexuality as a neutral word, not a negative one. Apparently, she felt that homosexuality should be regarded in a negative light. If not, there would come a time when there will a proliferation of homosexuality, according to her beliefs.
It is rather interesting that Dr Thio finds an issue with homosexuality being regarded neutrally. As science students, we are always taught to approach a topic objectively. And the way to do it is to approach a topic with a neutral perspective. There are responsible professors who exhort students not to be influenced by the former’s academic bias, but rather to approach an academic topic with an unbiased and neutral perspective. That is part of responsible teaching.
My previous stint in the editing and authoring of educational materials, most of which involved collaboration with officers from the Ministry of Education, enlightened me on various changes made to the educational curriculum, most of which will benefit the students. Students from the lower secondary level (secondary 1) are now trained in the ways of the Scientific Method, and have to be familiarized with various research techniques, such as sourcing for relevant information through the Internet and other means. When such students approach a new topic, they are encouraged to do it from an unbiased and neutral perspective, and gradually work their way towards a conclusion. Thus, it is not wrong for an educator to treat a topic such as homosexuality in a neutral light.
Hence, to spread biasness towards a particular topic, even if it is on homosexuality already flies in the face of objectivity. Secondly, there is nothing wrong being neutral about that subject. After all, the scientific community with its army of scholars from diverse disciplines are currently trying to study the topic of homosexuality. No one in his right frame of mind would dare lay stake to the claim that he or she completely comprehends homosexuality. The full details of the phenomenon of homosexuality is still not known. I doubt Dr Thio is any more knowledgeable on the science behind the subject vis-a-vis the vast army of scholars. What I do know is that formulating negative conclusions on a yet to be completely elucidated subject is premature at this stage. It is bad science, and the one who is teaching it is effectively teaching bad science. Thus, it is not wrong to treat a phenomenon that one who is not completely familiar with in a neutral light.
Dr Thio professes to help homosexuals, and she has ministered to them in the past. Her actions are commendable because it indicates her heart is in the right place. But one has to question whether her intention to negatively portray homosexuality in the negative light is going to help matters. Interestingly, her nephew, Dr Alan Chin, brought up the fact that homosexuals are at risks of psychological illnesses such as depression, suicides and drug abuse in his forum letter titled “Homosexuality: Neither a disease nor an immutable trait“, in addition to stating that homsexuals are at risks of HIV transmission.
I will attempt to kill two birds with one stone by discussing two studies. The first study was carried out by Waldo and colleagues (Waldo et al. Self-acceptance of gay identity decreases sexual risk behavior and increases psychological health in US young gay men. Int Conf AIDS. 1998;12:209 (abstract no. 154/14135).) to firstly examine the relationships between 1) Self-acceptance of gay identity 2) Sexual risk-taking behavior (unprotected sex) 3) Mental health in US gay men, and secondly, to explore the role of gay community involvement, social support for gay identity, and sexual orientation disclosure in connection to the previous three variables. They found that social support for gay identity is related to self-acceptance of gay identity and psychological health, and self-acceptance of gay identity is a predictor of increased psychological health, sexual orientation disclosure, and decreased sexual risk behaviour. What this means is that gays who accept their sexuality are likely to be psychologically healthy. And this self acceptance of gay identity can be increased by gay community involvement and social support for gay identity. The main conclusion of the study is that HIV preventive interventions for gay men can be more effective within a personal and cultural environment that increase self-acceptance of the gay identity.
The second study was by Mayne and O’Leary on a suburban and rural population of gay men (Mayne T, O’Leary A. Family support is more important than friend or partner support in reducing distress among suburban and rural gay men. Int Conf AIDS. 1993 Jun 6-11;9(1):120 (abstract no. WS-D17-4)). What they found was that family support is more important than friend or partner support in reducing distress among suburban and rural gay men.
These two studies expose the weaknesses of Dr Chin’s and Dr Thio’s arguements. The Waldo et al study has elucidated the relation between social support for gay identity and psychological health. Thus, for one, it shows that Dr Chin’s inclusion of psychological illnesses in his arguement doesn’t really lend weight to it. Because if the gay is in a social setting that does not promote self-acceptance of his sexual identity, he will not likely be psychologically healthy. In such a setting, he is likely to practise risky sexual practices that can lead to HIV transmission. This very setting can be brought about by a projection of a negative mindset of homosexuality throughout the society, which Dr Chin and Dr Thio advocates. And if Dr Thio wants to educate parents about the negativities of homosexuality, she has to be mindful of the implication of the second study which demonstrated that family support of gay men was crucial in reducing distress. Would indoctrinating a negative perspective of homosexuality help matters? I think not.
As a concerned citizen, Dr Thio feels the need to teach the ignorant ones. It seems that what she is teaching may not be that helpful after all.
http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=27734.76
SINGAPORE - Dr Thio Su Mien has now emerged from behind the scenes to elucidate on her role in mentoring the current members of AWARE’s executive committee. And she has given an interesting exposé into the motivations behind her actions.
