SHE was among the loudest and most hardworking fighters of the old guard during the Aware saga earlier this year.

Then when they wrestled back control of the women's organisation, she became an eager member of the new executive committee.

But barely four months later, Ms Nancy Griffiths, 56, has quit her post.

She handed in her resignation letter on 3Sep, and it was accepted five days later.

The New Paper understands that there are 11 members left on the executive committee, and there are currently no plans for Ms Griffith's position to be filled.

The New Paper found out about her resignation and asked her why she had quit. Her response: 'It (being on the exco) was not what I expected it to be.'

When prodded further, the businesswoman revealed that she had several personal clashes with other exco members.

She said she had questioned some of the decisions made by the exco. During these discussions, she said she felt 'like an outsider'.

Ms Griffiths, a German born in the Philippines, has been living in Singapore for 11 years and is a permanent resident here.

She said she was also unhappy with the way Aware handled the criticism of its comprehensive sexuality education programme in May.

The programme was discontinued by the Education Ministry after concerns were raised.

Wanted apology

Ms Griffiths said she wanted Aware to apologise to the public because she felt that the sexuality programme contained terms that were 'culturally insensitive'.

She cited the words 'healthy' and 'neutral' being used in relation to anal sex in the instructor's guide for Aware's sexuality programme.

She said: 'I stand by the programme. It's a good programme. But the terms used were not acceptable for some cultures in a place like Singapore.

'I'm looking at it from the perspective of the ordinary Singaporean on the street. We (Aware) should have accepted responsibility. There's nothing wrong with saying we're sorry.'

When Aware did not apologise, she felt her opinions were very different from those of the other exco members.

Ms Griffiths said: 'One event followed another until I had enough.'

When contacted, Ms Dana Lam, president of Aware, said: 'Exco proceedings are confidential and I, like all other exco members, am obliged to maintain this confidentiality.'

She declined further comment.

Ms Corinna Lim, another exco member, also said exco members have signed a confidentiality agreement and that exco proceedings are confidential matters.

One exco member, who did not want to be identified, acknowledged that Ms Griffiths left under 'unhappy circumstances'.

Four other exco members contacted by The New Paper declined to comment.

Ms Griffiths said she spoke up because she wanted to explain her decision for resigning.

She was keen to point out that she does not have an issue with Aware, just with its current leaders.

She still considers the staff members working at the Aware Centre her friends.

After her resignation, she sent them an e-mail thanking them for their support and the work they have done.

She claimed that one former Aware president called her offering to chat, but she declined. This was confirmed by the former president.

'I wasn't ready for sharing,' Ms Griffiths said.

Still, resigning is painful for her, she claimed, as she had worked hard to win Aware back from the group that had taken it over earlier this year.

She recalled how in April she had spent her lunch hour in Starbucks and Coffee Bean outlets, going from table to table, with a laptop presentation, trying to convince strangers to support the old guard.

'Then, I wanted to be part of the force which forged gender equality. Everything I've done was for the good of Aware,' she said.

Ms Griffiths joined Aware in 2002, but was not active until this year.

The mother of two has now decided not to contribute, even as an ordinary member.

As to the fallout, she would only say: 'That's life. It's a learning experience for me. I've closed the chapter.'

Sex programme dropped

AWARE'S sexuality education programme was under the spotlight during the leadership tussle.

The programme aims to help young people develop a healthy and positive attitude towards sexuality and empower them in their decision-making.

Schools were free to engage external agencies - including Aware - to run sexuality programmes.

But Aware's programme came under attack during the saga, when some parents expressed concern about the content in an instructor's guide.

In response, the Ministry of Education (MOE) removed Aware from the list of external agencies it approved to provide sexuality education programmes.

Ms Lam, Aware's president, reportedly said it was 'regrettable' that MOE had seen a need to make this move.

In another interview, she said: 'We stand by its (the programme's) objectives, which is to provide young people with information for them to make their choices, and protect themselves and their well-being.

'There are some plans to develop it into a programme for parents and teachers. But we're not in a hurry to do that.'

This article was first published in The New Paper