After keeping a low profile since 2021, former Sengkang MP Raeesah Khan appeared at the State Courts on Monday (14 Oct) to testify at the trial of her former boss Pritam Singh.
She was the first witness and was called to the stand at about 11.10am, according to a live blog of the case by The Straits Times (ST).
Source: Lianhe Zaobao and Lianhe Zaobao
Asked about her relationship with Singh, Ms Khan said she “revered” him as a mentor, someone whom “really knew everything” and “would have all the answers”.
When she started volunteering with the Workers’ Party (WP) at the beginning of 2020, he was already its Secretary-General and she would help in his Meet-The-People Sessions and house visits.
Singh also approached her to run as a candidate in the 2020 General Election, she added.
Photo courtesy of Workers’ Party
After entering Parliament at the age of 26, she faced a “tricky time” as she had felt alone and unsure of herself, she also said.
Before the fateful Parliament session on 3 Aug 2021, Ms Khan shared a printed copy of her speech with Singh.
He famously circled the part with the false anecdote and asked her to “substantiate” it. However, she didn’t make any changes as she didn’t understand the severity of the situation.
She eventually spoke in Parliament about the story, which involved a rape victim being subjected to comments about her dressing and drinking by the police.
Source: MCI on YouTube
After the speech, Singh messaged her a number of times, comforting her and urging her to contact the “rape victim” in her story. In one of the messages, he said:
Please don’t be beguiled by this support, politically speaking it was a bad day in the office for us.
Ms Khan responded by telling Singh that she was wondering if she was “cut out” for being an MP and suggested they meet to discuss whether the role was suitable for her.
She told the court she was feeling “extremely lost” after making the mistake.
She also didn’t want to tell him the truth about the false story as that would mean telling him that she was, herself, sexually assaulted.
She broke down in court when asked who had known about her assault at that point.
Ms Khan finally admitted to Singh on 7 Aug that she had told a lie in Parliament.
She met Singh and other WP leaders and Aljunied GRC MPs Sylvia Lim and Faisal Manap on 8 Aug, when she also admitted her lie to them.
She also disclosed her own sexual assault to them.
During the meeting, Singh had mentioned bringing her before the Committee of Privileges (COP), but later said she would have to “take it to the grave”.
He did not explain why, she said, but she thought that no further action was required from her.
Thus, she felt relieved because she “didn’t hold that lie” any more.
On 3 Oct 2021, Singh visited Ms Khan at home and spoke about an upcoming Parliament sitting the next day.
He said if the story she had told came up, he “would not judge her” for “continuing with the narrative”, she told the court.
Alas, in Parliament on 4 Oct 2021, she was questioned by Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam about her false anecdote.
She kept up her lie, saying she hadn’t been able to get in touch with the woman.
While this was happening, she was messaging Singh, asking him what to do.
When asked why she had lied again, she said she was “terrified” of what would happen if she told the truth. She also felt that Singh supported her.
She met him and Ms Lim in his office that night, whereupon he said it was “too late” to tell the truth.
Finally, during a meeting on 12 Oct, Singh told Ms Khan to tell the truth during the next Parliament sitting.
After preparing a total of nine drafts, she came clean to the House on 1 Nov 2021.
However, she did not tell Parliament that she had revealed the truth to Singh on 7 Aug, and to the other WP leaders on 8 Aug.
When asked why, she said she wanted to “protect” them and didn’t want to implicate others.
She was also asked why she didn’t mention Singh’s advice to her on 3 Oct to “continue the narrative”. She again replied that she wanted to protect the WP leaders and take responsibility for her mistake.
After her confession in Parliament, Singh told her she did well, and she felt comforted.
The Leader of the Opposition is on trial over two counts of falsely testifying to the COP.
The first count is for claiming on Dec 10 2021 that he had wanted Ms Khan to confess her lie in Parliament during the 8 Aug 2021 meeting.
The second count is for stating on Dec 10 and Dec 15 2021 that he had clearly told Ms Khan on 3 Oct 2021 to clarify her lie in Parliament on 4 Oct.
Before Ms Khan took the stand on Monday, the prosecution said Singh had given false testimonies to the COP to try to downplay his responsibility in the matter.
Singh has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The trial will resume at 9.30am on Tuesday (15 Oct).
Also read: COP Recommends $35,000 Fine For Raeesah Khan & Further Investigation For Pritam Singh
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Featured image adapted from Lianhe Zaobao and Lianhe Zaobao.
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