FORMER Aware president Constance Singam said the shock of the leadership grab at Aware left her crying for two days in her Shunfu Housing Board flat.
She and other Aware stalwarts were grief-stricken by the sudden loss of what they had built up over 25 years, but they soon picked themselves up and began planning to fight back.
The founders, long-time members, volunteers and supporters rallied. Some were ashamed to admit that they had allowed their membership to lapse even though they still believed in Aware and supported it.
Other women - and not a few men - were outraged not only by the way the change occurred but also by some of the actions of the new team.
The night Dr Thio Su Mien admitted her role, the locks at the Aware headquarters were changed and office manager Schutz Lee was fired for insubordination.
Former Aware president and ex-Nominated MP Braema Mathi was told curtly by e-mail that she was no longer in charge of a committee working on an important document about discrimination against women.
Aware's tradition was to let the immediate past president be an adviser to the new exco. But Mrs Singam resigned, unhappy that the new team asked her to leave meetings, and ignored her advice.
Stalwarts such as Ms Dana Lam, Ms Margaret Thomas, Ms Tan Joo Hymn and Ms Corinna Lim rallied the troops on a mission to reclaim what they had lost.
Aside from calling for the extraordinary general meeting, they started a website, http://we-are-aware.sg/, which gave daily updates on the issues involved, and a video featuring the likes of former MTV VJ Nadya Hutagalung and blogger Mr Miyagi to spread the message that Aware needed to be saved.
As Aware members and volunteers went online to round up support, respected founder members including former NMP Kanwaljit Soin openly condemned the stealthy tactics used in the power grab.
This article was first published in The Straits Times.