Pritam Singh re-elected as WP secretary-general

Pritam Singh survives secret vote on his leadership, remains as WP chief

Workers’ Party (WP) secretary-general Pritam Singh has been re-elected as the party’s chief following a special cadre members’ conference on Sunday (28 June).

Pritam Singh survives secret cadre vote

The conference was convened after 25 cadres called on Mr Singh to account for his conviction for lying to a parliamentary committee and sought a vote on whether he should continue as secretary-general.

Following a secret ballot, Mr Singh retained the confidence of the party’s inner circle and will continue leading the WP.

He will remain secretary-general after the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) election.

Sunday’s proceedings began with a special cadres’ conference chaired by Aljunied GRC MP Gerald Giam.

The meeting came two months after the WP’s CEC concluded its disciplinary process against Mr Singh.

While the party accepted the findings of its disciplinary panel, it issued him only a formal letter of reprimand.

The decision left it to the cadres to determine whether he should continue leading the party.

Pritam Singh receives support from Low Thia Khiang

In the lead-up to the conference, there had been reports of discontent among some veteran party members, who argued that Mr Singh’s conviction had damaged the party’s reputation and called for new leadership.

However, Mr Singh also received backing from several prominent party figures.

This included former secretary-general Low Thia Khiang, who told reporters before the meeting that he would support his successor.

Mr Singh’s victory means he retains the confidence of the party’s cadre members despite months of internal debate over his leadership.

At the end of the special cadres meeting, Mr Giam told local media that a “super-majority” of cadres voted for Mr Singh to remain as secretary-general.

He added: “A large majority, a super-majority actually, voted for him to remain as the secretary general of the Workers’ Party, and so I think this reflects the party’s commitment to the democratic process and due process given to Mr Singh and to everybody who wanted to requisition this special meeting.”

The outcome also allows the WP to move forward under the same leader who oversaw the party’s strongest electoral performances in recent years.

Also read: Workers’ Party to discuss Pritam Singh’s position as chief at special cadres conference on 28 June

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Featured image adapted from The Workers’ Party on Facebook.