Yuki on Sun, 3rd May 2009 10:06 am 

“I believe I am a ‘feminist mentooor’ [...] you have put me in your book, I’m on pg.73!!”

Erm, sorry, feminst mentooooor, I DO NOT put you in my book, maybe you want to find out the publisher yourself?
LOL, this is seriously hilarious. xD
I’m so gonna favorite it in Youtube. For the very first time in my life, I am concern about politics and such. Thanks Wayangparty Admin for such an extensive coverage that makes me stay up till the morning and I’m enjoying seeing their epic fails!! Classic~

Thank you (AWARE EGM) / Headspace on Sun, 3rd May 2009 11:21 am 

[...] “I’m charmed to be on page 73….show your elders some respect… You have no respect for elders!” Full quote here [...]

Lin on Sun, 3rd May 2009 11:22 am 

I noticed the happenings at Aware from newspapers while reading business news on the state of the economy – I have no personal opinion or interest in sexual issues, sex education in school or Aware politics.

I write as one who had professional dealings with Dr Thio Su Mien since 1995. Dr Thio is a leading corporate lawyer and the companies I’ve been involved with engaged her for legal counsel, I was my companies’ chief legal liasion with Dr Thio.

Speaking from my professional interactions with her, I have only the highest regard and respect for Dr Thio’s legal expertise, professional probity, integrity and performance in her dealings with us over 10 years. One seeks lawyers one trusts to understand and represent one’s interests skillfully and faithfully and she did so without fail on my company matters. In the course of my professional dealings with her, she demonstrated to me the best of the law and legal profession not just in executing the letter of the law but in her probity and rectitude in presenting corporate solutions attuned to the spirit of justice, fairness and integrity. With a strict and high sense of personal and professional probity.

I trust my experience with her is not unique.

On a personal level I communicated to her my sadness over my mother’s death and she tried to comfort, mentor and counsel me, at times with Christian concepts (and feminist ideas of being my own person now). While I did not understand or subscribe fully to every concept I was extremely moved because I understood the spirit of compassion, kindness and generosity underlying her efforts. She was trying to comfort and encourage with the best she felt she had and whether I agreed or not was secondary, what touched me was I recognized her spirit which underlaid that effort – a spirit of kindness, compassion, and concern – here is a successful, busy and highly paid corporate lawyer – her time is money. She was generously giving of her personal time to comfort another human being. While I may not agree with her personal philosophies, I deeply appreciated her generosity of spirit, kindness and compassion.

She has given generously of herself to many people, she calls that mentoring – in my experience with her, it was about a kind and caring ear, a compassionate heart.

She reminds me of mothers and aunts who say “don’t do drugs, don’t gamble, work hard, stay on the highest path in life, don’t pickup habits destructive to your health etc” – she comes from that genre. In my experience with her, she is extremely forthright – she will tell it as she thinks it is – she will tell you upfront, to your face, fully whether you like to hear it or not.

While I may chafe with annoyance at admonitions, not understand what she is saying and/or have my own ideas and philosophies, (I believe people should make up their own minds about their own lives etc) – I know those who behave such with me care for me and have my well-being at heart. And that their expressions of concern are altruistic because they really have more profitable things to do with their time and energy.

Seeing the way Dr Thio is portrayed in media on the Aware issue, as one with past business dealings with her, I am sharing my experience as data – it is up to people to form their own opinions, choose their own course, and do their own due diligence.

Just a plea and request for courtesy to all – we are inclusive and should show forbearance to all, even those who may not share our views or may strongly espouse different views. Please let us not label, categorize or negatively portray people who do not share our views or hold strongly their own. As a tolerant liberal, let’s be tolerant enough to courteously hear the views and efforts of well-meaning folk whatever our own personal views may be.

From,
A bystander and observer

SneeringTree on Sun, 3rd May 2009 11:49 am 

“A bystander and observer”:

I am sure sure conducts herself exemplarily professional (although I have heard unsubstantiated stroies of how she attempts to subtly proselytize at any given momnet). But this just goes to show how religious extremism can totally affect a person’s mind and intellect.

Thio’s daughter produced a piece of garbage speech in parliament so full of logical fallacies that it should be studied in a logic class. Yet, I am sure in other matter of the law Thioo Li Ann is perfectly sharp. So what gives? Just because you feel homosexuality is an aborration, you throw kindness, logic, facts and empathy out of the window?

Honestly, I have very little sympathy for her.

talkmore on Sun, 3rd May 2009 11:54 am 

To Lin

When someone believes in a fundamentalist ideology, they lose sense of all rationality. In the case of Thio Su Mien, she has in the eyes of the woman in the street as well as the men. Your professional judgement of her is correct based on other postings by other lawyers who also have professional liasions with her but sound out a warning when she crosses the line & embarks on her fundamentalist beliefs. Spore is a secular society, Thio Su Mien is clearly using an NGO to further her fundamentalist beliefs. And an important point to note, was that she was booted out of Drew & Napier cos she forced her subordinates to do compulsory bible study under her group. Complaints then went up to management.

