The following are the full answers to the questions put to Joanna D’cruz by I-S Magazine for their June 12 article.
Joanna a new member of the AWARE EXCO
How long have you been with Aware?
Since July 2008. I was coordinating AWARE’s public education programes
What have you learnt from the recent Aware controversy?
I have learnt there is a lot of misconception about certain issues and people are very willing to extrapolate and jump to conclusions instead of finding out the facts first. I have also learnt there are people in Singapore who are passionate, articulated and who believe in speaking out and standing up for issues that are important to them. This is something I admire.
What is your role within the organization as an exco member?
As a member of the Executive Committee I contribute to decision making by bringing my views to the table. I also help out with the various duties.
Individually, what are you tasked to do in the next 12 months or so?
In the past weeks, I have been tasked with picking up the threads for the Top Girls project along with Martha. This project was initiated by the 2008 Exco (led by Constance Singam) It had suffered a little from the recent upheaval. We have another fund-raising project, a flag-day, coming up in August. It would be good if you cld publicise this when it come. I’m interested in public education so I’m likely to continue working in this area in the months ahead. However, we are discussing and defining the direction for the year and our duties could be further defined.
In your individual opinion, what misconceptions about Aware continue to remain after this saga?
I think the biggest misconception is the idea that AWARE has a lesbian agenda and that we are somehow narrowly focused on it. This is SO not true!
There is also a sizeable groundswell of opinion that some of your policies are out of step of with Singapore’s societal values. What do you say about that? And as an individual, what are you doing about such perceptions?
Since its inception in 1985, AWARE has always believed in a society where trust, respect and choice are the fundamental core values. Which I believe is in line with Singapore’s societal values. Singapore is a multi-cultural, multi-religion, multi-race country and in such a unique environment, it is imperative that everyone should have the right to equal opportunities.
What are some the biggest challenges faced by Singapore women today?
Well, women in different circumstances face different problems. In general, I think the equation of self-worth with the size and shape of her body and the fairness of her complexion perpetuated in the media is a insidious problem.
Has the recent controversy set the organization back? If so, how should the organization build itself up from heron in?
AWARE now has 3000 members, it’s highest number in 24 years. Sure there were some dramas that came along with it but life wouldn’t be exciting if there weren’t any. I don’t believe that the controversy was a set back, in fact I think it has helped this organization. And with this we will continue to grow and learn and make it better.
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