A police report has been filed on the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) recent press statement about Workers’ Party (WP) candidate Raeesah Khan.
A citizen on Facebook revealed on Monday (6 July) that he has filed this report to “hold the PAP accountable for an ‘offence of promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion or race under Section 298A of the Penal Code’ as well as the spreading of online falsehoods.”
This is in regards to the statement released by the PAP on the same day about WP’s Sengkang GRC candidate who has had two police reports lodged against her with regards to comments she allegedly made on social media.
Following news of the reports, the PAP released a statement urging the WP to state it’s stance on Ms Khan’s comments on social media which they allege promoted “enmity between different groups on grounds of religion or race”.
The netizen who filed the report against PAP’s statement said in his Facebook post: “The statement reads ‘In fairness to voters, both in Sengkang and elsewhere, the WP should state its stand on Ms Raeesah’s posts, since she has admitted to making highly derogatory statements about Chinese and Christians.’
“This is patently untrue, as Ms. Raeesah Khan’s statement states only that her statement was ‘insensitive’ and ‘improper’.”
He went on to say, “By falsely accusing Ms. Raeesah Khan of admitting to something she did not, this PAP statement itself promotes enmity between different groups on grounds of religion or race by promoting false narratives which seek to divide rather than unite Singaporeans.”
The netizen concluded, “I am proud to live in a country where everybody is equal in the eyes of the law, and the ruling party itself is not above the law.”
The post included photos of the police report filed, most of which was reproduced in the Facebook post.
Following the police reports lodged against her on 5 July, Ms Khan made a statement to reporters, alongside her fellow WP Sengkang GRC teammates, party chief Pritam Singh and party chairwoman Sylvia Lim.
She said, “My intention was never to cause any social division, but to raise awareness to minority concerns. I apologise to any racial group or community who have been hurt by my comments.”
“My remarks were insensitive, and I regret making them,” she added.
Ms Khan went on, “I feel passionate about minority issues, regardless of race, and in my passion, I made improper remarks, and I have to be accountable for them,” adding that she will fully cooperate with police investigations.
She made the same statement on the Facebook page later that night.
