Secret vote to be held at Workers’ Party conference if Pritam Singh doesn’t step down
The Workers’ Party (WP) will reportedly hold a special cadres conference on 28 June, where party chief Pritam Singh’s position will be discussed.
If he does not step down, a secret vote will be held to decide on this, reported Channel NewsAsia (CNA).
Source: The Workers’ Party on Facebook
Workers’ Party conference to be held after requisition from 25 cadres
The conference would be held at 12 noon on that day after 25 cadres made a requisition, according to a note sent to cadres seen by CNA.
Under Article 14(2) of the WP Constitution, a Special Cadre Members’ Conference may be called at any time by:
- the Chair
- the CEC
- or 10% of cadres/20 cadres, whichever is higher.
The conference may be called “for specific purposes to be indicated”.
Cadres call for Pritam Singh to step down or face secret vote
The conference will be chaired by Mr Gerald Giam, WP’s Head of Policy Research and MP for Aljunied GRC.
The note also laid out three items on the agenda.
First, Mr Singh must “account to cadre members” over his conviction for two counts of lying to the Committee of Privileges (COP), an appeal of which was upheld last December.
Second, the cadres called for him to step down as WP Secretary-General, as he has purportedly breached Article 30 of the WP Constitution. The Article states that all WP nominees as election candidates must be “honest and frank” in dealings with the party and the people of Singapore.
If Mr Singh does not step down, the third item calls for a secret vote by cadres to decide if he is to stay in his position or step down.
Source: The Workers’ Party on Facebook
Workers’ Party to hold ordinary conference on the same day
WP will also hold its ordinary cadre members’ conference on the same day, at 3pm.
This conference is generally held every two years, with the previous one held in June 2024.
The party’s Secretary-General and Chairperson are usually elected then, along with 12 members who will make up its Central Executive Committee (CEC).
Mr Singh was re-elected unopposed during the conference in 2024, as he had been since taking over as party chief in 2018.
Pritam Singh issued letter of reprimand in April
Mr Singh was issued a letter of reprimand by WP over his court conviction, the party said in April.
This came after he was probed by a disciplinary panel, which presented its finalised report and recommendations to the CEC.
The letter of reprimand concluded WP’s disciplinary process over this issue, it noted at the time.
Mr Singh was convicted of giving false testimony to the Parliamentary Committee of Privileges (COP) on two occasions, regarding former WP MP Raeesah Khan’s lie in Parliament.
Besides being fined S$14,000 by the court, he was also removed from his position as Leader of the Opposition by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
The Law Society of Singapore has commenced disciplinary proceedings against him, with the case set to be heard by the Court of Three Judges.
Also read: Almost 77% of people polled think that Pritam Singh is meeting expectations as an MP
Almost 77% of people polled think that Pritam Singh is meeting expectations as an MP
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Featured image adapted from The Workers’ Party on Facebook and Facebook.
