The meeting comes in the wake of internal disciplinary proceedings against Mr Singh after his court conviction for lying to a parliamentary committee.
SINGAPORE: A special conference of Workers’ Party cadres later this month is set to place Secretary-General Pritam Singh’s leadership under scrutiny, with members expected to vote on whether he should remain in the party’s top post if he declines to step down voluntarily.
According to a notice sent to cadres and seen by CNA, the special cadres conference will be held on Jun 28 following a requisition by 25 cadre members. The meeting comes in the wake of internal disciplinary proceedings against Mr Singh after his court conviction for lying to a parliamentary committee.
The first item requires Mr Singh to account to cadre members regarding his conviction for lying to the Committee of Privileges, following the Singapore High Court’s decision to uphold the conviction. The second agenda item calls on Mr Singh to step down immediately as secretary-general for allegedly breaching Article 30 of the party constitution, which requires members to be “honest and frank in all his dealings with the party and the people of Singapore”.
Should Mr Singh choose not to resign, the third item on the agenda provides for a secret ballot among cadres to determine whether he should continue in the role or step aside. The meeting will take place just hours before the party’s biennial ordinary cadre members’ conference at 3pm, where cadres are due to elect the secretary-general, chairperson and 12 members of the party’s central executive committee , its highest decision-making body.
Mr Singh has led the WP since 2018, when he succeeded former secretary-general Low Thia Khiang. Since taking over the position, he has been returned unopposed in successive biennial leadership elections, including those held in December 2020, November 2022 and June 2024. Cadres occupy a key role within the party, holding voting rights that allow them to elect the CEC and determine the party’s leadership.
Calls for the special conference first emerged at the end of last year, when a group of cadres signed a letter requesting such a meeting. Earlier this year, the party said it would convene the conference within two weeks of completing its disciplinary process involving Mr Singh. On Apr 30, the WP announced that its CEC had issued Mr Singh a formal letter of reprimand following an internal disciplinary inquiry.
The disciplinary panel concluded that he had breached Articles 20 and 30 of the party constitution, both of which relate to members’ conduct and discipline, based on the findings of the court. The CEC said it accepted the panel’s conclusions.
However, the party leadership also determined that Mr Singh had not intended to act against the party’s principles, aims or interests. The disciplinary panel was made up of Sengkang GRC Members of Parliament Jamus Lim and He Ting Ru, together with former Hougang MP Png Eng Huat. The outcome of the Jun 28 special conference could have significant implications for the party’s leadership ahead of the scheduled CEC elections later the same day.
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