Drama overload as Singapore makes cinematic trailers out of Workers’ Party mess (Videos)

At left, Workers’ Party Chief Pritam Singh in a hearing on Dec. 10 and the intro of the popular Taiwanese drama Love, at right. Photos: Gov.sg/YouTube, Formosa Television
At left, Workers’ Party Chief Pritam Singh in a hearing on Dec. 10 and the intro of the popular Taiwanese drama Love, at right. Photos: Gov.sg/YouTube, Formosa Television

If the ongoing political drama involving a young, progressive minister’s troubled relationship with the truth wasn’t entertaining enough, creative Singaporeans are adding their own pop culture spice to the mix.

A suspenseful blockbuster-like trailer and a Taiwanese drama-inspired fan edit were sweeping the internet today with a string of clips from parliamentary hearings this week involving members of the opposition dragged in for questioning after former minister Raeesah Khan fessed up to lying last month.

TikToker Matthew Qiu used all the self-aware cliches of movie trailers with clips of Khan and other politicos dealing with the fallout of her lying about her role in a story about cops mistreating a sexual assault victim. The embarrassing episode led to a recent grilling of the opposition Workers’ Party by a parliamentary committee.

The trailer featured appearances from Khan, her former assistant Loh Pei Ying, Leader of the House Indranee Rajah, Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam, ​​Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong and Workers’ Party Chief Pritam Singh. And of course, Big Words dramatically punctuating the scenes such as “One lie changed everything” accompanied by dramatic music.

@mattvisuals

just for laughs 🤜🏻🥺🤟🏻 disclaimer: clips used are purely for their theatrical value and do not represent my political views ##filmmaking ##fypsg

♬ original sound – matthew qiu

Another short posted on social media yesterday gave more screen time to opposition members such as Sengkang GRC MP Jamus Lim and Chairwoman Sylvia Lim. The edit opened with the intro of the famous Taiwanese drama Love and its theme song.

“If the Raeesah Khan saga was a Taiwanese drama,” it was captioned.

The hearings, which were streamed online, began earlier this month with intense questioning by the committee of the entire opposition. The exchanges largely consisted of Khan and members of the Workers’ Party denying responsibility and pushing blame. 

Singh had already thrown the once-promising 28-year-old under the bus for lying more than once since her speech in August, which she meant to rally support for advancing women’s rights. She finally came clean last month that she had overheard the story at a support group – a detail she had omitted to protect her secret history as a victim of sexual violence. 

She resigned as a Workers’ Party member and Sengkang GRC MP shortly after. 

Khan has also said that her colleagues told her to take her lie “to the grave,” which Singh subsequently denied. 

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