So, Lin, your support of her is between you & her. Don’t push it to the majority of Sporeans who do not share her extremist views. Stay out!

Anonymous on Sun, 3rd May 2009 12:07 pm 

Lin, whatever she does in her own life is not the point here. People are standing up to her not for her views, but for the actions she took.

Deadpool on Sun, 3rd May 2009 12:18 pm 

Lin on Sun, 3rd May 2009 11:22 am

I noticed the happenings at Aware from newspapers while reading business news on the state of the economy – I have no personal opinion or interest in sexual issues, sex education in school or Aware politics.

its not even about all the things above you have said..read and don’t assume anything 1st.
your dear Dr Thio is one labelling, categorize and negative portraying of other people…pls get your facts right 1st.

From,
Not a bystander and observer

P.S : are you those who see someone in trouble and don’t help?
cos you are just a bystander and observer.

Truth on Sun, 3rd May 2009 12:31 pm 

Respect has to be earned by large group of people comprise different ethnity and background and not simply a single testimonial from the same church member. Paper can lie, people can lie but it is through the action, in the past one month, of Thio & gang that we see it through our own eyes and that cannot possibly lie or escape our eyes. It is also not uncommon to see people from the same church or close friends, of Thio, wanting to paint positivity of her. However, if a person live in order to discriminate others, I wonder, how good can she be even with flying record and few die-hard fans.

Observer.

Harrylky on Sun, 3rd May 2009 12:49 pm 

She has disgraced herself. Demanding respect from others confirmed her desperation.

are on Sun, 3rd May 2009 12:50 pm 

lovely. What a disgrace Thio Su Mien is.

Ms Thio, you got an education, because your family is rich to send you to UK. Try competing for the Havard law school in United States. I think you won’t qualify (with probability 1).

Respect is Earned on Sun, 3rd May 2009 12:53 pm 

Period.

heresy_monster on Sun, 3rd May 2009 12:58 pm 

Lin on Sun, 3rd May 2009 11:22 am,

I think Ms Thio’s past sneaky actions speak for herself. Complete shame at such an advanced age.

I am sure the readers do not need people to write good reference letter for her on this saga.
She can ask you for a reference letter when she looks for a new job. Perhaps her niece-in-law Ms Josie Lau might need a new job, write a good reference letter as you have done here.

The Singapore Daily » Blog Archive » Daily SG: 3 May 2009 AWARE Weekend Special on Sun, 3rd May 2009 1:03 pm 

[...] demand: “Account for our money!” – TOC: Chaos – “Shut up and sit down” – The Wayang Party: Thio Su Mien asked the crowd to show her some respect during Aware EGM – ADRENALYNNE: Aware egm starts – The Wayang Party: LIVE from Suntec: AWARE EGM, 2 May 2009 – TOC: [...]

Singaporedaddy on Sun, 3rd May 2009 1:09 pm 

No this has nothing to do with ideology and everything to do with basic common sense and maybe elementary conflict management – the rule of thumb is NEVER ever walk into a fight without at least having a few exit plans – the feminist mental walked right into a classical bear trap – made a complete fool of herself and now her influence stands at zero and her reputation is in tatters – she is now worthless. Damaged goods.

Who is to blame for this? Let me put it another way, who is to blame when you go into a gunfight with a butter knife?

Get it now?

SD (Internet liaison officer of the brotherhood)

ThinkingSoul on Sun, 3rd May 2009 1:12 pm 

She is pointing to her past credential, being proud and egoistical, yet she has the gut to tell people “please show humility”.

This is so typical of “Do What I Say, Don’t What I Do”, Hollier Than Thou, Preaching & Not Practicing Mentalities of the Ultra-Conservative Christians Rights Movement.

She has already mastermind 2 chapters of attempting to sow discord and division within the Singapore society.

Chapter 1

The first salvo was fired by Thio Li-Ann in Parliament last year with the attempt to fan-fire the Singapore Society based on the gay agenda.

Chapter 2

The takeover of AWARE engineered by the Mother of (not just Thio Li-Ann) Christians Rights Agenda using the gay issue again.

This is quite similar to the situation in US. In the 2004 US Election, Bush and his Neo-Conservative Republicans stirred up the issues of gay-Marriage and Abortion in the US, using his influence with the American Evangelist Movement.

Bush won the 2004 US Election, but the US Population is deeply divided and polarised into the Conservatives Camp and Liberals Camp.

We in Singapore have to guard ourselves to be AWARE and CAREFUL
not to fall to the prey of the Ultra-Conservative Christian Rights Agenda, who may have been influenced or have affiliation with the American Evangelist Movement.

Above all, we should strive to be Moderate, Balanced and Free of Prejudices, regardless of whichever religion we have.

