{"id":57395,"date":"2026-06-02T12:50:59","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T04:50:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=57395"},"modified":"2026-06-02T12:50:59","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T04:50:59","slug":"wp-cadres-to-discuss-pritam-singhs-suitability-as-leader","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=57395","title":{"rendered":"WP cadres to discuss Pritam Singh\u2019s suitability as leader"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">SINGAPORE \u2013 The WP\u2019s inner circle will meet on June 28 to discuss if party chief Pritam Singh remains suitable to carry on as secretary-general.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">This will happen during a special cadre members\u2019 conference which the party announced via a written notice, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zaobao.com.sg\/news\/singapore\/story20260601-9139308?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_blank\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"font-body-baseline-regular inline\" data-testid=\"paragraph-test-id\">Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao reported on June 1<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The notice had three items on its agenda.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">First, Singh has been asked to account to cadres for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/singapore\/courts-crime\/high-court-upholds-wp-chief-pritam-singhs-conviction?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_blank\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"font-body-baseline-regular inline\" data-testid=\"paragraph-test-id\">his two convictions of lying to a parliamentary committee<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The second item asks that Singh resign as party chief for breaching Article 30 of the WP\u2019s Constitution, which requires any party nominee in public office to be \u201chonest and frank in all his dealings with the party and the people of Singapore\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">If he does not resign, he will face a secret vote by cadres to determine if he should remain in the post, according to the notice. Singh, in his fourth term as an MP for Aljunied GRC, has been party chief since 2018.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The WP has roughly 100 cadres, which form its inner circle and elect its leadership.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The meeting is scheduled for noon on June 28 and will be chaired by Aljunied GRC MP Gerald Giam, who is WP\u2019s policy research head.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">A group of long-time cadres had in December 2025 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/singapore\/politics\/wp-confirms-receipt-of-request-by-cadre-member-for-special-conference-partys-cec-to-follow-up?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_blank\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"font-body-baseline-regular inline\" data-testid=\"paragraph-test-id\">requested the special cadre members\u2019 conference,<\/span><\/a> after the High Court upheld Singh\u2019s <!-- -->February<!-- --> convictions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">WP\u2019s Constitution states that such a conference can be called at any time by the party\u2019s chair, the central executive committee (CEC), or 10 per cent of the cadre membership or at least 20 cadre members, whichever is higher.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The notice also states that the party will<!-- --> h<!-- -->old its regular cadre meeting and leadership election at 3pm on the same day. These elections, held every two years, are where cadres decide the party\u2019s top leaders, including the secretary-general, chairperson and other members of <!-- -->the<!-- --> CEC.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Singh took over from long-time party chief Low Thia Khiang in April 2018, and <!-- -->has since run unopposed for the top job in the elections.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The special cadre members\u2019 conference comes after the decision by the WP\u2019s CEC, its top leadership body, to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/singapore\/politics\/wp-chief-pritam-singh-issued-letter-of-reprimand-following-conclusion-of-disciplinary-panel?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_blank\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"font-body-baseline-regular inline\" data-testid=\"paragraph-test-id\">issue Singh a letter of reprimand in April 2026<\/span><\/a> for his convictions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The CEC considered the findings of a disciplinary panel comprising Sengkang GRC MPs He Ting Ru and Jamus Lim, as well as former Hougang MP Png Eng Huat, which had found that Singh had contravened two articles of the party\u2019s Constitution.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">These were articles 20(1) and 30.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The WP said the CEC separately considered that \u201cat all material times, Singh did not have any intention to act in a manner contrary to the principles, aims, or objects of the party, or prejudicial to the welfare of the party\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">It added that his actions ultimately reflected judgment calls that he had to make.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cIn considering the range of potential actions to be taken against Mr Singh, the CEC assessed the totality of the circumstances and has issued a formal letter of reprimand to him,\u201d the party said in its statement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The WP later said in response to queries that there are \u201ccurrently no restrictions on Mr Singh that prevent him from seeking office\u201d at the next party election, which is due by 2026 and typically held around mid-year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-body-baseline-regular text-primary\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Analysts said then that this outcome indicated the party leadership\u2019s support for Singh, and that his fate as leader <!-- -->will lie<!-- --> in the hands of its cadres.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<center><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/singapore\/politics\/wp-cadres-to-meet-on-june-28-to-discuss-chief-pritam-singhs-suitability-as-leader\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article At Source <\/a><br \/>\n<center\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SINGAPORE \u2013 The WP\u2019s inner circle will meet on June 28 to discuss if party chief Pritam Singh remains suitable to carry on as secretary-general&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":57396,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57395","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=57395"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57395\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/57396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=57395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=57395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=57395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}