WP to hold special cadres conference on Pritam Singh's future, faces secret vote if he refuses to step down: CNA

The Workers' Party (WP) will hold a special cadres conference on Jun. 28, with its secretary-general Pritam Singh's continued role at the top of the party on the agenda.

According to CNA, Singh will face a secret ballot on his position should he decline to step down voluntarily.

Three-part agenda

A notice sent to cadres stated that the conference was called "arising from a requisition from 25 cadre members", CNA reported.

Cadres are party members with voting rights to directly elect the Central Executive Committee (CEC) and determine party leadership.

The notice laid out a three-part agenda for the meeting.

First, Singh is to account to cadres for his conviction on charges of lying to Parliament's Committee of Privileges, following the Singapore High Court's judgment upholding that conviction.

Second, cadres are calling on Singh to step down immediately as secretary-general, citing a breach of Article 30 of the party's constitution, which requires members to be "honest and frank in all his dealings with the party and the people of Singapore".

Should Singh decline, the third item on the agenda provides for "a secret vote by cadres to decide if the secretary-general is to remain or step down".

WP's policy research head Gerald Giam will chair the special conference, which is scheduled for 12pm that day.

The party's biennial ordinary cadres conference will follow at 3pm, during which cadres will elect the secretary-general, chairperson and 12 CEC members.

The previous three CEC elections were held in December 2020, November 2022 and June 2024.

What led up to this

In February 2025, Singh was found guilty on two charges of lying to the Committee of Privileges, which was a committee convened to investigate then-WP MP Raeesah Khan over falsehoods she had made in Parliament.

He was fined the maximum of S$7,000 on each charge under the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act.

He subsequently appealed his conviction, but it was dismissed in December 2025.

Following this, more than 20 WP cadres submitted a request for a special conference to be convened with his case as a subject of discussion.

The CEC met on Jan. 2 and agreed to establish a Disciplinary Panel to determine whether Singh had breached the party's constitution.

At a subsequent meeting on Apr. 28 and 29, the CEC considered the panel's report, which found contraventions of Articles 20(1) and 30 of the WP Constitution based on the court's findings.

WP Chair Sylvia Lim, Vice-Chair Faisal Manap and Singh himself had recused themselves from that meeting.

While the CEC accepted the panel's findings, it also noted that Singh "did not have any intention to act in a manner contrary to the principles, aims, or objects of the Party, or prejudicial to the welfare of the Party", and that his actions were ultimately "judgement calls that he had to make".

It ultimately issued a formal letter of reprimand to Singh.