SINGAPORE: The outcome of the People’s Action Party (PAP) central executive committee election on Sunday (Oct 25) showed that the cadres drew a distinction between government leadership and party leadership, and that Prime Minister Lawrence Wong might have faced some challenges in renewal, although that remains high on the party’s agenda.
Analysts pointed to how some first-term MPs have taken on Cabinet positions but didn’t make it into the PAP leadership this time, reflecting how the cadres view the government separately from the party and assess them differently based on other considerations.
Sunday’s ballot saw an unchanged slate in the party’s top decision-making body, with the 12 elected and two co-opted all returning faces. Older members such as senior ministers Lee Hsien Loong and K Shanmugam, and Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan remained.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, who was elected to the CEC in 2024, stepped down following his retirement from politics in 2025. His place was subsequently filled by ex-MP Faishal Ibrahim, who was in turn replaced by Mr Zaqy Mohamad. The acting minister-in-charge of Muslim affairs was part of Sunday’s slate of 14.
While Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow and Acting Manpower Minister Jasmin Lau were nominated but ultimately not voted in, they could still be co-opted into the committee as part of the party’s longer-term renewal, added the observers.
Both first-term Members of Parliament were part of the initial shortlist of 19 nominees, which did not include fellow first-term minister David Neo, who is in charge of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.
“Just because one is in Lawrence Wong’s core team does not automatically mean that this person is also core in the eyes of party cadres,” political observer Mustafa Izzuddin, a social and international affairs consultant, told CNA.
Observers also noted that Sunday’s outcome is a signal from the party faithful that the preference is for continuity over change, with experienced leaders at the helm as Singapore rides global and regional turbulence.
“With the multi-faceted challenges facing the country ranging from AI to geopolitics, the party cadres — as the barometer — are indicating that the imperative for change must be balanced against the need for the party to demonstrate stability, strength, and experience which the older leaders possess,” said Singapore Management University associate law professor Eugene Tan.
Dr Tan Ern Ser, an adjunct principal research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), said the election result suggests that cadres want the first-termers to prove themselves further.
“I reckon it suggests that party cadres still strongly support those who have a longer track record, while they probably believe that the new ministers need more time to gain their trust and support,” he said.
MORE TIME TO GAIN TRUST
Mr Siow and Ms Lau did not get voted into the CEC as they are still new and have not earned the full support of the party’s cadres, said political observers.
“They are still very new to the party as they joined the party just before the May 2025 GE, so no surprises that they are still not as popular as their more established colleagues,” said Assoc Prof Tan.
Independent political observer Felix Tan called it an indication that cadre members would prefer to see them “tested for a little longer”.
“They are still relatively new faces, and there may be a preference to allow them more time to build their political experience, establish a stronger track record and demonstrate themselves in their current roles before taking on more senior responsibilities within the party,” he said.
It also partly has to do with the fact that they were seen as fast-tracked to becoming ministers in a short time, said Dr Tan Ern Ser.
Observers noted that the duo are nevertheless likely to enter the party CEC at some point.
“It is not a question of if, but when,” said Mr Malminderjit Singh, managing director of political consultancy Terra Corporate Affairs, adding that the cadres may also want Mr Siow and Ms Lau to spend more time growing in their ministerial portfolios first.
Dr Mustafa said that even if they do not get co-opted into the CEC this time round, they could be inducted in the next vote in 2028.
The next vote would be significant as it would be building up the team with an eye on the next general election, which has to be held by 2030, said observers.
GOVERNMENT VERSUS PARTY
Sunday’s vote also drew the distinction between leadership in government and at the party level.
“This is a distinction that is drawn and one that increasingly needs to be drawn. In a one-party dominant system, the distinction between party, government and state needs to be even more clearly drawn,” said Assoc Prof Eugene Tan.
He said the CEC election results suggest that the PAP ranks recognise that the party is distinct from the government, and that experience in retail politics and winning elections matter just as much as policy-making nous.
“There is virtue in the party leadership being somewhat different from the nation’s political leadership. After all, the party must first win a General Election convincingly in order to form a popular government,” he added.
The ballot outcome also signalled to other political office holders that they need to do a lot more to gain the support of the party cadres, said Dr Mustafa.
Dr Felix Tan said the CEC election outcome in some ways sits “somewhat awkwardly” with the prime minister’s emphasis on leadership renewal and bringing new voices into the fold.
“I am not sure how far retaining essentially the same CEC line-up will necessarily bring about the ‘fresher’ perspectives that have been talked about,” he said.
Mr Singh noted that the 4G team, while at the helm of the current government, does have younger members who can bring in new perspectives.
In fact, Cabinet members such as Education Minister Desmond Lee and Mr Zaqy Mohamad are “not very far in age from the 5G”, he added. Mr Lee, for instance, is just two years older than Mr Siow, he said.
PACE OF RENEWAL
While he acknowledged that there is value in institutional continuity in a time of uncertainty, Dr Felix Tan said Sunday’s result also hints at the constraints that Mr Wong faces in renewing the party’s leadership team.
“After all, unless we are suggesting that this is not really a democratic decision and that the outcome ultimately rests with the prime minister, there must be limits to how much influence he can exercise over the process,” he said.
Dr Mustafa said the line-up aimed at maintaining operational consistency within the party ranks to “ensure that the PAP remains the dominant party of choice among the Singaporean electorate to govern the country under the leadership of Lawrence Wong”.
It could also be attributed to favouring a “strong internal core” of leaders to tackle acute global challenges, he added.
Observers said uncertainties and challenges include the current energy crisis with Indonesia, the upcoming US mid-term elections, which could further complicate the regional and global landscape, and the ongoing war in the Middle East, which shows little sign of abating.
As such, it comes as no surprise that the PAP would choose continuity and err on the side of caution, said Dr Felix Tan.
“The more important question is whether this continuity is simply a holding position before further renewal takes place, or whether it signals a more cautious pace of change than initially expected,” he said.
Observers noted that the CEC line-up is still not finalised, as there can still be four more members co-opted.
Other co-opted members, as well as specific appointments within the committee – such as chairman, secretary-general, treasurer and organising secretaries – will be announced in the weeks ahead.
The timing for this has varied in the past. It took 10 days in 2024, 20 days in 2022, and 11 days in 2020.
The co-opted members need not be from the 19 names shortlisted on Sunday.
“The newer members could be younger ministers like Jasmin and Jeffrey. I expect them to be co-opted,” said Mr Singh, adding that there could also be a renewal in the key appointments within the CEC.
Assoc Prof Tan said that one or more of the 5G leaders could be co-opted and appointed as organising secretaries.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Ng Chee Meng is also expected to be co-opted by virtue of his being the labour chief and of the symbiotic relationship between the PAP and the National Trades Union Congress, he added.