WP's Low Thia Khiang retains secretary-general post after contest

WORKERS' Party chief Low Thia Khiang has been re-elected as its secretary-general, but not without facing a fight.

This was the first time the 59-year-old opposition leader faced contest for the post since he took it up in 2001.

At the party's biennial Central Executive Committee (CEC) election yesterday, Mr Low came head to head with fellow Aljunied GRC MP Chen Show Mao, 55.

Sources say Mr Low retained his seat with 61 votes, to Mr Chen's 45.

Party chairman Sylvia Lim, 51, was re-elected unopposed.

In all, 21 members vied for the other 12 CEC places at yesterday's election.

All of the party's Members of Parliament and Non-Constituency MPs (NCMP) were elected into the committee.

While Mr Chen lost the challenge against Mr Low, he made it into the CEC along with fellow Aljunied MPs Pritam Singh and Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap, as well as Hougang MP Png Eng Huat, and NCMPs Daniel Goh, Dennis Tan and Leon Perera.

Former Punggol East MP Lee Li Lian and former NCMP Gerald Giam also kept their spots.

Rounding out the committee are three new faces, Kenneth Foo and Firuz Khan, who were both fielded in last September's general election, and Tan Kong Soon, who is Mr Low's legislative assistant.

Those who are out of the party's top decision-making body include Mohammed Rahizan Yaacob, who was party vice-chairman, L. Somasundaram, who was deputy treasurer, John Yam and Mohamed Fairoz Shariff, who was co-opted into the CEC in October last year.

This year's internal election took place at a rented conference room along Cecil Street, instead of the party's Syed Alwi headquarters, to accommodate the larger number of cadres.

The party had last month appointed 28 new cadres, bringing the total to about 130.

rachelay@sph.com.sg

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