May God Bless Us All, regardless of Race, Religion, Sex, Sexual Preferences or any other superficial differences. Beneath our skin, we are all human.

gambit on Sun, 3rd May 2009 1:28 pm 

in all fairness, that poster is trying to defend dr thio in his/her own personal dealings. fair enough. i can imagine how nice she probably is, but possibly only to those who share her mindsets and values.

what i really want to know is how she will treat the gentiles and infidels who go to her for mentoring? will she show genuine concern or try to convert them? will she actually help say a gay woman who was fired from her job for being queer or would she say, come, hold this bible and i’ll help you change your ways?

that’s the baffling thing about the likes of dr thio n many like her. how sincere are they about helping? or is it just helping themselves score brownie points in heaven?

thirstyhippo on Sun, 3rd May 2009 1:31 pm 

The crowd was a tad too rowdy indeed for an EGM (this is not a political rally after all), but I guess it was hard to control the crowd’s emotions given Thio’s arrogance (Chinese saying 倚老卖老). She is condescending and talking with an irritating and misguided sense of moral superiority.

She is behaving like an out-of-touch discipline mistress trying to control students of another ’school’ and trying to gain respect by stating her teaching accolades.

She probably really believes HER interpretation of the Church’s teachings is best for all Singaporeans, but she has failed to realise that her mores does not and should not apply to all in this secular nation of ours. She also CANNOT speak for the ENTIRE female population of Singapore given her narrow gasp of issues faced by other women groups outside of her family, church and people she came to associate with in her field of work. Her generalising statements of gays being in pain and brought up in abusive environments (in the ST) is both hilarious and mildly disturbing. Disturbing in the sense that somebody of her experience and come up with such unshakable beliefs.

Unversity Student in the late 70s on Sun, 3rd May 2009 1:52 pm 

I was a medical student at the then University of Singapore in the 1970s. Proselytizing by the Christian students was very intense then, likely due to fact that people like Thio S M and other christians were heads of faculties, including the medical. In the notice of the medical faculty, then it was at Sepoy Lines (Singapore General Hospital) that now still stands as COMB or College of Medicine Building, a militant group of christians called the Navigator, was allowed to put up poster that declared “Towards a Christian Nation”. Freshies who were too timid to reject evangelising seniors, were stood up for hours in places like the medical library and in the hostel (then called King Edward Hall). Many perks were promised for converts such as tutorial groups by senior christian students, etc.
Some female students who lived on the top most floor of the hostel felt alienated and isolated by exclusive christian groups.
This heavy-arm tactic of spreading christianity was a reason for a large number of doctors being christians. This probably applied to other faculties as well.
Some medical students were even evangelising in the wards as well and in those days, patients in the C class wards were not highly educated and not aware that it was intrusion into their private space to file complaints. It was also likely that the heads of the wards, such as the nursing officers, were also of the same faith and hence closed “an eye”.

False Kindness on Sun, 3rd May 2009 2:44 pm 

I believe in what Lin said.

Thio Su Mien will be a fairy godmother to whoever she is proselytizing. If Lin would to say she didn’t want to hear any preaching from a religion standpoint, I will bet my last dollar that Thio Su Mien will immediately change into Snow White’s stepmother.

Religion fundamentalist will only be good to the people who are open, receptive and accepting to their religious teaching, and they are very intolerant to the pluralism existing in their environment. For readers who work in an organisations with religion fundamentalists in the management level, you will know how non-believers are being sidelined while favouritism are shown to their own faith group.

wondering on Sun, 3rd May 2009 2:47 pm 

just a thought.. where is claire nazar, amidst all this commotion? hmmm..

Dirty Harry on Sun, 3rd May 2009 4:04 pm 

I see everyone here agrees that respect must be earn. That’s good!

Now, How the hell did we vote in 2 Traitors to run our nation?

Because we respect Traitors??

Any one of you here have the guts to go against this traitor?

If not, then we are just practicing selective respect.

What if the most despicable person have the power to put you away under ISA law demand your respect?

lijing on Sun, 3rd May 2009 4:14 pm 

Whatever the merits of Thio Su Mien’s speech, the fact remains that the behavior of her hecklers was simply disgraceful.

No matter what you think of her personally, Thio Su Mien has done alot to elevate the profile of women in Singapore. What have her hecklers done? What they could have done was to at least listen.

These hecklers probably think they are heroes (more likely heroines)’. Sorry, but I don’t think there is anything remotely admirable about rudeness and disrespect to anyone.

loupgarou on Sun, 3rd May 2009 4:33 pm 

you can choose your religion, more so that gay people can choose their sexual orientation, people face death and torture in countries due to their sexual orientation, people face bullying, bullying induced suicide due to anti gay actions that an attitude that TSM spreads with her hate.

http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/pressparliament/pressreleases2009/statement.aspx

The Royal College shares the concern of both the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association that positions espoused by bodies like the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) in the United States are not supported by science. There is no sound scientific evidence that sexual orientation can be changed. Furthermore so-called treatments of homosexuality as recommended by NARTH create a setting in which prejudice and discrimination can flourish

The Royal College of Psychiatrists holds the view that lesbian, gay and bisexual people should be regarded as valued members of society who have exactly similar rights and responsibilities as all other citizens. This includes equal access to health care, the rights and responsibilities involved in a civil partnership, the rights and responsibilities involved in procreating and bringing up children, freedom to practice a religion as a lay person or religious leader, freedom from harassment or discrimination in any sphere and a right to protection from therapies that are potentially damaging, particularly those that purport to change sexual orientation.

