Truth, Lies, and Parliamentary Grumble: The Pritam Singh‑Raeesah Khan Saga
In a tone‑taming display of political drama, Pritam Singh, the Workers’ Party chief and Leader of the Opposition, told a committee that he had told Ms Raeesah Khan’s father “…she must own up to the lie she told in Parliament.”
Why the Red‑Hot Bunch Matters
- Pritam appeared before the Committee of Privileges on Wednesday, December 15, the second time he had carried the story forward.
- He highlighted that the conversation with Mr Farid Khan — a former presidential hopeful — was “the core message” about taking responsibility should the matter surface after Oct 3.
- The exchange is nestled among 100 pages of docs submitted to the committee, mostly email snippets and occasional messages.
The Sáre Of The Story
Ms Khan, who stepped down from the Workers’ Party on Nov 30, had claimed on Aug 3 that she’d taken a sexual‑assault victim to a police station and watched the woman sob after some “insensitive” questions. The twist: that was an anecdote she’d heard in a survivor support group, not a personal story.
When Truth ‘Came’ To Light
On Oct 4, the parliament asked her to clarify the anecdote. This time she doubled down on the lie. She finally confessed on Nov 1, saying she’d been tight‑lipped about her own assault because she hadn’t told her family.
The Party’s In-Lines
- WP leader Sylvia Lim and vice‑chairman Faisal Manap admitted that, after learning in August that Ms Khan had lied, they gave her time to talk to her parents before pressing her to correct the record.
- But after the Oct 4 repeat, the group decided on Oct 12 that Ms Khan needed to come clean at the next parliamentary session.
- During the Dec 2 committee call, Ms Khan said she’d finally told her parents a few weeks after that meeting.
Final Take‑Away
While the story started as a mix‑up of a story from a support group, it erupted into a parliamentary circus about “ownership” and “responsibility.” Pritam Singh’s reminder to Mr Farid Khan is the latest chapter in a saga that, in turn, reminds us that truth‑telling politics from the wing‑of‑the‑parliament is always rapidly surprising.
— The Straits Times (Re‑written by a seasoned English article expert.)
