SINGAPORE — Two police reports have been lodged against Raeesah Khan, the Workers’ Party (WP) Sengkang GRC candidate for the 2020 General Election, in relation to comments on social media allegedly made by her.
The two reports were made on Saturday and Sunday (4 and 5 July), the police said on Sunday in a statement, in response to media queries.
“She 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,” the statement added.
In the context of a news article on the City Harvest Church court ruling, Khan, 26, was alleged to have commented that Singapore “jailed minorities mercilessly, harassed mosque leaders but let corrupt church leaders free” as well as “questioned who had been paid”.
“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,” said the statement.
Police investigations are ongoing. Yahoo News Singapore has reached out to WP for comment.
For promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion or race under the Penal Code, an offender can be jailed up to three years, or fined, or both.
The statement by the police comes less than a day after the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) office issued correction orders to the Singapore Democratic Party and Peoples Voice ) for a false statement that Dr Cheong Koon Hean, chief executive of the Housing & Development Board, had suggested Singapore’s population would increase to 10 million by 2030.
Khan is the WP’s youngest candidate and daughter of 2017 presidential hopeful Farid Khan.
She is also the founder and chief executive of the Reyna Movement, an organisation operating in Singapore and Johor that aims to empower marginalised women and children through upskilling programmes and community engagement.
Khan is contesting the Sengkang group representation constituency (GRC) alongside economics associate professor Dr Jamus Lim, 44, lawyer He Ting Ru, 37, and equity research analyst Louis Chua, 33.
They are up against a team led by labour chief Ng Chee Meng, 51, from ruling People’s Action Party. The other candidates are senior parliamentary secretary for home affairs and health Amrin Amin, 42, senior minister of state for health and transport Lam Pin Min, 50, as well as new face and lawyer Raymond Lye, 54.
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