SINGAPORE: Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong was on Saturday (Nov 26) elected deputy secretary-general of the People’s Action Party (PAP), following a meeting of the party’s top decision-making body.
In a news release, the party said: “The CEC (Central Executive Committee) has made a new deputy secretary-general appointment, in addition to two assistant secretary-general appointments, in line with plans for the party leadership transition.”
The two assistant secretary-generals are Education Minister Chan Chun Sing and Minister for National Development Desmond Lee.
In the previous CEC lineup, Mr Chan was second assistant secretary-general with Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat first assistant secretary-general.
When Mr Heng first assumed the role in 2018, it was seen as an indication that he was the frontrunner to be Singapore’s next prime minister.
After he took himself out of the running last year, Mr Wong was named in April as leader of the PAP’s fourth-generation or 4G team, paving the way for him to succeed Mr Lee Hsien Loong instead.
“The deputy secretary-general will exercise the roles and responsibilities of PAP secretary-general Lee Hsien Loong in his absence,” said the party in its release on Saturday.
Its 37th CEC named Mr Heng as chairman, replacing Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong who announced at the party’s conference earlier this month that he was stepping down.
Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli has been re-elected as vice-chairman.
Four more members have also been co-opted into the PAP’s CEC.
They are Manpower Minister Tan See Leng, National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) secretary-general Ng Chee Meng, Member of Parliament for East Coast Cheryl Chan and Alex Yeo, who is a non-elected PAP representative in Aljunied GRC.
The full list of CEC members and their designations is as follows:
