Prof Paul Tambyah elected SDP Chairman at party conference

Prof Paul Tambyah was elected party Chairman at the Singapore Democratic Party’s 18^th Ordinary Party Conference held over the weekend with strong support of party cadres.

Outgoing Chairperson Wong Souk Yee completed her term as Chairman and supported Prof Tambyah’s taking up the position. “I’m proud to support Paul’s chairmanship and I’m sure the rest of my colleagues look forward to his leadership in the party,” Dr Wong said.

Though Prof Tambyah holds a high position job at the Department of Medicine at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and is a senior consultant at the Division of Infectious Diseases at the National University Hospital (NUH), but he is rarely deterred from attending social-political events and expressing his support for causes which is aligned with his values.

On assuming the post, Prof Tambyah urged Singaporeans to be more active on political matters: “I hope that more academics, professionals, and young people in particular will step up to be involved in civil society and politics in Singapore. This is a particularly important time for our country when there are uncertainties about the economy and also serious questions about governance issues including the elected presidency.”

He added that, “The SDP has never shied away from holding the government accountable to the people and I am happy to be a part of the SDP’s efforts for the good of Singaporeans.”

Dr Chee Soon Juan remained as Secretary-General. He told members at the conference to keep their eyes on the build-up to the next general elections.

“Even though the elections are still a couple of years away, we must continue our work to raise important issues and get the party ready for the next contest,” he told conference delegates.

“Singapore is at a cross-roads,” he said, “and with the PAP losing its way, it is crucial that the SDP works hard to get into Parliament and give Singaporeans hope in our future.”

Prof Paul had previously contested as a candidate at the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC with Dr Chee in the General Election 2015.

A new addition to the CEC is Mr Damanhuri Abas who was a candidate at the Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC in the GE2015.

The following is the new CEC line-up:

• Paul Tambyah, Chairman
• John Tan, Vice-Chairman
• Chee Soon Juan, Secretary-General
• Christopher Ang, Assistant Secretary-General
• Bryan Lim, Treasurer
• Wong Souk Yee, Assistant Treasurer
• Damanhuri Abas
• Jufri Salim
• Mansura Sajahan
• Gerald Sng
• Matthew Tan
• Francis Yong