Pritam Singh elected unopposed as Workers' Party leader

Singapore

ALJUNIED GRC MP Pritam Singh has been elected unopposed as the secretary-general of the Workers' Party, marking a smooth handover of power at Singapore's biggest opposition party.

Party sources said his was the only name nominated - to unanimous and rousing applause - during the WP party conference on Sunday when cadres elected their party chief.

Given that Chen Show Mao, 57, had challenged outgoing party leader Low Thia Khiang for the post unsuccessfully in 2016, there was speculation about whether he would do so again this time around.

But a contest did not materialise.

Party chairman Sylvia Lim, 53, was re-elected to her post unopposed, also to an enthusiastic reception.

The posts of secretary-general and chairman are elected separately.

The last time the WP saw a leadership transition was in 2001, when Mr Low was elected unopposed as party chief to succeed Mr J B Jeyaretnam.

Mr Singh, 41, had been tipped as the front runner for secretary-general ever since Mr Low, 61, surprised Singaporeans last November by announcing that he will be stepping down.

Though Mr Low has not spoken about what future role he will play in the party, many are expecting that he will stay on in its top decision-making body.

Any cadre who is at the meeting, and with a seconder, can be nominated for the other 12 seats on the central executive council. The 12 with the highest votes will be selected.

Cadres arrived at its new headquarters at the four-storey Teambuild Centre at 701 Geylang Road shortly before 2pm. Mr Low was all smiles, saying in Mandarin that he was in a good mood.

"Wah, so many people here. Looks like a general election," he quipped, when he saw the media scrum awaiting him.

Sunday's leadership change marks a new chapter for the WP.

Under Mr Low's charge over the past 17 years, the WP became Singapore's most successful opposition party since independence.

It made history when he led a team to victory in Aljunied GRC in the 2011 General Election. It now has six MPs and three Non-Constituency MPs in Parliament.

Eyes will be on to what extent Mr Singh, relatively inexperienced compared to Mr Low when he took the helm, can maintain WP's electoral performance. The next general election is due by 2021.

But for now, the first order of business for Mr Singh would be two-fold.

Mr Chen's 2016 challenge to Mr Low revealed fissures in the highly disciplined and secretive party. It turned out that Mr Chen's supporters, a group of older members, had been unhappy with Mr Low for purportedly favouring younger members when fielding election candidates.

It will now be up to Mr Singh to heal those rifts. It appears that the faction, which includes senior cadres, is willing to give him a chance by backing his nomination on Sunday.

Mr Singh will also have to contend with an ongoing lawsuit over the WP's Aljunied-Hougang Town Council's accounts.

The town council, through an independent panel, has sued the party's MPs, including Mr Low, Ms Lim and Mr Singh, for over more than S$33 million in improper payments. The case is expected to be set for trial this year.