According to Dr Thio, her interest in AWARE was piqued when she discovered that the old AWARE comprehensive sexuality program ,which is run in certain schools, regarded homosexuality as a neutral word, not a negative one. Apparently, she felt that homosexuality should be regarded in a negative light. If not, there would come a time when there will a proliferation of homosexuality, according to her beliefs.
It is rather interesting that Dr Thio finds an issue with homosexuality being regarded neutrally. As science students, we are always taught to approach a topic objectively. And the way to do it is to approach a topic with a neutral perspective. There are responsible professors who exhort students not to be influenced by the former’s academic bias, but rather to approach an academic topic with an unbiased and neutral perspective. That is part of responsible teaching.
My previous stint in the editing and authoring of educational materials, most of which involved collaboration with officers from the Ministry of Education, enlightened me on various changes made to the educational curriculum, most of which will benefit the students. Students from the lower secondary level (secondary 1) are now trained in the ways of the Scientific Method, and have to be familiarized with various research techniques, such as sourcing for relevant information through the Internet and other means. When such students approach a new topic, they are encouraged to do it from an unbiased and neutral perspective, and gradually work their way towards a conclusion. Thus, it is not wrong for an educator to treat a topic such as homosexuality in a neutral light.
Hence, to spread biasness towards a particular topic, even if it is on homosexuality already flies in the face of objectivity. Secondly, there is nothing wrong being neutral about that subject. After all, the scientific community with its army of scholars from diverse disciplines are currently trying to study the topic of homosexuality. No one in his right frame of mind would dare lay stake to the claim that he or she completely comprehends homosexuality. The full details of the phenomenon of homosexuality is still not known. I doubt Dr Thio is any more knowledgeable on the science behind the subject vis-a-vis the vast army of scholars. What I do know is that formulating negative conclusions on a yet to be completely elucidated subject is premature at this stage. It is bad science, and the one who is teaching it is effectively teaching bad science. Thus, it is not wrong to treat a phenomenon that one who is not completely familiar with in a neutral light.
Dr Thio professes to help homosexuals, and she has ministered to them in the past. Her actions are commendable because it indicates her heart is in the right place. But one has to question whether her intention to negatively portray homosexuality in the negative light is going to help matters. Interestingly, her nephew, Dr Alan Chin, brought up the fact that homosexuals are at risks of psychological illnesses such as depression, suicides and drug abuse in his forum letter titled “Homosexuality: Neither a disease nor an immutable trait“, in addition to stating that homsexuals are at risks of HIV transmission.
I will attempt to kill two birds with one stone by discussing two studies. The first study was carried out by Waldo and colleagues (Waldo et al. Self-acceptance of gay identity decreases sexual risk behavior and increases psychological health in US young gay men. Int Conf AIDS. 1998;12:209 (abstract no. 154/14135).) to firstly examine the relationships between 1) Self-acceptance of gay identity 2) Sexual risk-taking behavior (unprotected sex) 3) Mental health in US gay men, and secondly, to explore the role of gay community involvement, social support for gay identity, and sexual orientation disclosure in connection to the previous three variables. They found that social support for gay identity is related to self-acceptance of gay identity and psychological health, and self-acceptance of gay identity is a predictor of increased psychological health, sexual orientation disclosure, and decreased sexual risk behaviour. What this means is that gays who accept their sexuality are likely to be psychologically healthy. And this self acceptance of gay identity can be increased by gay community involvement and social support for gay identity. The main conclusion of the study is that HIV preventive interventions for gay men can be more effective within a personal and cultural environment that increase self-acceptance of the gay identity.
The second study was by Mayne and O’Leary on a suburban and rural population of gay men (Mayne T, O’Leary A. Family support is more important than friend or partner support in reducing distress among suburban and rural gay men. Int Conf AIDS. 1993 Jun 6-11;9(1):120 (abstract no. WS-D17-4)). What they found was that family support is more important than friend or partner support in reducing distress among suburban and rural gay men.
These two studies expose the weaknesses of Dr Chin’s and Dr Thio’s arguements. The Waldo et al study has elucidated the relation between social support for gay identity and psychological health. Thus, for one, it shows that Dr Chin’s inclusion of psychological illnesses in his arguement doesn’t really lend weight to it. Because if the gay is in a social setting that does not promote self-acceptance of his sexual identity, he will not likely be psychologically healthy. In such a setting, he is likely to practise risky sexual practices that can lead to HIV transmission. This very setting can be brought about by a projection of a negative mindset of homosexuality throughout the society, which Dr Chin and Dr Thio advocates. And if Dr Thio wants to educate parents about the negativities of homosexuality, she has to be mindful of the implication of the second study which demonstrated that family support of gay men was crucial in reducing distress. Would indoctrinating a negative perspective of homosexuality help matters? I think not.
As a concerned citizen, Dr Thio feels the need to teach the ignorant ones. It seems that what she is teaching may not be that helpful after all.
http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=27734.76
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