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[TD="class: content_subtitle"]Karen Wong
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[TD="class: content_subtitle, align: left"]Sun, Apr 13, 2008
The New Paper
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[TD="colspan: 3"] Dr Amy Khor eats fast, talks fast, shops fast
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WORKING mums are often saddled with multiple tasks - juggling the roles of mother, wife and employee.
That is often cited as one reason why women drop out of the workforce, or hit a glass ceiling at work.
Is it also a reason no woman has made it to the Minister level in Singapore?
How to find a Wonderwoman who can manage her time so well and succeed? Enter Dr Amy Khor, time manager extraordinaire.
KIASU
Time management began early.
When she was in primary school, she would wake up at 5am to help her mother, a canteen operator at the school where Dr Khor was studying, to make soon kueh and stir red bean soup.
Then they would walk to school, carrying containers of food. She would collect orders from the teachers in the staff room and help out at the stall when it was not 'her session'.
When it was not hectic, she would read her textbooks between serving customers.
By her own admission, she was 'a bit kiasu'.
'Even when I was young, I had to be a good time manager in order to be able to get by.'
Her early challenges have prepared her well for the many hats she now wears.
Dr Khor, 50, is Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Ministry of Environment and Water Resources), Mayor of the Southwest District and chairman of the Government's feedback machinery, Reach.
She is also a mother of three teenagers and is advisor to the Women's Integration Network - the coordinating body for women's grassroots organisations.
The petite politician recalled with a laugh that she was 'famous' in school - the now-defunct Alexandra Hill Primary - which was a stone's throw from her one-room, one-hall Jalan Rumah Tinggi flat in Bukit Merah.
'I was quite talkative in class,' and then glancing at her 'extra thumbs', she said: 'And I have a distinctive trademark.'
She was the eldest in the family, and has three younger brothers.
Her father, a clerk, had married her mother only at 47 and by the time she was in her teens, he had retired.
From Secondary 4 through university, she gave tuition to put herself through school, earning up to $1,000 a month.
When her husband, Mr Nelson Lee, now a director in a semiconductor company, was posted to Silicon Valley for work, she went along and did her Masters of Business Administration at San Jose State University.
Another indication of how she manages time: She does not window shop.
'I'm a commando shopper,' she declared. She swoops down on the shops she knows has the items she requires. While white may be the People's Action Party's colour, she does not have many all-white outfits.
The straight-talking MP said: 'White is hard to maintain. You know I walk very fast. I also eat very fast, so chances of food splattering on my clothes is high.'
Indeed, everything about this 1.5m-tall woman shouts efficiency.
'I'm always keen to do more things than less,' she said. 'I'm happy if I've got things to do, if I'm involved. I don't just want to work, I want to be involved in the community.'
EARLY TO RISE
Before politics, she was a Sunday school teacher and actively served on the board of her professional association.
Dr Khor may go to bed past midnight, but at 5am, out of habit, she is up and about.
With her tinkling laugh, she said: 'I go around waking up the rest of my family.'
The mother of two girls, aged 13 and 18, and a boy, 17, said that while she tries to ensure that they complete their homework, she tries not to put pressure on them.
'I leave them to choose what they want, as long as they try to do their best and put in their fair share of work.'
But what if they don't? 'I nag lah.'
It is her 'more patient' husband who coaches them and helps them with their homework most of the time, she said.
It has been about six years since she entered politics.
She has gone from MP to her current position as an office holder - something she did not expect.
And despite her busy schedule, she tries to make it home for dinner with her family every night, before heading out again for her grassroots work.
On weekends, she enjoys what she calls 'food therapy' - hunting good food stalls with her family.
She no longer goes to the market for the family - a task her husband has taken over.
LITTLE TIME TO COOK
While she used to cook quite often, like when she and her husband were in the US, and in the early days of their marriage, she has little time for that now.
'I loved to experiment with food. Before, when we had a lot more time, I would cook during the weekends,' she said.
'Maybe later, when I retire, I'll have time to cook again.'
Chiding by then PM is water under the bridge
LESS than two years into her political career, Dr Amy Khor was chided publicly, by then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, no less.
Shortly after, she received e-mail with messages of encouragement from people she did not know.
She even received two bouquets from strangers. Those who knew her rallied around her.
And so, it became not only her low point, but also her high point.
Mr Goh had taken issue with her for using the word 'betrayal' to describe what she felt was Singaporeans' reactions to the Central Provident Fund rate cuts during the Parliamentary debate.
That was in September 2003.
Now, some 4½ years later, she said: 'It's water under the bridge.
'I've learnt to be more careful in my speeches, I suppose.'
Dr Khor may not have been promoted in the recent Cabinet reshuffle which saw two women Ministers of State Lim Hwee Hua and Grace Fu move up a level.
But, she said, it shows that women have made great strides in all fields, including politics.
'We now have the highest number of women MPs in Parliament, the highest number of women office holders ever.
'And also the highest number of women Senior Ministers of State ever - it has increased by 100 per cent,' she said laughing.
'It's harder to recruit women into politics. It's difficult enough recruiting men or women. But for women, it's harder.'
When asked if there's a glass ceiling, she replied: 'It's more a perception than anything else. Someone once told me, 'If you think there's a glass ceiling and you look hard enough, you will always find one'.'
But, she said, she is optimistic.
'In time to come, I'm sure you will see more women in politics. I think there's more interest now.'
Of the reshuffle, she said: 'The Prime Minister, as the 'conductor' of the orchestra would have to find whom he thinks is the right person for the right portfolio.'
This article was first published in The New Paper on Apr 13, 2008.
