Sunday 5 December 2021

The other shoe drops...

Raeesah Khan testifies to privileges committee that WP leaders told her to keep to lie made in Parliament

  • Speaking under oath, former MP Raeesah Khan said she was told by WP leaders to keep to a lie that she had made in Parliament 
  • They also told her that if she and the party "could get away with it, there was no need to clarify the lie"
  • WP volunteers who testified said the party’s disciplinary panel was "self-serving"
  • This was because it was made up solely of the same WP leaders who knew Ms Raeesah had lied 
  • Ms Raeesah also disputed assertions by WP chief Pritam Singh that she was ordered to clarify the truth and that she would be expelled from WP if she didn’t resign 

This is sad. Keep in mind that she is not even 30. And (if true) also a victim of sexual assault. She was depending on the WP leaders to advise her on the correct course of action. They gave her self-serving (or politically expedient) advice, instead. I did not like her as a political candidate. She seemed a little defensive- uncompromising or confrontational during the GE campaign and her general performance in Parliament (from what I read) after that. I found her immature (and probably idealistic), but that's my personal assessment of her.



So I did not really follow her "career" or speeches assiduously. I give irritating (self-absorbed) people a wide berth. Life is too short.

When she alleged police "insensitivity" during a sexual assault report, i thought, that was in line with her agenda.

When Shanmugum pressed her (in Parliament) for details so that the govt (and the police) could look into this alleged mishandling and insensitivity, her answers were evasive. And unsatisfactory. I thought you wanted to make things better. But given a chance, you showed that you prefer to just snipe from the dark. That's the difference between "political animals" and leaders who get things done.

Now she says, under oath, that she was directed by the WP leaders to hold the line and uphold the lie. For the sake of the party.

Conversely, the WP leader(s) have already tried to put their first spin on things, and admit that they already knew about the lie (since early August), but wanted Ms Khan to first tell her parents, before clarifying with Parliament.

But if you look at the WP's actions with a jaundiced eye, it seems more likely that their recent statement was pure whitewash. Or hogwash. Or the waste water from washing a hog.

And Ms Khan is still the victim here. Not a blameless victim but a victim nonetheless. She needed good guidance from her "leaders". She got politicked.

Like I said, "sad".


Exchange on Facebook:
Q:Where did WP learn their governance from?
A: PAP (snide answer).

Rebuttal:
When Teh Cheang Wan's corruption was discovered, the PAP leadership (LKY) handed the case to the AG to pursue. 

When Phey Yew Kok's misuse of funds (embezzlement) was discovered, he was stripped of his posts, and charged in court.

LKY had this to say about Teh:

"The purpose is not just to be righteous. The purpose is to create a system which will carry on because it has not been compromised. I didn't do that just to be righteous about Teh Cheang Wan. But if I had compromised, that is the end of the system."

The "system". Singapore. If WP was "learning" from PAP, they missed the main point of the important lesson. Nation before politics, country before party. The party can be shamed, the country/nation cannot afford to lose credibility.




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