Low Thia Khiang arrives at State Courts to testify at Pritam's trial

UPDATE on Oct. 21 at 6:35pm: Low was seen leaving the State Courts before 3:30pm, amid a back-and-forth that ensued between the prosecution and the defence about whether some redacted messages should be submitted as evidence in court. He did not testify today.

Former Workers' Party (WP) Chief Low Thia Khiang arrived at the State Courts before 1:30pm on Oct. 21.

He is expected to testify as a prosecution witness in the case against Leader of the Opposition and WP MP Pritam Singh.

Singh faces two charges of lying to Parliament.

This is the sixth day of the trial.

What's Low's involvement in the case?

Low stepped down as WP's secretary-general in 2018, and currently serves in the WP Central Executive Committee (CEC) as a committee member.

His involvement in the case was spelled out in the prosecution's opening statement.

Deputy Attorney-General Ang Cheng Hock said that on Oct. 11, 2021, Singh and WP chair Sylvia Lim had met with Low at his house, and that Low was informed then that Raeesah's anecdote was untrue.

According to the prosecution, Low advised Singh and Lim that Raeesah should clarify her lie in Parliament as soon as possible.

Low also told them that she should apologise.

The prosecution said it would produce evidence from Low on the advice he gave to Singh and Lim, and the exchange they had during the meeting.

After Raeesah had delivered her clarificatory remarks in parliament on Nov. 1, Low also contacted Singh and recommended that a disciplinary panel be formed to look into the matter, the prosecution said.

The panel was formed, and they first met Raeesah on Nov. 8, and then on Nov. 29.

Raeesah resigned as a member of WP on Nov. 30 and as an MP.

Other prosecution witnesses also commented on Low's involvement in the case, in their testimony last week.

Low Thia Khiang felt Raeesah would have time to rebuild before the next GE: Yudhishthra Nathan

On Oct. 18, ex-Workers' Party member Yudhishthra Nathan said he asked Singh during their meeting on the evening of Oct. 12 about former WP Chief Low Thia Khiang's view of the situation.

"I see Low as someone whose judgment I trust very much," Nathan said, adding that he saw Low as a "seasoned" and "principled" politician.

Apparently, upon finding out about Raeesah's lie, Low was of the view that Raeesah should come clean "as soon as possible".

Nathan also said that it was Low's view that Raeesah "still had time to rebuild support from the ground" ahead of the next election.

Low said WP would "survive the fallout that would follow": Loh Pei Ying

Loh Pei Ying, a former WP cadre and former secretarial assistant to Raeesah Khan, recounted a similar chronology of events to Nathan.

She, along with Nathan, had worked closely with Raeesah. She learned four days after Raeesah's Aug. 3 parliamentary anecdote that it was untrue.

Taking the stand on Oct. 17 and 18 last week, Loh said she became aware of plans to address the lie on Oct. 12, 2021.

She met with Nathan and Singh at Singh's house to discuss whether Raeesah should maintain the lie or come clean.

Loh recalled that Singh informed them that he had consulted former WP leader Low Thia Khiang, who believed the best course of action was to clarify the issue in parliament, assuring them that WP would "survive the fallout that would follow".

This advice reassured Loh and Nathan, as they had confidence in Low's judgment.

Top image via Mothership