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Raeesah Khan's resignation will stem damage to WP's reputation caused by lying episode, say observers
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Ms Raeesah Khan had admitted on Nov 1 to lying in Parliament about the details of a sexual assault case that she alleged the police had mishandled.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Justin Ong, Tham Yuen-C
SINGAPORE - The Workers' Party (WP) had come under criticism after its MP Raeesah Khan admitted to lying in Parliament, but her resignation on Tuesday is expected to stave off further dents to the party's standing, political observers said on Wednesday (Dec 1).
They added that the party is not yet in the clear, as there is still an ongoing parliamentary investigation into the erstwhile Sengkang GRC MP's conduct.
The WP announced that Ms Khan has resigned from the party and stepped down as an MP on Tuesday before the party's top decision-making body met to decide her fate.
Ms Khan had admitted on Nov 1 to lying in Parliament about the details of a sexual assault case that she alleged the police had mishandled.
She had recounted how she saw a rape victim being driven to tears by a police officer's comments, during an Aug 3 speech in Parliament. But it turned out that she never accompanied the victim to a police station.
National University of Singapore political scientist Elvin Ong and Institute of Policy Studies deputy director of research Gillian Koh told The Straits Times that Ms Khan's resignation would help to mitigate the impact of her misconduct on the WP's standing and credibility.
Assistant Professor Ong said: "I think it was the right decision for her to resign. It shows that she was willing to take responsibility and be held accountable for her actions."
Describing the resignation as the "most helpful outcome" for the WP, Dr Koh said: "It is a move that reduces the political liability of Ms Khan's lapse in judgment.
"It is quick, it is neat, and it is final."
They added that the party is not yet in the clear, as there is still an ongoing parliamentary investigation into the erstwhile Sengkang GRC MP's conduct.
The WP announced that Ms Khan has resigned from the party and stepped down as an MP on Tuesday before the party's top decision-making body met to decide her fate.
Ms Khan had admitted on Nov 1 to lying in Parliament about the details of a sexual assault case that she alleged the police had mishandled.
She had recounted how she saw a rape victim being driven to tears by a police officer's comments, during an Aug 3 speech in Parliament. But it turned out that she never accompanied the victim to a police station.
National University of Singapore political scientist Elvin Ong and Institute of Policy Studies deputy director of research Gillian Koh told The Straits Times that Ms Khan's resignation would help to mitigate the impact of her misconduct on the WP's standing and credibility.
Assistant Professor Ong said: "I think it was the right decision for her to resign. It shows that she was willing to take responsibility and be held accountable for her actions."
Describing the resignation as the "most helpful outcome" for the WP, Dr Koh said: "It is a move that reduces the political liability of Ms Khan's lapse in judgment.
"It is quick, it is neat, and it is final."
Associate Professor Tan said the scrutiny will now shift to how the WP leaders handled the situation.
To impress upon Singaporeans that the WP upholds high standards of conduct for its MPs, the party will have to "state unequivocally what it knew of Ms Khan's allegations before she made her speech in Parliament on Aug 3, and what it sought to do after she made those allegations", he said.
Though WP chief and Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh had said that Ms Khan should not have given an untruthful account, and the party had set up a disciplinary panel to look into the issue, some, like former WP Non-Constituency MP Daniel Goh, have asked how the party leadership could have allowed Ms Khan's lie to persist for a few months.
To impress upon Singaporeans that the WP upholds high standards of conduct for its MPs, the party will have to "state unequivocally what it knew of Ms Khan's allegations before she made her speech in Parliament on Aug 3, and what it sought to do after she made those allegations", he said.
Though WP chief and Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh had said that Ms Khan should not have given an untruthful account, and the party had set up a disciplinary panel to look into the issue, some, like former WP Non-Constituency MP Daniel Goh, have asked how the party leadership could have allowed Ms Khan's lie to persist for a few months.
