SINGAPORE, Nov 6 — Several prominent fourth-generation (4G) leaders were on Sunday (Nov 6) voted into the highest decision-making body of the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), as chairman Gan Kim Yong steps down.

The party unveiled its 37th central executive committee, which was elected by around 3,000 party members through a secret ballot, at its biennial CEC election at Resorts World Sentosa Convention Centre.

In no particular order, the members who got the highest votes were:

• Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
• Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong
• Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat
• Education Minister Chan Chun Sing
• Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli
• Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam
• Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu
• Minister for National Development Desmond Lee
• Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah
• Health Minister Ong Ye Kung
• Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin
• