THREE new faces will help lead the People's Action Party (PAP) as members of its highest decision-making body.
The move is part of the party's continual drive for self-renewal, committee members told The Straits Times yesterday.
The trio are Acting Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong, 49; Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development, Youth and Sports Teo Ser Luck, 40; and Deputy Speaker Indranee Rajah, 45.
They have been co-opted into the 18-member PAP central executive committee (CEC) for the next two years.
Stepping down from the CEC are Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and Law Ho Peng Kee, 54; Mayor Teo Ho Pin, 48; and veteran labour MP Halimah Yacob, 54.
The changes were announced by the PAP yesterday.
Its statement also said that Education Minister Ng Eng Hen, who was in the previous CEC, had been co-opted into the committee.
The quartet was picked by the 14-member committee at a meeting this week, said party sources.
They complete the new committee's line-up.
Last month, at the party's annual conference, its cadres cast secret ballots to elect 12 members to the CEC.
Two others were also co-opted then. They were Mrs Lim Hwee Hua and Mr Mah Bow Tan, who had votes that ranked them in the 13th and 14th spots.
Of the latest move to introduce new blood into the CEC, Mr Gan said: 'This is in line with the party's approach to renew itself in the CEC, and to bring in fresh insights and inputs.'
He will be taking over from Associate Professor Ho the position of second organising secretary in the headquarters executive committee, which helps to execute the CEC's policies.
Said Prof Ho, who had occupied the position for eight years since 2000: 'It is right, and I am happy to make way for a younger person.'
In fact, getting youthful voices heard in the party's apex body is a goal Mr Teo Ser Luck has set himself.
'I'd like to see greater emphasis on accommodating more views of the younger members, and to make them feel they have a greater sense of ownership,' said Mr Teo, who is also chairman of the Young PAP (YP).
This is on top of ensuring that the YP's 'forefront' work on new media is aligned to that of the CEC, he added.
Ms Rajah, meanwhile, wants to help tackle a key challenge facing the party: 'how to communicate with young Singaporeans who have grown up in a safe and prosperous environment.'
She said: 'We will be facing more sophisticated problems, and we want people to understand that the PAP genuinely cares about Singapore and the driving motivation behind its policies, which sometimes gets lost amid the policy announcements.'
In its statement, the party also named the CEC's office-bearers, with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong continuing at the helm as party secretary-general and Mr Lim Boon Heng, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, as party chairman.
As for the HQ executive committee, younger members have taken over some positions.
Senior Minister of State for National Development and Education Grace Fu is in charge of publicity and publication, while Senior Minister of State for Education and Information, Communications and the Arts Lui Tuck Yew will oversee new media and Minister of State for Trade and Industry Lee Yi Shyan will look after external relations.
At the same time, the number of party activists in this committee is raised from three to seven, to increase representation from the ground.
