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SINGAPORE: The new Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the Workers Party (WP) has a “good balance” of old and new faces, and it threw few surprises, analysts told CNA.
On Sunday (December 27), members of the opposition party cadre chose five new faces for their top leadership while retaining Sylvia Lim as president and Pritam Singh as general secretary.
The four members of the Sengkang GRC Parliament, who won the constituency representing the group in the July general elections, were all voted into the CEC. They are Ms. He Tingru, 37, Mr. Louis Chua, 33, Dr. Jamus Lim, 44, and Ms. Raeesah Khan, 27.
Nicole Seah, 34, is the fifth new face. His GRC East Coast running mate, Mr. Kenneth Foo, 43, was also re-elected, having served in the CEC from 2016 to 2018.
READ: Workers’ Party deputies He Ting Ru, Jamus Lim, Raeesah Khan and Louis Chua elected to the Central Executive Committee
While three of Sengkang’s MPs are relatively new, running and winning in their first election outing this year, political observers said their inclusion in the CEC was expected.
“The election of the ‘Four Sengkang’ to the CEC is not a great surprise. Having won the mandate of the voters, the party cadres would need a compelling reason to deny their membership of the CEC,” said Associate Professor Eugene Tan. from the Singapore Management University (SMU) School of Law.
Nanyang Technological University assistant professor Walid Jumblatt Abdullah said it was a “sensible” move that would quell potential tension in the party that could arise if elected MPs were not also senior party leaders.
“The WP has had infighting before, with Chen Show Mao challenging Low Thia Khiang … it makes sense to have all those with (MP) positions in the CEC and is also looking to quell any form of internal tension and factionalism.”
READ: Workers’ Party leaders Pritam Singh, Sylvia Lim, re-elected as party ‘balances experience with new blood’
On the choice of Foo and Seah, analysts said the East Coast GRC team put up a good fight there despite losing to the heavyweights of the Popular Action Party (PAP), which included Vice Premier Heng Swee. Keat. The WP team has also continued to walk there since the elections.
“Ms. Nicole Seah appears to have made a strong impression on the party despite being relatively new to WP. Her trajectory within the party leadership deserves a close watch,” said Associate Professor Tan.
“The election of Mr. Foo suggests that he is highly respected within the party and will feature in the WP’s plans for the next general election.”
A member of WP since 2006, Mr. Foo participated in the Nee Soon GRC in the 2015 general election and was WP’s Organizing Under Secretary from 2016 to 2018. Ms. Seah, formerly of the National Solidarity Party, joined WP in 2015.
The Workers’ Party candidate for the East Coast GRC, Kenneth Foo, speaking to the media after a walk on Bedok North Street 4 on July 1, 2020 (Photo: Gaya Chandramohan)
Nicole Seah of the Workers’ Party speaks to the media on December 27, 2020.
Assistant Professor Walid added that the team the WP sends to the East Coast has traditionally been his “Team B”, second to his Aljunied GRC team, and the team members were expected to be at the CEC.
The GRC Aljunied MPs, Ms. Lim, Mr. Singh, Mr. Faisal Manap, Mr. Leon Perera and Mr. Gerald Giam were elected to the CEC, along with Hougang MP Dennis Tan.
The other two members of the committee that make up the 14 are former WP Low chief Thia Khiang, 64, and former MP Png Eng Huat, 59, who did not run in recent elections.
The average age of the new CCA is about 45 years old, compared to 49 years old for the 2018 committee.
There is a “good balance” of new and old faces in the lineup, said Dr. Felix Tan, associate professor at Singapore’s Institute for Global Education Management.
“I think it is time for a younger team to take over,” he said. “It’s about making this crop of younger members develop … and this kind of renewal must happen for the party to regenerate.
With nine members between the ages of 20 and 40, the team will have a longer track to learn to drive, analysts said.
“They are fine for many, many more years … They have 10 or 15 years ahead of them,” said assistant professor Walid, adding that there shouldn’t be too many concerns about renewing the party now. .
The Workers’ Party (WP) candidates for Aljunied GRC, Faisal Manap and Pritam Singh speaking with former General Secretary Low Thia Khiang before their walk at the Hougang bus interchange on July 8, 2020 (Photo: Try Sutrisno Foo)
There is still continuity within the WP with senior members Mr. Low, Mr. Png and Ms. Lim remaining on the committee, analysts said.
“Mr. Low and Mr. Png are the two oldest members of the CEC elected yesterday. To me, it is significant that they continue to be politically active and can be counted on to participate in party plans in the next general election. .
“They have not retired from politics, so the possibility of being presented in the next general election remains a reality,” said Tan, the associate professor at SMU.