In 1973 the American Psychiatric Association concluded there was no scientific evidence that homosexuality was a disorder and removed it from its diagnostic glossary of mental disorders. The International Classification of Diseases of the World Health Organisation followed suit in 1992

Ordinary Citizen on Sun, 3rd May 2009 5:15 pm 

Why then is our government afraid to do the right thing?
Has it got to do with the fact that 55% of MPs being of the same faith?

homersimpson on Sun, 3rd May 2009 5:21 pm 

” And an important point to note, was that she was booted out of Drew & Napier cos she forced her subordinates to do compulsory bible study under her group. Complaints then went up to management ”.

plus she didnt want to work with ”Sinners” in the firm

Respect must be earned. « 放。空。 on Sun, 3rd May 2009 5:35 pm 

[...] From Wayang Party [...]

boh liao on Sun, 3rd May 2009 6:07 pm 

to lin, we dont need to hear your testimony on thio. but i guessed thio need that more and maybe josie needs that now too. i cant imagine the high-handed way both of them behaved. i cant imagine those who worked under josie and team- i empathize them. i can only hear her saying -hear me only. else shut up and sit down.

i fail to understand that while thio has been a member -a long term member, but why cant she raise her concerns and speak out to the old guard to clarify? why does she make assumptions on the CSE program? why did she not attend the program – as explained by various party, i.e. MOE and Dr Anthony Yeo and parents-she seemed to put it out of context. Why is she trying to do? Why did she gather a group of her fellow sisters to outcast the old guard? why did she hv to remind pple that she’s the first dean? does anybody in AWARE bother? Does the public bother? What we would like to see are women who have the compassion and passion to help the helpless-gay or lebsian or straight, it didn’t matter to us. All are equal.

in essence, we, christians and non-christians and anyone simply cannot tolerate thio, josie n team management.and am i glad they are out. but not until they account for the $90k expenses.

lastly, lets just wait and see-if thio and her mentees still feel like feel the urge to help-perhaps they could start with the church first.

Ordinary Citizen on Sun, 3rd May 2009 6:24 pm 

Will we go the way of South Korea?

FOXNEWS.COM – WORLD
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
South Korea Buddhists March Against Christian President, Alleging Religious Discrimination

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,411541,00.html

Nihon-san on Sun, 3rd May 2009 6:28 pm 

Is that our feminist mentor? Oh yucks! Shameless self-promotion. At least we should be less afraid of people who champion promotion of one race and one religion anymore. Yes to diversity. No to fantaticism and exclusivity. That’s what ensures the survival of a race. Purification leads to genetic bottlenecks and sterility. Our pet dogs Canis familiaris – too much in-breeding has resulted in high incidence of tumours, recessive diseases and sterility.
I am in support of the old Guard more than the new Guard because I see this diversity in race and religion among their supporters. Just look who turned up to support the old Guards. Compare this with who supported the New Guards J & co.

oh my tian! on Sun, 3rd May 2009 6:37 pm 

Unversity Student in the late 70s on Sun, 3rd May 2009 1:52 pm

So true! My mother was the one who kena the proselytizing when she was screaming in pain trying to conceive me. These evangelist told her to renounce her faith and convert to christianity else i will be stillborn. Choy! So happy proselytizing has lessened in severity in singapore. Macam some disease liddat.

Andrew Chan on Sun, 3rd May 2009 6:57 pm 

Un-freak’n-believable how egotistical this old windbag is and her total lack of humility or self-awareness of it all!! You know what they say…. Pride comes before the fall!

It almost seems as if someone up there decided to teach Thio, Josie & bunch an abject lesson in humility in-front of the entire nation!!

Waaayhaaaay!!

mothership on Sun, 3rd May 2009 8:09 pm 

Unfortunately, for you, Thio Su Mien, the next time anyone writes a book on feminism in Singapore, you won’t be remembered as the first female law dean but as the “feminist mentor” who tried to hijack AWARE to spread bigoted messages against gays.

Why did you have to come out and wreck your entire life’s reputation in your twilight years? Did you feel that your daughter was hogging the limelight with her rabid anti-gay stance and wanted to show the world that *you* are the MOTHER of homophobia?

Cybergoddess on Sun, 3rd May 2009 8:56 pm 

I heard that Thio Su Mien emails religious stuff to other board members on one board she sits on. That is hardly an example of high quality professional behaviour.

patriot on Sun, 3rd May 2009 9:04 pm 

I feel sorry for the feminist mentor. No one who has lived so long should ever have seen that day.

But I blame the brotherhood most for this. They could have brought sanity when there was none. But instead, they washed their hands clean.

I have seen first hand what they can do, when they want to engage. They could have mobilised the conservatives and moderates and knowing them, they would not even need to leverage on religion. But instead, they said, this is their problem, not ours. They washed their hands clean.

I have seen how they once went into radicalised gulf gaming forum. I saw first hand how they won over so many there with their logic and ways. I have even seen how so many there called him thereafter Sadherin, the young wise one, when he had forced out the radicals and even brought trade and commerce to bear on that sector.

