Singapore — In a series of tweets, Workers’ Party (WP) Raeesah Khan said she owes her ability to join the elections to her privilege. Raeesah Khan has gained traction for two police reports made against her concerning comments she made online in 2018 concerning race and religion. She has since issued a public apology addressing her statements made.
WP Ms Raeesah Khan is running for Sengkang Group Representation Constituency (GRC) alongside candidates Jamus Lim, He Ting Ru, and Louis Chua against People’s Action Party (PAP) Ng Chee Meng, Lam Pin Min, Amrin Amin and Raymond Lye.
On July 4, Ms Khan took to Twitter to share some of her “honest” thoughts on how much “privilege” she has in order to run with opposition parties. She cites how she depends on her husband to earn the bulk of the household income and that she has “social capital” due to her families “place in society”. She also gives credit to her parents for holding “substantial amount of power” to be able to protect her.
The tweets are as follows:
Similarly, she also hopes Singapore in the future can have a “true democracy where opposition voices are not demonized and punished” and that she will keep using her “equity” to “change the system”.
Her tweets have since garnered netizens support for being transparent with her “privilege”.
One netizen replied, “We don’t choose what we are born into but we can choose what we do with it. I’ve think you’ve chosen rather well.” Another also pointed out, “Use your ‘privilege’ for good. People who run for the opposition have much to lose and little to gain. Respect.”
One user on Facebook commented on Ms Khan’s statements and compared them to PAP’s politicians, noting how Ms Khan “talks about her class position as a responsibility to redistribute”.
-/TISG
