The Eletric New Paper - April 18, 2009
After just one day, she faces flak from bank and Aware veteran members
By Benson Ang
ONE day into the presidency of a women's group and DBS bank officer Josie Lau Meng-Lee, 48, is feeling the heat of the seat.
FEELING THE HEAT: Ms Lau disregarded the bank's advice to not join Aware's executive committee.
Ms Lau, who was elected president of the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) late on Wednesday night, faces heat from her employers and questions from her Aware predecessors and members.
Ms Lau is DBS' vice-president and head of marketing, cards and unsecured loans.
Shortly after her Aware election, DBS issued a statement saying that although the bank supports her involvement as an Aware council member, it believes that the role of president would demand too much of her time and energy.
Yesterday, when it became clear that Ms Lau was president, DBS issued another statement - this time for her disregard of the bank's staff code of conduct twice.
The bank said it was reviewing the matter.
The first time was when she became an Aware committee member without informing the bank; the second when she ran for Aware president.
The heat from the other side comes from Aware members who told The New Paper that they were unhappy over comments made by the new committee on Wednesday night.
Ms Margaret Thomas, 57, a founding member of Aware, felt that the press statement did not address the key concerns of the 160 members who signed a requisition to the new committee.
It called for an immediate extraordinary general meeting to clear the air over the way the new members were elected on 28Mar.
It also voiced members' concerns that Ms Claire Nazar, who was initially elected president, resigned barely two weeks later.
Ms Thomas, a media consultant and a former Aware vice-president, listed the concerns: 'Who are they? What do they want?
'If they remember and honour the work of past Aware members, why did they see the need to come in those numbers, to come and take over the executive committee?
'What are they going to do that is so different from what is being done now, that they felt they had to gain control?'
She suggested that the new committee could have worked with, and alongside, the old guard.
'If you join Aware, we take it that you support our principles, our views, feel we're doing a good job and you want to participate.'
'The press release, if anything, just raises more questions.'
Even former Aware president Constance Singam, 72, who was to have sat in at the meeting of new committee as its adviser, was initially kept out.
She told The New Paper that when the meeting began, she was not allowed into the room. She just sat outside.
She said: 'They (the new committee) said they had to deal with some sensitive issues and didn't need my presence there.'
Ms Singam was there to ensure continuity between the old committee and new one.
Ms Lau is married to Dr Alan Chin Yew Liang, a medical doctor, and has two daughters, aged 17 and 15.
According to Ms Lau's CV, she is most concerned about work-life balance and the role of mothers as a stabilising factor in the family.
At press time, she could not be contacted for comment.
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