Hashtag #catsforraeesahkhan Trending As People Post Images of Their Cats for Raeesah Khan

Everyone likes cats.

Image: Reddit

Ok, most people like cats. Some are still trying to figure out how to show cats affection without getting death stares or scratch marks on their face.

Still, even if you’re a zealous dog lover, you have to admit that these little felines can be pretty damn cute.

Image: Wikipedia

They’re so widely adored that they’re even used as a symbol of solidarity in troubled times.

Police Reports Lodged Against Raeesah Khan 

But before we talk about cats, we need to talk about police reports.

If you’re a cat yourself, you may be unaware that two police reports have been lodged against WP Sengkang Candidate Raeesah Khan for making certain comments on race and religion, mostly because you can’t read.

Still, it’s quite impressive that you managed to get to the Goody Feed website all on your own.

Image: Tenor

The comments which landed Khan in trouble were made on two separate Facebook posts, one reportedly on 17 May 2020, and another on 2 Feb 2018:

Image: Facebook (Singapore Matters)
Image: Facebook via TODAY

According to the police, Khan allegedly “commented that Singapore law enforcement authorities discriminated against citizens, and that compared to other groups, rich Chinese and white people were treated differently under the law”.

She also reportedly commented on the City Harvest Church ruling, allegedly saying that “Singapore jailed minorities mercilessly, harassed mosque leaders but let corrupt church leaders free.”

Police investigations are ongoing.

The 26-year-old, who is WP’s youngest candidate at this year’s General Election, apologised for her posts, and said she regrets making the “insensitive remarks”.

“I apologise to any racial group or community who have been hurt by my comments. My remarks were insensitive, and I regret making them,” she told reporters hours after the police statement was released.

“I feel really passionate about minority issues regardless of race and in my passion, I made improper remarks and I have to be accountable for them,” she said, adding that she will “fully cooperate in any police investigations”.

Netizens Showed Support

Instead of villainizing Khan, something we often do to people on the internet, netizens commended the Worker’s Party (WP) for their swift response and Khan for her honest apology.

The hashtag #IStandWithRaeesah started trending on Twitter, and Khan received an outpouring of support from users who felt she was being treated unfairly.

Some felt that Khan wasn’t trying to stir up racial tensions but hoping to start a dialogue on racial issues in Singapore.

Others pointed out that some MPs and ministers from the PAP have reportedly made insensitive comments in the past and not had police reports lodged against them.

#catsforraeesahkhan Trending

And now it’s finally time for the cats.

In addition to praising Khan for speaking openly about racial issues, Twitter users started posting pictures of their cats with the hashtag #catsforraeesahkhan in a show of solidarity with the WP candidate.

Why cats, you ask?

Well, Khan has posted pictures of selfies with her cat as well as stray cats on her Twitter account, so it’s safe to assume that she’s a feline lover.

Will the Khan incident hurt WP’s chances at the polls or bring more voters onboard? Only time will tell.

In the meantime, let’s just look at cats and forget about all our troubles.

Image: Twitter (kixes)

Lest you’ve forgotten, polling day will be on this Friday (10 July). So what happens if you didn’t vote? Would you be jailed? Would you be barred from buying bubble tea for the next five years? Watch this video and you’ll know the consequences: