SINGAPORE, April 8 — Mr Pritam Singh has been elected as the Workers’ Party’s (WP) new secretary-general today, marking the first leadership change for the opposition party in almost two decades.
Mr Singh was elected unopposed at the party’s biennial Central Executive Council (CEC) election held at WP’s headquarters along Geylang Road on Sunday. Mr Singh, 41, was the party’s assistant secretary-general before taking over the top post from veteran politician Low Thia Khiang. The lawyer joined the party in 2010.
WP chairman Sylvia Lim was also re-elected unopposed for the top post.
Speaking to the media after the elections, Mr Singh said the immediate agenda will be to reach out to the party membership to get a sense of their views, wishes and vision for the party going forward. It is also important for them to move forward as a team and the process will be quite consultative, he added.
On succeeding Mr Low, Mr Singh said: “Obviously (these are) very big shoes to fill, he’s driven the party forward with a lot of perseverance and dedication, and it’s important for the party to build on the foundation that he has laid and to continue forward as a rational, responsible and respectable party.”
Ms Lim added: “I suppose this is a milestone for the party, it shows our commitment towards party renewal.
“And of course we are very happy the Mr Low has decided that he wants to continue to contribute as a member of the council, so I think we can also benefit from his experience there. We are certainly looking forward to this new era... and (we) look forward to serving Singaporeans in the best way possible.”
Outgoing chief Low Thia Khiang will remain on its CEC, which saw a new member, Mr Terence Tan, elected into the council on Sunday. Mr Low, 61, made a surprise announcement at WP’s 60th anniversary dinner last November that he would not contest the post of secretary-general – a position he has held since 2001 – at the party election.
Mr Low said today: “The current phase of leadership renewal.. we’ve started since 2001, and I said party renewal is our first priority, as a party without renewal , without new blood, it will die a natural death.
“I am pleased that today, we have a younger team in place and they are prepared to step forward. We definitely need to put in effort to attract younger Singaporeans, in their 30s and all that, so the renewal process can continue and will not dry up.”
Under Mr Low’s leadership, the WP increased its number of parliamentary seats from one to nine, including three Non-Constituency Members of Parliament (NCMP).
He also led the party to a historic victory in Aljunied in the 2011 General Election, making it the first opposition party to win a Group Representation Constituency. Mr Low, Mr Singh, party chairman Sylvia Lim, Mr Chen Show Mao and Mr Muhamad Faisal are all Members of Parliament for Aljunied GRC.
Following Mr Low’s announcement last year, several of WP’s CEC members told TODAY in February that they are backing Mr Singh to succeed Mr Low. They included NCMPs Leon Perera, Dennis Tan as well as former NCMP Gerald Giam. They cited Mr Singh’s extensive parliamentary and town council management experience as the key reasons why he should be the next party chief. Mr Singh has been the chairman of the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council since October 2015.
But the leadership changes also come in the midst of some WP leaders’ involvement in multi-million-dollar civil lawsuits over financial management lapses at its town council. Mr Low, Ms Lim, and Mr Singh are being sued by Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council and independent auditors appointed by WP’s Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC).
In June 2016, Mr Low also faced a contest for the top post for the first time when Mr Chen, 57, mounted an unsuccessful challenge for the secretary-general post during the party’s biennial CEC elections. Mr Chen lost with 45 votes to Mr Low’s 61.
As party leaders and members arrived at the WP headquarters on Sunday afternoon, most appeared to be in good spirits as they greeted the media.
Mr Singh, who was surrounded by the media when he arrived, quipped that he was just entering the lift and that it was nothing newsworthy. When he was asked if he was going to run for any position or accept any nomination, he said he had no comments.
Mr Low, who arrived shortly before 2pm, also joked that the media turnout was similar to the coverage for a General Election. But he added in Mandarin that he was feeling good. — TODAY
