Workers' Party sets up disciplinary panel to look into Raeesah Khan's lying admission

SINGAPORE — The Workers' Party (WP) has set up a disciplinary panel to look into Sengkang Member of Parliament (MP) Raeesah Khan's admission of lying in Parliament on Monday (1 November).

In a media statement on Tuesday, WP said that the panel, which has been approved by the party's central executive committee, comprises secretary-general Pritam Singh, chair Sylvia Lim and vice-chair Faisal Manap.

The panel will report its findings and recommendations to the committee after it completes its work.

During a parliamentary debate on empowering women on 3 August, Raeesah had said that she accompanied a 25-year-old woman to make a police report three years ago, and that the woman came out of the police station crying and alleged that officers had made comments about her dressing, and the fact that she was drinking.

Despite requests in subsequent Parliament sittings by Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam to provide more information to assist police investigations, Raeesah declined to elaborate, citing the need to protect the alleged victim's identity.

In response, Shanmugam said that police would interview Raeesah. The police later said Raeesah had yet to turn up for an interview despite two requests by the agency to provide case details.

Raeesah on Monday apologised to the Singapore Police Force, the survivor whose quote she had used in the House, her constituents, the WP and its members and volunteers, as well as her parents and family.

Leader of the House Indranee Rajah subsequently filed a complaint on the matter to be heard before a Committee of Privileges, noting that Raeesah had “lied to Parliament, not once, not twice, but three times”.

WP said in its statement that the work of its disciplinary panel is "separate from any decision" the Committee of Privileges of Parliament may make.

Pritam had posted a statement on the WP Facebook page on Monday saying that Raeesah should not have shared an account that contained untruths in Parliament, even though the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act gives an MP significant freedom of speech.

“She shared with me that she wanted to set the record straight in Parliament. This was the correct thing to do," he wrote in the Facebook post.

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