Assoc Prof Daniel Goh, a cadre member of the Workers’ Party revealed in a Facebook post that the WP has convened a disciplinary committee to look into his Facebook posts on their handling of the Raeesah Khan saga.
The committee wanted to hear his reasons and rationale for revealing in Facebook posts, the ‘inner workings of the Parliamentary caucus of the WP MPs and allowing ‘political opponents’ to have an inside understanding of how the WP operates, and for casting a cloud over the character of the leadership of the WP.
The associate professor has declined to appear before the committee for an interview.
“I have nothing more to say about the questions that were publicly posted last year. I have been clear about the reasons and rationale in those posts,” he said.
What did Daniel Goh post that led to a disciplinary committee?
The former NCMP had in a Facebook post on 3 November 2021, expressed shock and grief that Raeesah Khan had ‘blatantly lied multiple times in Parliament’.
He also said that the WP leadership must take some responsibility for allowing the transgression to happen and persist over several months.
“In my experience, speeches were shared and reviewed among MPs and we might disagree and debate, but we would make corrections or drop things entirely according to the collective consensus. If a mistake was made, we would immediately move to rectify it. I hope the disciplinary panel made up of the top three leaders will recognise their responsibility IN this matter and accountability to the public ON this matter,” he wrote in his post. [emphasis from Daniel Goh]
In another Facebook post on 1 December 2021, he questioned the timing of Raeesah’s resignation and the inconvenient questions raised for the WP leadership.
“Why resign now one month after the parliamentary apology and just hours before the CEC meeting when the disciplinary committee findings were to be discussed and a decision was taken? Did RK know the outcome already? How? What motivated her to resign only now? Did anyone of importance ask her to resign and why? All too convenient when so many inconvenient questions for the WP leadership remained unanswered. In politics, these can become a sticky ugly scent eroding trust” he wrote.
"In issues of grave public interest, questions must be asked of the inner workings of any organisation."
In his latest Facebook post on the disciplinary committee convened to look into his posts, Daniel Goh said he had asked questions in his Facebook posts ‘as a concerned citizen and as a party member who believes that public accountability and integrity are non-negotiable values’ demanded of political leaders’.
“In issues of grave public interest, questions must be asked about the inner workings of any organisation,” said Prof Goh.
'Too easy to fall into a cycle of pride and irresponsibility driven by a persecution complex."
He disagreed with the WP’s characterisation of the government (or any other political party) as ‘political opponents’.
As opposition politicians working to advance public interest in a field dominated by the ruling party, Prof Goh said it is ‘too easy to fall into a cycle of pride and irresponsibility driven by a persecution complex’.