He explained that WP leaders had not conducted any investigation into the sexual assault and that he “took them at their word”.

“His state at that moment was very fragile, very emotional, and I think because of his condition, pursuing it wasn’t something that was on my mind,” he said.

He added that public attention at the time was on Ms Khan because of the content of her speech, not because of the anecdote or Mr Tan’s question. He explained that he was asked about it during their trip that week.

At the end of the meeting, Singh said it was decided that Ms Khan would post a note on Facebook addressing some of the reservations expressed by “some sections of the Malay-Muslim community”.

But Singh said, “We couldn’t come to a conclusion about what to do about the anecdote.”

As Ms Khan was leaving her home, Singh said he reminded her to talk to her family and said “we will deal with the other issue later”, meaning the lie.

During questioning by the judge, he said that he said this while escorting Ms Khan to the door of her house and no one around heard him.

He said he did not tell Ms Khan to continue with the narrative if under pressure or to take the lie to the grave. There was Mrs Khan He testified that Singh told him to do both.

Singh declared that he was quite confident that the government would pursue the issue of Ms. Khan’s story.

When asked why, he said: “The MOS made it clear that in light of what Desmond had said, they wanted to pursue the matter, saying it would not be brushed aside.”

“The other thing, of course, is that I know how the PAP (People’s Action Party) works and whenever there is a chance to correct an opposition MP or get tough on the opposition, they jump at the chance.”

Singh said that he did not make a definitive decision at this meeting about what to do about the lie, but he knew that the issue needed to be clarified.

“However, due to Ms. Khan’s condition, in my opinion, I have decided that it would be better for her to settle down and we will deal with the matter when she is ready,” he said.

However, he said he did not inform Ms Khan at the meeting on August 8, 2021 that this false anecdote needed to be clarified.

10 AUGUST 2021, INTERVIEW WITH LOH AND NATHAN

On August 10, 2021, Singh met former WP cadres Ms Loh and Ms Khan’s confidants and assistants within the party, Mr Nathan.

It was in court that she shared the reason for this meeting for the first time – Ms Loh had sent emails “complaining” or making formal complaints about four WP members and volunteers from July of that year.

Singh said he felt Ms Loh’s comments online were “unbecoming” and that the party should have clear instructions on what members and volunteers can say online.

He said Ms Loh sent a second email on August 2, 2021, reiterating her complaint, and Singh arranged to meet her later.

On August 10, 2021, Singh said Ms. Loh arrived first and shared details with him about sexual assault victims and “how they tend to lie.”

“I knew from my previous conversation with Ms Khan that Ms Loh and Mr Nathan were already aware that Ms Khan was lying in parliament and therefore I understood that this was a matter that concerned Ms Khan,” Singh said.

During the meeting with Ms. Khan on 8 August 2021, she said that she had not met Ms. Loh.

He said that, contrary to Ms. Loh’s statement, Ms. Loh did not ask him whether the fake anecdote would be brought up again.

Singh said that when he first heard the suggestion, Ms. Loh asked him in the courtroom if the issue would be brought up again.

Singh also rejected Mr Nathan’s comment that “some men in the community, the conservative clergy, would not want to see an MP being raped”.

He said he had never said anything like that and that he first heard the suggestion when Mr Nathan was giving evidence in court.

WHAT WAS HE BUSY ABOUT THEN?

Singh explained that the period in question was “by my count the busiest period this entire period, in fact ever.”

He said the Singapore Progress Party (PSP) has been invited to submit a motion on the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) in July 2021.

Singh said that this was the “most important political issue” in Singapore at the time, that conversations on the issue had generated a lot of heat, and that WP had learned through an email to parliament that the PSP would table a motion on the issue in late August. 2021.

Singh said that although the PSP had a motion, the WP “was the largest opposition party in parliament, even though it was very small, and we had not put forward a formal position on CECA at that point.”

“As this is a very sensitive political issue, it was important for the RP to show leadership on this issue, and this issue took quite a long time,” he said.

Later in September, the Foreign Interference (Counter Measures) Act (FICA) was tabled in parliament for the first time, Singh said.

“This was sister legislation to POFMA (Protection from Online Frauds and Manipulation Act), both arising from the Select Committee on Deliberate Online Frauds set up a few years ago. WP had objected to POFMA,” he said.

Singh said WP is concerned that similar objections will apply to FICA and that the bill should be examined very carefully.

“Again, at that time there is a lot of public interest in this issue, you have articles in the newspapers, you have significant exchanges of views from people, you have concerns about what kind of powers will be given to the government,” he said.

He explained that the WP had decided that it would oppose the bill and had decided to submit amendments to the bill as a whole.

Moreover, he was busy with party matters and city council matters.

“Like most Singaporeans, you have problems at home. At that point, I think my daughter couldn’t be assigned to a Primary 1 school, so my wife and I were just looking for the second option for her.” in question.

While preparing for the FICA debate, Singh said he faced a parliamentary debate on proving what was said in parliament and not leaving a false statement on record. It then occurred to him that he had not spoken to Mrs Khan about the lie and the matter was still unresolved.

He then sent an email to all WP MPs on 1 October 2021, reminding them of the importance of being able to support and defend what he said in parliament or risk being called before the COP.

Singh confirmed that this email was forwarded to Ms Khan and that this was “the beginning of this process in my mind to let her know that this issue is still not resolved”.

INTERVIEW WITH MS KHAN, OCTOBER 3, 2021

On October 3, 2021, Singh went to Ms. Khan’s house with his wife.

“I wanted to speak to him to share my view that it will come back to parliament for the first time since the anecdote was shared on August 3, and in my view, the issue may come up,” he said.

He said he was not aware that Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam would make a ministerial statement on October 4, 2021, seeking answers from Ms Khan.