In this case, Darkness and his troupe betrayed Singapore. He let us all down.

The moral conservatives and moderates.

I spit on you darkness. Do you hear me, I spit on you!

floating log on Sun, 3rd May 2009 9:13 pm 

Dear Bystander and observer,

I too was suspicious of the media’s reporting of TSM that it might be bias or demonising her. But when I watch full recordings of her press conference, I thought the media made her looked better. Her arguments are weak and lack substantiation. At one point, she claimed that “Tiger Lilies”, which was shown as one of AWARE’s fund-raising movie screen, was used in it’s CSE to promote homosexuality. This weak linkage was (thankfully for TSM) omitted from the reports I’ve seen, but surfaced only when I watch the recordings. How can we say that the media is bias against her then?

I have respect for TSM’s achievements, and would like to call upon others not to implicate the behaviour of her daughter as an extrapolation of TSM’s character and values. But I really question TSM’s credibility as a Feminist Mentor for AWARE based on her words in public. Not the reported ones, but the recorded ones.

Ordinary Citizen on Sun, 3rd May 2009 9:16 pm 

Quote from
http://singaporeenquirer.sg/?p=3614

” Later, she (Dr Thio) told The Sunday Times she was surprised by the ‘anger’ and ‘vehemence’ she felt from the Aware members.

‘It’s very scary,’ she said. ‘What is happening to women in Singapore?’”

Perhaps she can now empathise with the very people she sought to incite hatred and of course anger against!
Unless she is a state of perpetual denial!

think thio is crazy on Sun, 3rd May 2009 10:16 pm 

I really don’t like this “What is happening to women in Singapore” holier-than-thou attitude. Is she implying there is something wrong with us? Is she and her daughter the only ones who are ok, i.e. of sound mind?

meowz on Sun, 3rd May 2009 10:30 pm 

Earn your respect obasan! Heckling for it does not help, haha! Page 73 of that ??? book does not help too. If you had a minister to endorse your nobility, I might raise an eyebrow.

Ordinary Citizen on Sun, 3rd May 2009 10:43 pm 

Referring to “oh my tian! on Sun, 3rd May 2009 6:37 pm”

Yesterday, a friend told me that she suffered a serious chest infection about 20 odd years ago and was recommended to a chest physician in the private sector by a christian colleague. She almost died but recovered with strong antibiotics that resulted in delayed nerve damage to her balance. On a follow up checkup, the doctor asked her if she was a christian. She said no. He then showed her the Xray of her chest and said that he was amazed that she recovered. He then said that he had nothing to do with her recovery but it was all due to GOD. She later learnt from her colleague that he said that same thing to her as well. However the doctor collected fees from both of them (non-christian and christian).

hah on Sun, 3rd May 2009 11:05 pm 

Feminist Mentor?? Like Minister Mentor?

These are the kinds of mindsets you get when you live in a dictatorship for too long..

soyabeanie on Sun, 3rd May 2009 11:51 pm 

i’m wondering …where is Claire Nazar in all of this? She’s keeping a very low profile, no? Hmmm…. She wasn’t at the EGM as well… *raise eyebrow* Anyone out there care to say something?

Mentor my head on Mon, 4th May 2009 12:00 am 

TSm is a joke. I laugh until my head off. She should stay in ur church and never speak on social issue for the rest of her life. It is a disgrace. One advice: Pls speak to ppl who is interested. And since in the EGM, it is obvious no one is. Pls SHUT UP. And when we show our displeasure, dun call us disrespectful because u hv not respected our opinion in the first place by continue to spurn nonsense.

yik keng yeong on Mon, 4th May 2009 12:04 am 

In the confines of parliament, Thio Li An spewed forth a whole lot of bilge and buncombe totally unsupported by modern medical knowledge. It was a crying shame that the press, respecting parliamentary privilege, did not publish the scorn and derision she totally deserved by exposing herself as a totally bigoted ignoramus in matters of biology and psychology, no matter that she is a brilliant academic in her field. Fast forward to the present moment and the elderly dotard mother tries to pull off another monstrous abomination of travesty of justice on Singaporeans again. This time , without the tacit protection of parliament privilege granted to her daughter,
oblivious to the revilement that her family’s stand has generated all this while, she got her just desserts,
splattered full in the face with humble pie.
If God is there, he sure did not stand by her this time.
Why has her God forsaken her ?
Where was their God when the feminists she was mentoring
sent their fervid prayers to the empyrean to seek
victory over the old guard ?
Why has God made a more liberal and biologically acceptable
attitude towards Gays win the day ?

Rainnix on Mon, 4th May 2009 12:20 am 

Are all old farts self-delusional and condescending? What is appearing on the page 73 of AWARE book got to do with EGM?

pro-inclusion, pro-choice, pro-harmony on Mon, 4th May 2009 12:40 am 

It is a shame that this episode has inflamed emotions and led to polarisation: pro-new guard vs pro-old guard; conservative vs liberal; pro-gay vs anti-gay; Christian vs secular; etc.

