Singapore opposition politician Raeesah Khan admits lying to parliament when taking police to task over rape investigation
- Raeesah Khan tearfully apologises for her August comments, saying in reality she did not accompany victim to report crime three years ago
- Lawmaker, 27, says she herself was sexually assaulted as an 18-year-old overseas and ‘did not have my own courage’ to report it
A politician from Singapore’s main opposition Workers’ Party on Monday admitted to lying in parliament when she took the police to task earlier this year for being insensitive towards a rape survivor.
Raeesah Khan – who at 27 is the youngest of 93 elected members – offered a tearful apology in a shocking turn of events that analysts said would affect the credibility of her party.
Leader of the House Indranee Rajah filed a formal complaint against Raeesah, who will now be investigated by a parliamentary committee for breach of parliamentary privilege.
In August, during a debate on how to better empower women, Raeesah – who on Monday also said she too was a victim of sexual assault, as a teenager abroad – suggested the police treat survivors of sexual assault with more sensitivity.
Raeesah recounted how she had accompanied a 25-year-old rape survivor to a police station three years ago and the woman “came out crying” after the police officer handling her complaint allegedly commented on her dressing and alcohol consumption.
But on Monday Raeesah admitted she had lied, saying she had not accompanied the victim to the police station. Instead, she had taken the anecdote from a women’s support group she attended and did not have the victim’s consent to share this account publicly.
