Former WP chief recounts his discovery of the delay in addressing the untruth in Parliament.
Former Workers’ Party (WP) secretary-general Low Thia Khiang testified on 23 October 2024, revealing that he became aware in August 2023 of WP leaders’ knowledge of former MP Raeesah Khan’s untruth as early as 8 August 2021.
Timeline of Events
Ms. Khan had falsely claimed in Parliament on 3 August 2021 that she accompanied a sexual assault victim to a police station where insensitive treatment occurred. She repeated the statement on 4 October 2021 before admitting to fabricating the story on 1 November 2021.
Mr. Low testified that he was informed of the lie during an October 2021 meeting with WP leaders Pritam Singh, Sylvia Lim, and Faisal Manap. They disclosed plans to have Ms. Khan apologize and potentially expel her from the party.
Courtroom Details
Mr. Low advised that Ms. Khan should clarify the lie directly in Parliament rather than through a press conference.
When asked if he knew the timeline of when WP leaders became aware of the untruth, Mr. Low said he had no clear impression and did not follow Parliament proceedings closely.
The former WP chief also stated he was not told about prior meetings between the leaders and Ms. Khan regarding the clarification.
Prosecution Questions Leadership Actions
The prosecution focused on why it took the WP leadership two months to address the issue after learning of Ms. Khan’s lie. They also pressed Mr. Low on whether he was aware of Mr. Singh’s visit to Ms. Khan’s residence on 3 October 2021 to urge her to clarify the statement in Parliament.
Background on Raeesah Khan’s Clarification
When Ms. Khan admitted to the fabrication, she attributed the anecdote to a story shared in a women’s support group, explaining that she was a survivor of sexual assault.
The trial of Mr. Pritam Singh, who faces charges of allegedly lying to a parliamentary committee about his instructions to Ms. Khan, continues to unravel key details about the party’s handling of the incident.
