Newly-elected AWARE Exco to amend constitution
By Loh Chee Kong, TODAY | Posted: 02 May 2009 2250 hrs

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	Special Report • AWARE Dispute

SINGAPORE : Future candidates seeking office on the executive committee (Exco) of AWARE may have to be a volunteer with the women's group for at least a year before they are eligible to do so.

The newly-elected president of AWARE, Ms Dana Lam, said this is one of several more stringent criteria in the constitutional amendments her Exco will be looking into.

This is to prevent another leadership grab similar to the one that happened on March 28, when a group of unknown faces who had joined the women's organisation in recent months, gathered enough votes to take over the leadership at AWARE.

Ms Lam, 56, was speaking to the media after a marathon six-hour extraordinary general meeting on Saturday which saw that Exco resign, and Ms Lam's Exco elected.

The most immediate tasks, said Ms Lam, are to reclaim ownership of its Dover Crescent premises, including removing the CCTVs put in place by the new guard and to revive the work of the sub-committees which had stalled as a result of the saga.

"The biggest challenge is to restore confidence within AWARE itself and the people outside. We will have to do a lot of work to reassure our supporters, members and staff that things are just not going to be the same, that we are moving forward," Ms Lam said.

The new Exco - hailed by Ms Lam for its diversity of races and religions - sees the return of several Old Guards to the helm, but half the 12-women line-up were new faces, including fresh graduate Joanna D'Cruz, doctorate student Martha Lee and new media practitioner, Hafizah Osman.

Meanwhile, the Singapore Council of Women's Organisations (SCWO) said it is pleased to note that AWARE has reached a resolution in a democratic manner.

In a statement, President of SCWO, Dr Ann Tan said SCWO would like to underscore once again the need for civil societies to function as and remain as secular organisations so that all will stand to benefit from their good works. And that it trusts that AWARE will fulfil the mandate that they have been given to carry on with their work.

SCWO looks forward to working with AWARE to achieve their common goals for the well being of the women of Singapore. - TODAY/ms/ls