SINGAPORE — The Workers’ Party (WP) top brass will remain largely unchanged ahead of Singapore’s next General Election, after secretary-general Pritam Singh and chairwoman Sylvia Lim were re-elected at a party conference.
Former Punggol East SMC MP Lee Li Lian also returned as a member of WP's Central Executive Committee (CEC), having previously stepped down from her role in 2021.
At a cadre members conference on Sunday (June 30) held at Huone Singapore, a total of 14 members, including Mr Singh and Ms Lim, were voted into the CEC, which is the party’s top decision-making body.
Huone Singapore is an event venue at Clarke Quay.
The other CEC members are:
Mr Ang Boon Yaw, 42
Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis, 37
Mr Foo Seck Guan Kenneth, 47
Mr Gerald Giam, 47
Ms He Ting Ru, 41
Mr Nathaniel Koh, 41
Dr Jamus Lim, 48
Mr Low Thia Khiang, 68
Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap, 49
Mr Tan Kong Soon, 47
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong, 54
The one new face is Ms Lee. The 46-year-old was formerly the Member of Parliament for Punggol East SMC between 2013 and 2015. Ms Lee was edged out by then-People's Action Party (PAP) MP Charles Chong at the 2015 GE with 51.76 per cent of votes.
During the 2020 GE, Punggol East SMC was dissolved and folded into Sengkang GRC, which was won by WP. Ms Lee, who did not contest then, is currently serving Sengkang Town Council as its town councillor.
Notably, ex-WP chief Mr Low, who handed over the reins of the party to Mr Singh in 2018, remains in the CEC.
Prior to the meeting, Ms Lim and Mr Singh both declined comment when approached by CNA.
“Fantastic result. We’re looking forward to working with this CEC for the next two years,” Mr Singh told reporters when leaving.
“This wasn’t about candidature, this was an internal party election, so my comments will be restricted to that.”
CNA also approached several other attendees of the meeting, all of whom declined comment.
Other party members observed by CNA at the meeting included Mr Jamus Lim (WP-Sengkang), Mr Louis Chua (WP-Sengkang) and Mr Gerald Giam (WP- Aljunied).
“The CEC appointment-holders will be announced in due course,” said a WP statement.
“The new CEC has taken office, with a mix of members of different ages and backgrounds; and has started work with immediate effect.”
Singapore's next GE must be held by November 2025.
At the last party conference in November 2022, the WP elected three new members to the CEC, for a total of 15.
However, this number was whittled down by two after senior members Leon Perera and Nicole Seah resigned after having an extramarital affair.
They both stepped down after a video clip uploaded to social media, appeared to show Mr Perera — then a Member of Parliament for Aljunied — dining with 2020 GE candidate Ms Seah, while holding and stroking her hands.
Mr Perera headed the media team while Ms Seah was the youth wing president.
RESULTS SIGNAL 'BUSINESS AS USUAL'
Political analysts CNA spoke to following the announcement noted that the results were largely status quo.
"The stability in the CEC suggests that it is business as usual for the Workers’ Party," said Associate Professor Chong Ja Ian of the Department of Political Science at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
He added that despite what people externally make of the party’s recent troubles, its members appear to be "confident of the course they are charting".
Mr Singh was charged in March with lying in parliament in relation to a case involving former WP member Raeesah Khan.
Ms Khan had lied in parliament in 2021 over a sexual assault case and accused the police of mishandling the case. Mr Singh, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges, is set to go on trial in October.
Likewise, independent political observer Felix Tan also pointed to internal confidence that those chosen as part of the CEC are the "right people for the party" at this point in time.
The experts also noted that Ms Lee's return would be good for the party given that she is experienced and a familiar face to the public.
Assoc Prof Chong, however, stopped short of speculating whether Ms Lee will be in the running for the upcoming election. He highlighted that WP "have always played their cards close to their chest".
On the other hand, Dr Tan said that Ms Lee's return signifies that she is "ready to jump back into the game" and that the public can "see her running in the General Election".
At the same time, he added that it is unclear if Ms Lee could be a direct replacement for Ms Khan in a possible Sengkang GRC line-up, given that at least one candidate in the team must belong to a minority racial community.
Current MPs of Sengkang GRC include Mr Louis Chua, Dr Jamus Lim and Ms He Ting Ru.
Meanwhile, former WP chief Mr Low's continued presence in the CEC also points to his credibility as a leader as well as his experience, which the party can draw on in the lead-up to the next election, analysts noted.
While he had stepped down from his role as party chief in 2018 and decided against contesting the 2020 GE, he never left the WP, said independent political observer Dr Tan.
Mr Low can still contribute to the party by grooming new members and picking out the best ones for the next GE, he added.
"(We) might even see Mr Low running in the next General Election, leading a new team in (a) new GRC," Dr Tan added. CNA
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