Pritam Singh elected secretary general, takes charge of Workers’ Party

Pritam Singh won unopposed today the second most important position in Workers’ Party, Singapore’s largest opposition political party.

The 42-year old second-term parliamentarian went into the WP’s biennial central executive council (CEC) elections as the party’s assistant secretary-general. Party chairman Sylvia Lim was also re-elected unopposed.

Pritam succeeds Low Thia Khiang, who had successfully defended the position in 2016 when challenged by MP for Aljunied GRC Chen Show Mao.

SEE ALSO: Pritam named Aljunied-Hougang Town Council chairman

SEE ALSO: These Sikhs may get a ticket in next Malaysian general elections

Pritam first entered parliament after a spectacular victory in the 2011 general elections. He was part of a five-person WP’s team that took on People’s Action Party (PAP) team led by Foreign Minister George Yeo for the Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC). WP’s victory in that contest marked the first occasion in Singapore’s history when an opposition party had won an election in a GRC.

GRC is unique to the Singapore political landscape. Political parties are required to field a team of between three to six candidates, with at least one of them coming from a minority race.

WP repeated the same success in Aljunied in 2015, with Pritam again being part of the team.

Pritam was then appointed as the chairman of the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council, the only town council cornered by an opposition party after the 2015 polls.

Pritam is a locum solicitor at Donaldson & Burkinshaw LLP, according to a profile at the WP website. A locum solicitor is one who is engaged on a freelance or temporary basis.

He graduated from the National University of Singapore (NUS) with a Bachelor of Arts degree and later read a Master of Arts degree from King’s College in London, which he attended as a Chevening scholar. He also has a Diploma in Islamic Studies (by correspondence) from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).

He also holds a Juris Doctor (cum laude) degree from the Singapore Management University.

[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com] 18635

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