Feb 13, 2022

Knocked Loose: A Case of Hammers and Untruths

The rigmarole surrounding Raeesah Khan and the Workers’ Party (WP) has finally seen new developments.

After two intensive months of verbal sparring and conflicting testimonies, the Committee of Privileges (COP) presented its final report on 10 February 2022 and concluded its findings. A hefty $35,000 fine was recommended to be imposed on Raeesah for lying in parliament. On the other hand, the fates of WP Secretary-General Pritam Singh and WP Vice-Chairman Faisal Manap look set to fall into the hands of the Public Prosecutor for further scrutiny.

It seems like the gavel is coming down hard on the commanders of the hammer banner, and crushed alongside them are the dented hopes of citizens who dared to dream.

Who could forget the wee hours of 11 July 2020 when the North-East of Singapore erupted into resounding rapture upon the official release of polling results? Who could forget the enormous upset that the young debuting WP team pulled in Sengkang GRC? Most significantly, who could forget how much the incumbents fidgeted uncomfortably in their seats after seeing their popular vote share slide down by almost 9%? It has barely been a couple of years. Where did it all go wrong?

There is no disputing the fact that Raeesah Khan had committed a grave mistake on 3 August 2021, regardless of agenda or motive. It was a bad move that was telling of her inexperience as a politician and downright carelessness for a junior Member of Parliament (MP). We thought her first brush with law enforcement after accusing it of preferential racial treatment would have taught her a thing or two. Sadly, no. To aggravate the matter, her actions have since implicated her whole party and most notably, the Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh, who has rapidly risen up the ranks to become a real fan favorite among the WP faithful following the departure of former Secretary-General Low Thia Kiang in 2018. As a result of this parliamentary turmoil, almost every citizen who wielded hammers during the 2020 General Elections are now coming after one of their very own — the darling of Singaporean millennials herself, Raeesah Khan.

What we witnessed throughout the COP inquiry was the implosion of the WP’s leadership, one that was highly touted to pilot a new generation of Opposition hopefuls into the new normal. Unpleasantly albeit expectedly, the various hearing sessions have resulted in some really deplorable aftermaths — Raeesah Khan unearthing how the WP leaders allegedly instructed her to “take it to the grave”, Pritam Singh suggesting Raeesah’s mental maladies and Faisal Manap basically being Faisal Manap. None of these did anything to favor the party.

None of these did anything to favor the party.

From the early stages of the inquiry, it would have been really easy to point our fingers at Raeesah Khan and tag her as judge, jury and executioner of her party’s potential demise. However, her former party leaders left a lot to be desired as well for how they handled the proceedings.

Pritam Singh undeniably received some adulation on social media with his oozing charisma and unyielding stance during his hearings. Excerpts of his punchlines were reposted countless times across various platforms, with many lauding his resilience despite getting grilled for 9 hours in one sitting. However, certain segments of his supporters started faltering the moment he began making allegations against Raeesah Khan’s mental well-being, labeling the move as an unnecessary low blow. Add to that the lack of contemporaneous evidence to substantiate the WP leaders’ defense and the tides started to turn.

At this juncture, as we review the key points from the COP hearings and assess the issue from a clearer vantage point, perhaps the WP leadership may have blundered as much as their juvenile teammate did. Pritam Singh, Faisal Manap and Sylvia Lim are not new entrants on this stage and this mess was something that should have been dealt with from the beginning before it could stand a chance of blowing out of proportion. Raeesah Khan’s comments on 3 August 2021 should never have seen the light of day because of its probable backfire. Any ordinary citizen could have predicted the outcome. Pitting an unequipped Raeesah against K. Shanmugam was like pitting a secondary school student from a boxing CCA against Mike Tyson.

In no way is this article suggesting that the WP is too incompetent to challenge the incumbent in parliament. In fact, the WP needs to bounce back quickly. How the party moves forward from this major setback is crucial in regaining the people’s confidence that it is still the most legitimate competition that the Opposition has to offer. $35,000 may not be that expensive of a price for Raeesah to pay given the severity of her case (and of course, family background), but whatever consequences lie in wait for her former party leaders may inflict permanent damages beyond dollars and cents. After all, no matter where we align ourselves politically, we can all agree that once the sheep presents itself to the wolves, best believe the entire pack will smell meat.

This whole saga represents a rude but necessary reality check for new blood who aspire to set foot into the grimy arena of politics. With the current political landscape, any reinforcement of the Opposition cavalry is welcome as long as it fulfills the obvious prerequisites. Integrity is mandatory. There is no way around that, as we have all learnt. Mental fortitude would be a plus point. Exceptional leadership qualities would further uplift your credibility.

Exceptional leadership qualities would further uplift your credibility

But above all that, any budding politician needs to be well-prepared to land face down in the filth because ultimately, it is every man (yes, woman too) for himself out there in no man’s (fuck, yes, woman’s too) land.

This whole saga revealed an extremely crucial revelation of what one needs to possess in order to last the distance in the political sphere. One can never hope to play the game and come out of it clean and unscathed. Raeesah and WP should really have known better than to commit easy mistakes for the picking, whatever the truth is amongst them. They should have known what they were coming up against and what the repercussions would have been before tabling the motion. It is as simple as that.

At the end of the day, this episode serves one crucial takeaway — one has to frolic in the mud and be immune to the touch before one can duel with the dirtiest players in the game.