GE2020: On Raeesah Khan, PM Lee cautions youth against importing 'angst and anxieties' from other societies

The Raeesah Khan case has been a deeply polarising one, evident from the swath of reactions and varying opinions on the internet by Singaporeans young and old. 

The Workers’ Party (WP) candidate contesting in Sengkang GRC became a lightning rod after it was revealed that she was accused of "promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion or race". 

The 26-year-old is currently under police investigations after netizens dredged up screenshots of her comments on the outcome of the City Harvest Church trial as well as the individuals who were spotted gathering at Robertson Quay during the circuit breaker. Raeesah has since apologised for her “insensitive” remarks, stating that she only wanted to “raise awareness to minority concerns”. 

In the final GE2020 livestream held by the People’s Action Party (PAP) tonight (July 8), the Prime Minister himself had some things to say about Raeesah’s actions, as well as for the Gen Z and millennial generation at large. 

Acknowledging that it’s a complicated issue, Lee Hsien Loong said he believes that the older people in Singapore have “a somewhat different take” on the developments of Raeesah’s case than the younger folks due to different life experiences and life references. Still, he highlighted the importance of understanding each other’s point of view. 

“The world has changed, attitudes have changed. Younger people have a different perspective and it's a perspective which is valid and which we have to take into account because young people will one day inherit Singapore and take over and be responsible for Singapore,” he said.

As a senior citizen himself, however, PM Lee offered some perspective on race, language and religion from the older generation. 

“Sensitive matters, matters which can cause grave umbrage, [should] be held very delicately and we must have great care,” he remarked. 

The PAP secretary-general also acknowledged that topics that would be very uncomfortable for people to talk about 20 years ago are being discussed more openly, but there would still be a need for sensitivity. 

“As you go forward, more of these conversations can be held and people will be able to accept it better,” Lee assured. 

“But I would say not everything [should go] towards openness because in the internet age, you pick up ideas from all over the world — and things that never used to be sensitive in Singapore before now have become sensitive because they’re sensitive in other countries.” 

Lee brought up the concept of cultural appropriation, something that he described as an example of “angst and anxieties from other societies” that is imported here as a result of being “on the same internet”. 

Nonetheless, the Prime Minister said that some of the notions are valid, though not all. Similarly, some of the "old people’s worries” might be “passe” but not all of them are, he said. 

“That’s a view we have proceeded on that has held tolerance and harmony… not quite everything which young people may aspire to, but I think quite a considerable achievement,” Lee reflected. 

“And if we want to go beyond that, do better, I think we should, but we should do it carefully and we should discuss this between the young ones and the older ones so that we get gradually a meeting of minds,” he said, adding that it might not be possible to achieve identical views between the two generations. 

“I want to go better, but at the same time know where the limits are and proceed carefully.” 

ilyas@asiaone.com