🇸🇬 My motherland will be holding general elections on July 10th and am privileged to be able to vote remotely in San Francisco during COVID-19. While I probably only have less than a handful of Singaporeans on BGG, my passion for justice hit too close to home this week for me not to bloody speak up and lend support. . #IstandwithRaeesah ✊🏽 I’m angered that Raeesah Khan a running candidate for an opposition party had to make a public apology for her honest statements that called out inequality in our “democratic nation” - two fb posts said to allege police discrimination against minorities. Mind you, they were well articulated with no racial slur, simply calling out rich Christian Chinese and white privilege. She is currently being investigated by the police for allegedly “promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion or race”. You might not know there’s little room for freedom of speech on this ex-British crown colony island where I grew up. The founding father of our independence actually whitewashed HIS and my family’s minority’s ethnic heritage in the name of “racial harmony”. For promoting enmity between groups on grounds of religion or race under the Penal Code, a person can be jailed up to three years, or fined, or face both. . Dear @raeesahfaridkhan , BGG stands in solidarity with the work that you do ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽 We sayang you and your kuchings 😽 . Rights group like ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights have long-flagged various election process that they say disadvantage the opposition. Singapore’s electoral divisions are revised regularly to reflect population growth and shifts but the process is opaque. The prime minister can call for an election, with presidential approval, at short notice, creating difficulties for the opposition to prepare. The campaigning period for the coming vote is just bloody nine days, unlike the American system. The mainstream local media has close ties to the government - generally supports the government and state policies even during the election - our version of Fox News 👎🏽 . . . #standwithraeesah #workersparty #westandwithraeesah #racisminsingapore #makeyourvotecount #ge2020 #imaminority #bloodygirlgang (at Singapore) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCXOP9zBCmX/?igshid=1jt5egta364qj
