Sunday, July 16, 2006

Channel NewsAsia: Workers' Party elects 7 new members to executive council

By Noor Mohd Aziz


Low Thia Kiang, Secretary-General, Workers' Party

The Workers' Party has elected seven new members to its executive council.

Older members, like veteran Dr Tan Bin Seng, have stepped down, while James Gomez has not been re-elected.

Several new candidates fielded by the Workers' Party in the last General Election have been elected to the party's executive council.

Members like Perry Tong, Glenda Han, Brandon Seow and Abdul Salim were elected by cadre members at the Workers' Party Organising Members' Conference on Sunday.

The party had said before that it plans to bring in new faces, and renew the leadership.

Low Thia Kiang, Secretary-General, Workers' Party, said: "It's on target and on track and I'm very pleased with the result of the elections. It shows the party is progressing. The renewal and the party leadership is in place and it looks I'm the oldest now."

The Workers' Party exco currently stands at 15 and it intends to co-opt more members.

And as for the strategy ahead, Chairman Sylvia Lim told Channel NewsAsia in an earlier interview that the party wants to build on the momentum of the last election.

Ms Lim said: "From now till the next election, we intend to try to put ourselves forward in the public eye in various means. Could be some activities that we organise. Or we will continue certainly with our house visits, and other ground work. So, I think, we, it's certainly not the intention of us to go to sleep."

The Non-Constituency MP plans to engage the government both in Parliament, and outside through forums. - CNA/ch