Chinese Singaporeans stand with WP’s Raeesah Khan, says poet Jee Leong Koh

In a Facebook post on Tuesday (7 July), Singaporean poet Jee Leong Koh took a stand in support of WP’s Raeesah Khan who is being investigated over racial charged comments she allegedly made on her social media posts.

Ms Khan is currently campaigning as a candidate in Sengkang GRC.

Mr Koh said in his Facebook post, “As a Chinese Singaporean, I deeply appreciate Raeesah Khan’s honesty and passion in supporting minority races. I do not believe that Raeesah Khan was promoting enmity between racial groups. I also do not see her actions as offensive or derogatory.”

“I stand with other Chinese Singaporeans who feel that #wewerenothurt by her statements,” he added, saying that he believes she “fully deserves to run as an MP for Sengkang GRC”.

Mr Koh continued, “I believe she fully deserves to run as an MP for Sengkang GRC. I also believe we should focus on WP’s policy proposals and vote for a Singapore that treats everyone with kindness, justice and inclusivity.”

The poet went on say that “as a Chinese Singaporean voter” he wants to hear “open dialogues about race issues in the media and parliament” and “much more from minority voices like Raeesah who are able to raise concerns I am not aware of”.

Mr Koh then expressed his appreciation for Ms Khan and the WP for their “firm stance against discrimination based on race, age and gender which party candidates have reiterated throughout their campaign and in the party manifesto.

He continued, “I see diverse voices as essential for us to come together. They allow us to understand how all our interests are connected.”

Mr Koh stressed that there is a need for diverse voices in Parliament to “disagree and raise questions” which serve to benefit society by “strengthening the soundness of our policies and laws.”

He went on, “I believe we can be a stronger nation when we have open dialogue about national issues—race included. We must listen to minority voices, and by acting in solidarity with one another, we can be a more resilient society.”

The poet concluded, “This is why I am standing with Raeesah and other minority voices.”

“I apologise to any racial group or community who have been hurt by my comments” – Raeesah Khan

In a statement on 5 July, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said that Ms Khan allegedly commented that Singapore law enforcement authorities discriminated against citizens, and that compared to other groups, rich Chinese and white people were treated differently under the law.

“In the context of a news article on the City Harvest Church ruling, Raeesah Khan allegedly commented that Singapore jailed minorities mercilessly, harassed mosque leaders but let corrupt church leaders who stole S$50 million walk free, and questioned who had been paid,” said SPF.

A screenshot of such comments is shared online and allegedly made on 2 Feb 2018, sharing an article by Yahoo published on 1 Feb 2018.

“The Police have consulted the Attorney-General’s Chambers, which advised that an offence of promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion or race under Section 298A of the Penal Code is disclosed,” it added.

The police investigation into Ms Khan was triggered when two police reports were lodged against her over those particular social media posts.

Subsequent to SPF’s statement, Ms Khan issued a public apology over the comments and clarified that the purpose behind that post was “to raise awareness to minority concerns” and “never to cause any social division” as she is alleged of doing.

However, while she stressed that she is “passionate about minority issues, regardless of race”, Ms Khan said that she regretted making the “insensitive” remarks in the post and has “to be accountable for them”.

“I apologise to any racial group or community who have been hurt by my comments,” she said, adding that she will extend her full cooperation to police in their investigations.