This coming April marks the mid-point of the current electoral cycle.

And the People's Action Party (PAP) is preparing for the next general election (GE) slated to be in 2016 or earlier by sending potential candidates to the party's network of branches to be appointed as branch secretaries.

Branch secretaries appointment

Branch secretaries are posts that are typically held by older PAP members with more than a few decades of experience.

But in recent months, at least five members of the party in their relatively youthful 30s and 40s have been appointed branch secretaries.

The role is a demanding one as branch secretaries spend up to three week nights a week, sometimes on weekends in the constituency.

And this group of potential candidates is expected to get larger after Parliament takes a mid-term break in April.

The five branch secretaries who have recently been appointed include:

1. Henry Kwek, 37, executive director of food supply company Foodtraco Supplies (left, in top photo)

Where: Chong Pang, serving Foreign Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam

2. Jerry Koh, 47, property lawyer (right, in top photo)

Where: Workers' Party-held Aljunied GRC

Serving as branch secretary for Serangoon.

3. Joshua Yak, 34, manages a family business in interior furnishings

Where: Boon Lay

Serving: Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong

4. Chew Wei-qiang, 30

Where: Potong Pasir

Serving: Potong Pasir MP Sitoh Yih Pin

5. Wong Hao, 36, manager in semi-conductor firm

Where: Kaki Bukit

Serving: Aljunied GRC candidate Ong Ye Kung

Branch secretaries are go-to guys that help the MPs call the shots in each of the PAP's 87 branches. They are usually seen as potential politician material as the position is high-profile and a good training ground.

They meet every two months at the PAP's headquarters.

Current MPs who are former branch secretaries include:

Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC MP Gan Thiam Poh

Nee Soon GRC MP Patrick Tay

Choa Chu Kang GRC MP Alex Yam

Potong Pasir MP Sitoh Yih Pin

Sitoh has the distinction of being one of the youngest appointed to the branch secretary role in the early 1990s at the age of 27.

Aljunied GRC Team

The Aljunied GRC team is also getting prepared for the next GE, updating its Aljunied election website page with three new profiles.

They are the new PAP Branch Chairmen of Aljunied GRC: Financial services consultant Victor Lye, 51; airline industry executive Poon Mun Wai, 59; and lawyer Muralidharan Pillai, 44.

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