Members of the committee which just stepped down and Ms Thio, your professed intention of wanting to serve and your principles may have been honourable, but the manner in which you acted during your term was not.

Behaviour such as your lack of forthrightness, your exclusion and alienation of others perceived of as “from the other camp” and your high-handedness in changing the locks, firing staff led even those who started out giving you the benefit of the doubt to perceive the whole movement as a covert,orchestrated coup. Were your intentions honourable, why did you not at the outset make it clear that you took issue with the AWARE CSE? There was nothing to hide, particularly since your view reflected what you believed was a broad swathe of parents in Singapore. While I do not necessarily think that you would have let your religious beliefs compromise the secular stance of AWARE, it is a perfectly valid concern on the part of many.

Why you felt it necessary to display such antipathy to former office-bearers and incumbents is a mystery to me. Why the “Us versus Them” and siege mentality? Did you really think you were fighting the forces of darkness? Had you:
(1) spoken/acted honestly
(2) acted in a less hostile fashion
(3) accorded respect to those who had worked so hard over the years for AWARE and women, things would have unfolded differently.

While it is regrettable that you did not get the opportunity to speak at the EGM without being heckled, those who would not let you say your piece in peace (forgive the pun) understandably took the stand that if you had dealt so summarily with others and with a complete lack of respect and regard for their feelings, you too would have no objection to being treated in the same fashion.

The no-confidence vote was the “righting” of what is seen as a “wrong”, the displacing of a committee that was seen as an usurper despite having been voted in constitutionally.

So, to Ms Thio and the committee she mentored, thank you for raising the concerns of many parents regarding the content of the CSE. If you meant well, you attained your objective of placing the CSE under scrutiny.

To those who founded and served AWARE faithfully over the years, thank you for all the work you did and continue to do, that we have taken for granted.

To the women (and men) who turned up at the EGM in force, thank you for taking action and standing up for what you believed in.

Now, it is time for the healing of rifts to start and the divisiveness to cease ..

Elfred on Mon, 4th May 2009 1:16 am 

The rugged society in MM’s words… It’s a success.
This is… very rugged. Online and offline, just rugged.

Is that something to celebrate?

Ron on Mon, 4th May 2009 2:56 am 

omg…after seeing this(until 0:25),i felt sorry for them liao sia…

i think ppl should show others some respect while pursuing their believes?

i cant bare to watch the rest…

nice ownage but dun over do it…>.<

outraged UK student on Mon, 4th May 2009 5:26 am 

[QUOTE]
are on Sun, 3rd May 2009 12:50 pm

lovely. What a disgrace Thio Su Mien is.
Ms Thio, you got an education, because your family is rich to send you to UK. Try competing for the Havard law school in United States. I think you won’t qualify (with probability 1).
[/QUOTE]

To are, do you know that studying law in the US would do you no good in Singapore? Our judicial systems are diametrically different. I suggest that you refrain from making such comments because I doubt you yourself can make it into Harvard.

Business & Finance Blogs » Blog Archive » Thank God the Christians Were Defeated on Mon, 4th May 2009 5:58 am 

[...] was one moment when I felt a sense of deep pity arise in me. That was when I was watching this Youtube video of Thio Su Mien. Specifically, it was those parts where she kept saying things like “Show [...]

ziiro on Mon, 4th May 2009 6:49 am 

@ think thio is crazy : She’s implying that 66.6% of the women who voted ‘no’ is probably insane, irrational or both and lacking any respect for older women. Lol. Seriously, if she believes in God, then thank that God for teaching her some humility and hopefully, some common sense as well(though that probably came from their legal counsel). A self declared title with a holier than thou attitude – Can u say DELUDED?

Anonymous on Mon, 4th May 2009 9:31 am 

‘feminist mentor’ indeed. Kena booted out and jeered on national tv and news media.
The higher you think you are, the lower and harder your fall shall be. haha…

phua ck on Mon, 4th May 2009 9:33 am 

I read in another forum that TSM and her husband held regular private sermon services that look like exorcism in a mini Church at the basement of their house for high fliers!!! She is all powerful and well-connected, so don’t pray pray ah.

Gemini on Mon, 4th May 2009 10:52 am 

What a pathetic sight.

Dr Thio’s professional achievements cannot be denied. But even the most brilliant man or woman can be blinded by faith and prejudice, and in her case Dr Thio seems strangely obsessed with the issue of homosexuality. When people like her lecture others in a tone of such moral superiority and self-righteousness, they deserve what they get.

Those who defend Dr Thio must not forget that she is responsible for creating this fiasco.

xtrocious on Mon, 4th May 2009 11:10 am 

To ziiro

Let’s hope that this is the case…

However we have seen examples where such setbacks are taken as a personal attack/insult and these people become more sore and bitter…

loupgarou on Mon, 4th May 2009 12:48 pm 

if that book is published by aware, perhaps they should reissue a 2nd publication and take her out of page 73.

justinash on Mon, 4th May 2009 1:01 pm 

Oh…I was on Page 1 of ST. Lemme go find some people to mentor.
And did anyone catch Margaret Thomas making that “cuckoo-head” hand sign? Classic.

xiao-J on Mon, 4th May 2009 1:29 pm 

>>>Ordinary Citizen on Sun, 3rd May 2009 10:43 pm

thio su mian needs to earn her respect from ordinary sg pple. demand of respect from us is ridiculous. even her daughter never said such despo stuffs. maybe she should be called the Feminist Demented.

