THE National Solidarity Party (NSP) has elected a new slate of leaders which is expected to take the party forward to the next general election.
While its top leaders remain unchanged, there has been a slight refreshing of ranks among the 13 council members of the central executive committee (CEC) - the party's decision-making body.
Business consultant Sebastian Teo, 65, was on Sunday elected NSP president for a fifth consecutive term. Education entrepreneur Hazel Poa, 43, was elected secretary-general for a second term.
However, NSP founding member Tan Chee Kien and opposition veteran Kwan Yue Keng, who sat on the last CEC, are not on the new list of council members.
Mr Tan was NSP president from 1992 to 2001 and the party's campaign manager. Mr Kwan, a former Singapore Democratic Party member, was a popular emcee at rallies.
Two new faces on the last CEC, dentist Gan Theng Wei and telemarketeer Noraini Yunus are also not on the new slate.
Taking their places are three newcomers - Internet businessman Hon Ting Hua, 43, assistant accountant Nazryn Azhar Samat, 31, and project director Spencer Ng, 33 - and one veteran, former Nee Soon Central MP Cheo Chai Chen, 62.
Mr Hon and Mr Nazryn have not contested previously, while Mr Ng and Mr Cheo were part of the NSP team that contested Marine Parade GRC in the last general election.
Besides the four changes, the other nine council members remain the same. Among them are lawyer Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss, advertising executive Nicole Seah and Ms Poa's husband and fellow former government scholar Tony Tan.
The new CEC was elected after party members met for over two hours yesterday in a closed-door session at the party's headquarters in Jalan Besar. It will meet over the next two weeks to decide on the heads of its sub-committees and set the agenda for its two-year term.
In a statement yesterday, Ms Poa said the new CEC is a "good blend of experience and youth".
She noted that the NSP has been a "big part of the national policy conversation" since the 2011 general election, where it fielded the largest slate of candidates among the opposition parties. Since then, the party has issued policy papers on population and manpower, and held discussions on housing and changes to the mandatory death penalty, among other things.
Ms Poa said the party will continue to remain part of the policy conversation while preparing for the next general election. "We remain committed to working with the Government and other political parties for the betterment of our society."
