The Workers’ Party is allegedly wooing ex-presidential aspirant Farid Khan’s daughter Raeesah Khan to join it ahead of the impending General election, according to an unnamed insider who spoke to the Redwire Times.
26-year-old Raeesah is a social activist and freelance digital marketing consultant. She is perhaps most well known for her work with the Reyna Movement – a non-profit organisation she founded to empower women through community engagement and upskilling programmes as well as to support refugees.
The Singaporean, who has been involved in social activism since she was 17, was featured as one of Cleo magazine’s 2019 “Changemakers” last year.
Raeesah was spotted with WP members handing out party leaflets at a recent walkabout in the Punggol region. Although she was not wearing the party uniform, she donned the party’s blue colour during the outreach activity.
According to the Redwire Times, Raeesah “has been earmarked by the WP as a potential candidate.”
On Sunday (19 Jan), WP secretary-general Pritam Singh promised to field quality candidates during the impending general election. Speaking at the WP’s Members’ Forum 2020, he said:
“For the upcoming general elections, we will field candidates that the public can envision to become competent MPs and Parliamentary backbenchers and who will manage their Town Councils well. The focus will be on quality candidates from a range of backgrounds and life experiences. It is my firm belief that they will do Singapore and our people proud, in Parliament and as elected Town Councillors.”
The Independent has reached out to the WP and Raeesah for comment.
Raeesah’s father, Farid Khan, announced his intention to contest the 2017 Presidential Election which was reserved for Malay candidates.
The applications of both Mr Khan and fellow presidential aspirant Salleh Marican to run for president were rejected by the Presidential Elections Committee (PEC), on the basis that both men did not meet the updated eligibility criteria to contest the election.
The eligibility criteria to contest the election was amended in 2016 – the year before the election was called. In the past, individuals who had served as the chairman or CEO of a company with at least S$100 million in paid-up capital could contest the election but the criteria was tightened significantly ahead of the 2017 Presidential Election.
In the 2017 election, aspirants from the private sector had to lead a company which had S$500 million in shareholders’ equity for the individual’s most recent 3-year period of service.
Mr Khan, who qualified to run for President under the criteria prior to 2016, was disqualified under the stricter eligibility criteria that was imposed prior to the 2017 election. Mr Khan lost about S$200,000 in campaign marketing expenses after his failed bid to run.
Speaker of Parliament and ruling party MP for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC Halimah Yacob eventually became President by walkover after Mr Khan and Mr Salleh were disqualified from the race. Her parliamentary seat remains vacant after the Government declined to call a by-election in Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC after Mdm Halimah resigned to run for President.
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