Are Passions and Fundamentalism 'Gungho" Defactos of Common Sense and Humility? on Mon, 4th May 2009 1:36 pm 

Even the rogue or most vile will be touched by humility and ultruism ultimately. For every human being respects such values eventhough he or she may yet to be. Or even the opposite of these things.

When one is so GungHo about a believe, though good in sense of it, we would have done that good believe values a dire diservice by being protubrant of it eventhough done in probity. For such actions are nothing less then imposing one’s own upon another one’s own to be devalued and discarded for the wrong reasons than with humility and ultruism in loving ways.

The Holy Bible may be full of stories of wars and discords of our human kind. But never does it teach us in any way to be otherwise, except to be even loving to our enemies. The more self determine a person’s conviction, themore a person’t self-righteous half will become predominant.

Peter on Mon, 4th May 2009 1:59 pm 

I am disgusted by what I hear on the recordings of the EGM. The majority are nothing more than a hooligan rabble. Eugene Tan of NUS Law Faculty laughably claims that this saga shows a “maturing” of Singapore society. Personally, I saw no difference in behaviour of the hecklers in the audience than some spoilt brat 5-year-old princess who whines when you take away her toys.

Haha on Mon, 4th May 2009 2:37 pm 

we should do that to Minister Mentor and his PAPee

Anonymous on Mon, 4th May 2009 3:27 pm 

As the professed mentor to many of Josie Lau’s exco, I wonder why Dr Thio didn’t volunteer to mentor/provide legal advice pro-bono to the exco instead of spending tens of thousands of dollars hiring Rajah & Tann lawyers, given her “standing” and experience in the legal community.

Douglas on Mon, 4th May 2009 3:28 pm 

A good reputation takes decades to build up and just a moment on TV to be destroyed. We saw this with TSM on Saturday. No one will be able to take her seriously now. Companies like mine will surely not offer any work to her firm knowing they have such fundamentalist leanings as its against our tenets of diversity and inclusiveness. Do I feel sorry for her? Yes. But I am sorry that someone of her intellect would need to resort to such actions. I have no idea why her she and her church are obsessed about homosexuality. Surely there are other crises in the world which need more attention and prayers like world hunger, poverty and wars!

In my opinion, its an easy target and rallying call for their members and a great way to obtain funding from affluent memebers. People get extremely agitated and opinionated about homosexuality, much more so than talking about that war in the middle east. All I can say to TSM and COOS members is grow up, take a step back and look at the big picture. There are other things you could better spend your time on rather than worrying if your neighbour is gay.

jinyu on Mon, 4th May 2009 3:53 pm 

mmm. I had a front row seat at the EGM.. Just to let everyone know how TSM behaved… No queuing, just got up and snatched mike from person holding it. And everybody told to keep quiet by gang up there and show respect and hear her speak.. how not to jeer.. Most of the jeering by the way was to ask her to queue up.
Second time round, she was trying to wrangle the mike from the person who was about to speak. Everyone shouted not to give the mike to her. She basically has no basic courtesy to even queue and wait her turn. Sorry I have very little respect for such behaviour.

HoSayLiao on Mon, 4th May 2009 6:02 pm 

It was Thio Su Mein’s boasting at the press conference about her being feminist mentor and encouraging Josie Lau and her gang and other female Christian soldiers to “change it [AWARE]” that caused the “Oh, we’ve never met and didn’t know each other from church” pretense to collapse. So Josie Lau and her gang have her to blame for being a self-promoting big mouth. Sally Ang should have shouted at her to “Shut up and sit down!” Bunch of anal women. Wonder what their employers (DBS, SAP, Ngee Ann Poly, etc) have in mind for them.

Maya on Mon, 4th May 2009 6:04 pm 

She’s getting desperate. She’s losing her mind too.

ohhowiloveTSM!!!- this is shit on Mon, 4th May 2009 7:38 pm 

TSM is one smart fellow- she works behind the scene – to get josie JL and team in exco. and when JL and team are beaten, TSM just walked off with some other pple. why are her comfort as a mentor for them? she claimed credit when JL and team are voted in exco.. hah and she though that was great!
i hope someone can enlighten me with these
Q1 actually i like to know what on page 73 though? or is it just mentioning that TSM is the first female dean..
Q2 why does TSM not with the team – in her P&C letter to her church fellow sister to ask them to join AWARE- she mentioned she can only be behind the scene. why is still afraid to come upfront?
Q3 why does TSM not wanting to vote into the exco. did she ever tried before?
Q4 TSM has been a long term member of AWARE, what has she participated in their activities
Q5 Btw, has she retired from the law society? what’s her status now?