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[TD="class: content_subtitle"]Karen Wong
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[TD="class: content_subtitle, align: left"]Sun, Apr 13, 2008
The New Paper
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[TD="colspan: 3"] Dr Amy Khor eats fast, talks fast, shops fast
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WORKING mums are often saddled with multiple tasks - juggling the roles of mother, wife and employee.
That is often cited as one reason why women drop out of the workforce, or hit a glass ceiling at work.
Is it also a reason no woman has made it to the Minister level in Singapore?
How to find a Wonderwoman who can manage her time so well and succeed? Enter Dr Amy Khor, time manager extraordinaire.
KIASU
Time management began early.
When she was in primary school, she would wake up at 5am to help her mother, a canteen operator at the school where Dr Khor was studying, to make soon kueh and stir red bean soup.
Then they would walk to school, carrying containers of food. She would collect orders from the teachers in the staff room and help out at the stall when it was not 'her session'.
When it was not hectic, she would read her textbooks between serving customers.
By her own admission, she was 'a bit kiasu'.
'Even when I was young, I had to be a good time manager in order to be able to get by.'
Her early challenges have prepared her well for the many hats she now wears.
Dr Khor, 50, is Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Ministry of Environment and Water Resources), Mayor of the Southwest District and chairman of the Government's feedback machinery, Reach.
She is also a mother of three teenagers and is advisor to the Women's Integration Network - the coordinating body for women's grassroots organisations.
The petite politician recalled with a laugh that she was 'famous' in school - the now-defunct Alexandra Hill Primary - which was a stone's throw from her one-room, one-hall Jalan Rumah Tinggi flat in Bukit Merah.
'I was quite talkative in class,' and then glancing at her 'extra thumbs', she said: 'And I have a distinctive trademark.'
She was the eldest in the family, and has three younger brothers.
Her father, a clerk, had married her mother only at 47 and by the time she was in her teens, he had retired.
From Secondary 4 through university, she gave tuition to put herself through school, earning up to $1,000 a month.
When her husband, Mr Nelson Lee, now a director in a semiconductor company, was posted to Silicon Valley for work, she went along and did her Masters of Business Administration at San Jose State University.
Another indication of how she manages time: She does not window shop.
'I'm a commando shopper,' she declared. She swoops down on the shops she knows has the items she requires. While white may be the People's Action Party's colour, she does not have many all-white outfits.
The straight-talking MP said: 'White is hard to maintain. You know I walk very fast. I also eat very fast, so chances of food splattering on my clothes is high.'
Indeed, everything about this 1.5m-tall woman shouts efficiency.
'I'm always keen to do more things than less,' she said. 'I'm happy if I've got things to do, if I'm involved. I don't just want to work, I want to be involved in the community.'
EARLY TO RISE
Before politics, she was a Sunday school teacher and actively served on the board of her professional association.
Dr Khor may go to bed past midnight, but at 5am, out of habit, she is up and about.
With her tinkling laugh, she said: 'I go around waking up the rest of my family.'
The mother of two girls, aged 13 and 18, and a boy, 17, said that while she tries to ensure that they complete their homework, she tries not to put pressure on them.
'I leave them to choose what they want, as long as they try to do their best and put in their fair share of work.'
But what if they don't? 'I nag lah.'
It is her 'more patient' husband who coaches them and helps them with their homework most of the time, she said.
It has been about six years since she entered politics.
She has gone from MP to her current position as an office holder - something she did not expect.
And despite her busy schedule, she tries to make it home for dinner with her family every night, before heading out again for her grassroots work.
On weekends, she enjoys what she calls 'food therapy' - hunting good food stalls with her family.
She no longer goes to the market for the family - a task her husband has taken over.
LITTLE TIME TO COOK
While she used to cook quite often, like when she and her husband were in the US, and in the early days of their marriage, she has little time for that now.
'I loved to experiment with food. Before, when we had a lot more time, I would cook during the weekends,' she said.
'Maybe later, when I retire, I'll have time to cook again.'
Chiding by then PM is water under the bridge
LESS than two years into her political career, Dr Amy Khor was chided publicly, by then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, no less.
Shortly after, she received e-mail with messages of encouragement from people she did not know.
She even received two bouquets from strangers. Those who knew her rallied around her.
And so, it became not only her low point, but also her high point.
Mr Goh had taken issue with her for using the word 'betrayal' to describe what she felt was Singaporeans' reactions to the Central Provident Fund rate cuts during the Parliamentary debate.
That was in September 2003.
Now, some 4½ years later, she said: 'It's water under the bridge.
'I've learnt to be more careful in my speeches, I suppose.'
Dr Khor may not have been promoted in the recent Cabinet reshuffle which saw two women Ministers of State Lim Hwee Hua and Grace Fu move up a level.
But, she said, it shows that women have made great strides in all fields, including politics.
'We now have the highest number of women MPs in Parliament, the highest number of women office holders ever.
'And also the highest number of women Senior Ministers of State ever - it has increased by 100 per cent,' she said laughing.
'It's harder to recruit women into politics. It's difficult enough recruiting men or women. But for women, it's harder.'
When asked if there's a glass ceiling, she replied: 'It's more a perception than anything else. Someone once told me, 'If you think there's a glass ceiling and you look hard enough, you will always find one'.'
But, she said, she is optimistic.
'In time to come, I'm sure you will see more women in politics. I think there's more interest now.'
Of the reshuffle, she said: 'The Prime Minister, as the 'conductor' of the orchestra would have to find whom he thinks is the right person for the right portfolio.'
This article was first published in The New Paper on Apr 13, 2008.
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