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Workers' Party Member of Parliament (MP) Raeesah Khan admitted to the party's leadership that she was not truthful about accompanying a sexual assault victim to the police station about a week after her speech on Aug. 3.

In a press conference on Dec. 2, party secretary-general Pritam Singh shared, "She admitted this to the party leadership about a week after she had delivered her speech."

Singh said that of immediate concern to him was that Raeesah had not previously informed her family members of her sexual assault, which had traumatised her greatly.

In his judgement, Singh said, it was important for her to do so before she could fully address the reasons behind her untruthful conduct in Parliament, and to correct the record.

"In view of her sexual assault and my assessment of her state of mind, I was prepared to give her the space necessary to address the matter with her loved ones."

Singh: Any clarification was Raeesah's to make, in her capacity as an elected MP

Singh added that Raeesah came down with a case of shingles in September, and did not attend Parliament that month.

It was made known to her that before the Parliamentary sitting in October, any Parliamentary clarification on this matter was hers to make, in her capacity as an elected MP.

However, following the Minister for Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam's efforts on Oct. 4 to get Raeesah to divulge more information, saying that the police could not identify such a case of the officers allegedly involved, Raeesah repeated the untruths.

Singh said this was "wholly inconsistent" with what she had shared with the party leadership.

Raeesah later agreed with the party leadership that she had to set the record right.

The next earliest opportunity to do so in Parliament was on Nov. 1, when she made the explanation.

The Workers' Party announced that Raeesah had resigned from the party and as an MP on Nov. 30.

Apology to all victims of sexual assault hurt over the matter

Singh apologised to victims of sexual assault who were hurt by the matter.

"I also apologise to all victims of sexual assault who have been hurt over this matter."

Singh also apologised to the residents of Sengkang for this turn of events.

He added that public trust and confidence in a sitting Workers' Party MP is fundamental.

"As Workers' Party MPs, we should never take their faith, trust and confidence in us for granted," he said.

Background

On Aug. 3, Khan gave a speech, saying that she accompanied a 25-year-old rape survivor to make a police report three years ago. She said the survivor emerged from the police station crying as an officer had allegedly made comments about her dressing and the fact that she had been drinking.

Khan was subsequently pressed by Minister for Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam on Oct. 4 to divulge more information pertaining to the claim, and police later stated that they could not identify such a case or the officers allegedly involved.

In a speech in Parliament on Monday (Nov. 1), Khan admitted that she had not been present with the woman whose anecdote she had shared, and rather had heard the survivor share it in a women's support group of which Khan herself had been a part.

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