Joe on Mon, 4th May 2009 7:44 pm 

Hey can this pretentious “feminine demented” please give back the S$90000 she cleaned out of AWARE to give to her own cronies as legal councel.

These whole episode stinks of the xxx schemed to help themselves. “God help those who help themselves”.

matchmaker on Mon, 4th May 2009 8:32 pm 

TSM should become MM’s constant companion.
Consider it a favour to us ordinary folks.
Yeah, keep each other busy and stop interfering.
It will be a match made in heaven. lol

kingsgrove on Mon, 4th May 2009 10:34 pm 

What has MM got to do with this? Stick to your target; don’t spray your gun.

ziiro on Tue, 5th May 2009 12:17 am 

to xtrocious:
well if she make anymore attempts to be another holier-than-thou mentor, how many pple aside from her religious fan club will take her seriously. Even if she takes a silent background approach (like Aware) for a party, the moment its made known to the public will destroy whatever credibility the party is trying to achieve. Basically the same for whoever is trying to latch on her “network”. Is this a personal attack/insult? I sure hope so, cos with her behavior, she be damned to deserve it. Like i said, teach that old dog a new lesson in humility. (Likewise for the other people who are thought to be immortals, could use some new lessons themselves.)

matchmaker on Tue, 5th May 2009 1:38 am 

to kingsgrove,
what gun spraying are you talking about ? I promote love lah !
Can’t you see both are mentors ? both have their bunch of stooges, both are egoistic ,self serving, living in the past,
and also have too much free time.
As matchmaker I see both are compatible lah ! lol

TSM vs MM? on Tue, 5th May 2009 8:47 am 

kingsgrove, matchmaker was just trying to draw some kind of parallel comparison of condiscending behaviour. We all know how MM can be like now and then – like pompous, exuberant, flambouyant, even demeaning of those whom he sees who differ from him as threats. And to the extend of also to bankrupting whom he sees are his adversaries who don’t see eye to eye with him.

Q. IS A PERSON WHO DIFFERS STRONGLY FROM OUR VIEWS – NECESSARILY OUR DEAD ENEMY? OR FOR THE MATTER, IS IT RESPECTABLE LEADERSHIP IN STRENGTH AND WISDOM TO RAIN BLOWS ONE’S PERCIEVED OPPONENT AS AN ENEMY.

Contrary, the strength in a Truly WISE person never cause him to have to be a BULLY! The simple reason is that, the wise is Fearless as he has wisdom to clarify and enlighten W/O ever resorting to unrespectable Force and Centric Means to achieve his goal. Example: If a footballer or a basketballer use unfair actions to get a goal, esp. by injurying his opponent – Won’t he get a Red Card? Or at least an Yellow one for a start?

And would you respect such a guy afterwards. Esp. if he keeps repeating such negative acts?

That said, this is the parallel I believe matchmaker is trying to convey.

MM of course gets away with them all for the most obvious reasons. The highest executive power of office and PAP’s economic success here. Though we can’t say the same in many other areas too.

yulee on Tue, 5th May 2009 10:44 am 

“Delusions of Grandeur” – ’nuff said

modernist on Tue, 5th May 2009 9:09 pm 

Don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

http://www.elijahlist.com/words/display_word.html?ID=2997

Last February, a USSPN Washington Regional Coordinator was present during a report given by an international lawyer from Singapore, Thio Su Mien (Su), who is gifted in prophetic intercession and healing. She shared about some of the things going on in the area of Indonesia before the tsunami.

She explained how the SARS virus hit Singapore a year prior to the earthquake/tsunami. The Lord alerted the intercessors and told them that if they did not get on their faces and repent on behalf of their nation’s involvement in abortion as the contraceptive of choice, that the land would suffer from His hand of judgment.
Because they saw how devastating the SARS virus had been, the intercessors immediately took action to seek His mercy and forgiveness. Singapore was not touched by the earthquake disaster. The Malaysian intercessors joined them in diligent prayer and also opened healing rooms in Kuala Lampur. The area on the Northern Coast of Malaysia was hit hard. There are amazing stories of God’s grace and mercy in saving souls and lives there.

It was the prayers of the intercessors that had saved the disaster from affecting an even larger area. She emphasized that the intercessors crying out with repentance and asking for mercy, along with declarations of the Word of God over the land (both written and rhema), released the curse upon the land and the people were spared. It was a plea for intercessors to step up to the plate and continue to press into God for mercy from judgment coming.

modernist on Tue, 5th May 2009 9:10 pm 

Must watch!! Hilarious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHKZdFwcjDo&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Efacebook%2Ecom%2Fhome%2Ephp&feature=player_embedded

Marcos on Thu, 7th May 2009 8:01 pm 

Pardon me, but did Thio Su Mien really claim that SARS is God’s punishment for allowing abortion in Singapore? I hope that she is not preaching this to her family, friends and church members….and certainly not in the public arena!

JL on Sun, 10th May 2009 5:30 am 

matchmaker,

as much as you hate TSM the FM, pls do not insult MM. it is a major insult to MM. very very bad. they are classes apart.