Nominating anyone other than the WP chief as Leader of the Opposition would be a mockery, says Yee Jenn Jong

SINGAPORE: Former Workers' Party (WP) Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Yee Jenn Jong has dismissed suggestions that the party should nominate another leader to become Leader of the Opposition (LO), arguing that doing so after Pritam Singh's removal from the position would undermine the party and make a mockery of the office.

In a Facebook post published on 29 June 2026, Yee said the role of LO remained important but insisted it should not be filled by someone other than the party's secretary-general simply because the position had been vacated.

"While the LO's position is useful, nominating another person other than the Secretary-General to be the official LO will be a mockery, and will do a big damage to the WP," Yee wrote.

He added that the party should accept the situation and continue focusing on its long-term development.

"The Prime Minister has taken it away, so be it. The WP moves on and will continue to build for the future. The party remained solidly behind Pritam with a 'better than supermajority'."

Response to Eugene Tan's commentary

Yee was responding to a commentary by Associate Professor Eugene Tan published by CNA after the WP re-elected Singh as secretary-general and Sylvia Lim as party chair during its Cadre Members' Conference on 28 June.

In the commentary, Tan argued that the Workers' Party would miss an opportunity if it did not raise the profile of another senior leader following Singh's removal as LO.

Tan wrote that Singh continued to enjoy an outsized presence within the party despite no longer holding the parliamentary appointment.

He also said leadership renewal and succession should become a key priority for the opposition party.

According to Tan, although there were no challengers to Singh's position at the special conference, the WP needed to identify who would eventually succeed him as secretary-general.

Tan noted that while Singh would only turn 50 this year, the absence of another politically experienced and charismatic leader could impede the party's future ambitions and growth.

Why the LO role remains vacant

The WP previously declined an invitation from PM Lawrence Wong to nominate another MP to become LO after Singh was removed from the position in January 2026.

As a result, the parliamentary office has remained vacant and is expected to remain so for the next two years.

The LO receives significant parliamentary responsibilities, including the right of first response during debates on proposed Bills, government policies and parliamentary motions.

The office also comes with parliamentary resources, including office facilities, staff support and an additional allowance to assist in carrying out official duties.

Despite these advantages, Yee argued that appointing another MP under the current circumstances would weaken rather than strengthen the party.

Succession should happen naturally

Yee also referred to his recently published book, StepUp: The Workers' Party of Singapore 2.0, co-authored with Loke Hoe Yeong.

He noted that the first five chapters examined different periods in the Workers' Party's history, covering the eras of David Marshall, J.B. Jeyaretnam, Low Thia Khiang before the Aljunied breakthrough, Low's leadership from 2011 to 2018 focusing on succession planning, and Pritam Singh's leadership from 2018 onwards.

"Pritam's chapter was the hardest to write, because events were so dynamic," Yee said.

He explained that the authors decided to proceed with publication in April 2026 even though the party's disciplinary panel had not yet completed its findings.

Yee added that he had already concluded while writing the book that Singh still had another decade to continue leading the party and further cement his political legacy.

He said political succession remained important but argued it should unfold according to the Workers' Party's own plans rather than being dictated by political opponents.

"I am sure renewal has already started and there are already many good people in the party, just a matter of time before the 5G will surface more prominently," he wrote.

How the special conference came about

The special Cadre Members' Conference held on 28 June was convened after party cadres submitted a requisition requesting a vote.

More than 20 cadres initially signed the letter before the final requisition was submitted with signatures from 25 members.

The Central Executive Committee had earlier said the meeting would only be called after the party's disciplinary panel completed its inquiry into Singh.

Following the committee's announcement of the disciplinary findings on 30 April 2026, notice for the special conference was issued within the timeframe previously indicated by the party.

Singh addresses leadership questions

Following the conference, Singh said the Workers' Party remained focused on issues affecting Singaporeans' daily lives despite the attention surrounding the internal vote.

"In a time of increasing global uncertainty, we remain more committed than ever to a vision of Singapore that is truly future-ready — a future that works for everybody," he said.

Speaking about the special conference, Singh said he preferred to view the process as a constitutional exercise initiated by party cadres.

"The cadres had called for the meeting in accordance with the party constitution. We respect that process," he said.

He described the meeting as less dramatic than media reports might suggest, saying that the petitioners' requests formed part of the conference agenda and that members simply voted after the chair agreed to their request.

Singh declined to disclose the exact vote count, saying only that former party chairman Giam Yean Song had described the outcome as a supermajority, meaning support exceeded two-thirds of votes cast.

Asked whether another Workers' Party MP should become Leader of the Opposition, Singh said the decision rested with the Prime Minister rather than the party.

He added that he believed the Prime Minister had already made his decision.

Background to Singh's removal

The developments stem from former WP MP Raeesah Khan's false statement in Parliament in August 2021 concerning an alleged sexual assault survivor.

Khan later admitted in November 2021 that the account was untrue after repeating the claim during a subsequent parliamentary sitting.

Parliament's Committee of Privileges later found that Singh had known about the false statement shortly after it was first made.

The committee concluded that Singh had advised Khan not to correct the record immediately and later misrepresented his actions during the Committee of Privileges proceedings.

Those findings resulted in criminal charges against Singh.

He was subsequently convicted in the District Court before the High Court upheld the conviction in December 2025, affirming the committee's principal findings.

Following the High Court judgment, the WP Central Executive Committee established a disciplinary panel in January 2026 comprising He Ting Ru, Associate Professor Jamus Lim and former Hougang MP Png Eng Huat.

The panel concluded that Singh had breached Articles 20(1) and 30 of the party constitution based on the court's findings.

The CEC accepted those findings but concluded that Singh had not intended to act against the party's interests or principles.

Instead, it characterised his actions as judgement calls made under difficult circumstances and issued a formal letter of reprimand, with the decision announced on 30 April 2026.

Singh, Sylvia Lim and Faisal Manap recused themselves from the meeting considering the disciplinary findings.

Separately, Parliament voted on 14 January to declare Singh unsuitable to continue as LO after Leader of the House Indranee Rajah moved a motion.

All 11 WP MPs present voted against the motion.

PM Wong formally removed Singh from the parliamentary appointment the following day.

Although Wong invited the WP to nominate another MP for the role, the party declined, maintaining that the office should derive from electoral outcomes rather than executive appointment. The LO position has remained vacant since.