SINGAPORE — It has been a challenging period for the Workers’ Party (WP) as they had to cope with the resignations of two senior party leaders, Aljunied GRC member of parliament Leon Perera and youth wing president Nicole Seah, due to an extramarital affair. Their departure from the opposition party was announced by the Leader of Opposition, Pritam Singh, in a media conference held at their party headquarters last week.
While the recent episode might have slightly affected the morale of some members and volunteers of the party, Abdul Shariff Aboo Kassim reminds them that setbacks are a natural part of any political journey. He emphasises that only through perseverance, unity, and determination can the WP overcome these challenges and steadfastly continue working towards their goals.
“As sad as we are, we always remind ourselves that our volunteers, the present ones and the hundreds who came before us, are/were there not because of perks, prospects or personalities but because of a cause we strongly believe in – contributing to a better Singapore,” shared Shariff on his Facebook page.
Shariff was part of WP’s team that contested East Coast GRC alongside Seah, Kenneth Foo, Dylan Ng, and Terence Tan in the 2020 Singapore General Election. They garnered 46.61% against the People’s Action Party side led by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, whose team consisted of Maliki Osman, Tan Kiat How, Jessica Tan, and Cheryl Chan.
Shariff added that while there may be differing opinions on whether the opposition can have a role in contributing to a better Singapore, his party is committed to ensuring that the people will continue to have a choice in the democratic process.
“For this, we are prepared to suffer setback after setback. We shall press on. Our work at East Coast shall continue. We look forward to meeting residents of East Coast soon!” expressed Shariff.
If Shariff were to continue his groundwork and engage with the residents on East Coast, he would need additional assistance from his former candidates from the 2020 elections. Based on social media observations, it appears that, aside from Shariff, Foo is the only other active ex-candidate still involved after the previous elections.
Foo last posted about the party’s ‘Project Grow Outreach’ earlier this month. This initiative takes place every month, benefiting lower-income residents and providing an opportunity for WP’s volunteers to learn and understand the challenges underprivileged communities face.
Ng’s last social media post was on Jul 15, 2020. It was a repost of Tan’s Facebook post, displaying the outcome of the overseas vote count for the East Coast GRC. WP received 147 votes compared to PAP’s 135. As for Tan, he last updated his Facebook page last February, sharing WP’s media release on the Committee of Privileges report, which referred party leader Singh and MP Faisal Manap to the Public Prosecutor for possible criminal charges.