SINGAPORE - Non-Constituency MP Leong Mun Wai has been re-elected as party chief of the opposition Progress Singapore Party.
Mr Leong, who stepped down as secretary-general 13 months ago, in February 2024, will lead the party into the general election after having been re-elected to the post on March 26.
He stepped down to take responsibility for a correction direction he received under Singapore’s fake news law for a social media post.
Mr Leong will take over the role from the party’s other NCMP, Hazel Poa. He will be the PSP’s fifth leader since its founding in 2019. Ms Poa will be its vice-chair.
The party announced these changes at a press conference on March 26 at its headquarters in Bukit Timah Shopping Centre after the first meeting of its new central executive committee (CEC).
On March 20, the party voted six new names into its highest decision-making body, in a substantial refresh of its leadership slate.
The election was hotly contested with 24 candidates vying for 12 elected seats on CEC.
The election returned to the CEC Dr Tan and both Non-Constituency MPs, as well as, Mr A’bas Kasmani, Ms Wendy Low and Mr Phang Yew Huat.
Six new names were elected. They are: Mr Samuel Lim, Mr Anthony Neo, Mr S. Nallakaruppan, Mr Soh Zheng Long, Mr Jonathan Tee and Mr Joseph Wong.
Eight members of the previous CEC were not re-elected, including several who were candidates at the last election. They are Dr Ang Yong Guan, Mr Harish Pillay, Mr Jeffrey Khoo, Mr Nadarajah Loganathan and Mr Lim Cher Hong.
Of these, all except Dr Ang had sought re-election.
The new CEC was voted in by the party’s roughly 100 cadres comprising its inner circle. It will later co-opt two more cadres to form a 14-member body.
The new CEC will serve for two years until March 2027.
Ms Poa was the PSP’s fourth secretary-general, and was the party vice-chairman prior to that.
Mr Leong first became secretary-general in April 2023.
Mr Francis Yuen vacated the position the month before, after spending two years in the seat.
The PSP’s founder and current chairman, Dr Tan, was its first secretary-general.
Together with Dr Tan, Mr Leong and Ms Poa were on the PSP’s West Coast GRC slate that lost to a PAP team led by former transport minister S. Iswaran in the 2020 General Election.
It was the narrowest loss that year – which allowed the party to send Mr Leong and Ms Poa into Parliament as NCMPs.
The PSP is expected to contest several constituencies in the upcoming general election, including the newly redrawn West Coast-Jurong West GRC, and the neighbouring Chua Chu Kang GRC.
Its slates in these wards have not been confirmed.
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