WP's Harpreet Singh slams 'unacceptable' comments about Alexis Dang's appearance: 'We must respect women'

Workers' Party (WP) Harpreet Singh said that comments made about his teammate Alexis Dang's physical appearance, particularly from men, are unacceptable. 

In response to a reporter's question about such remarks during a walkabout in Punggol on May 1, Singh said: "This is my message for men out there. Those types of comments are unacceptable, and they must stop. We must respect women.

"We must, first and foremost, see them as individuals. And I can say this about our team down here, the men, Jackson and I, if any man tries to make that kind of comment within earshot of us, you're going to have to deal with us." 

When asked for her views, Dang said the team appreciates all scrutiny and attention given to them as it's important for residents to know who will be representing them in Punggol. 

"However, as a female candidate myself, I do think that society tends to view us in a certain way, and people have expectations on how we should behave, how we should carry ourselves, how we should come across. That's just natural part and parcel of how things are," she added.

"But I think it's very important, at least for myself, to not let these ideas limit who I am, how I carry myself, how I bring my message across." 

She also shared that during the past few days of campaigning, many young girls had approached her and fellow female candidate Siti Alia Binte Abdul Rahim Mattar, saying they looked up to them for taking an active role in politics. 

"I think that it's a true privilege and honour for us to be that example for them, to start this change for them. And we look forward to more young girls, more females with aspiration, who are looking to contribute to our country, to step forward in the future." 

While the team did not elaborate on the comments made about Dang's appearance, checks by AsiaOne on online forums showed that she has received comments such as "prettiest candidate in this GE" and "chio pro max". 

A thread has also appeared on forum Hardwarezone called "WP Alexis Dang's Fan Club". 

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melissateo@asiaone.com 

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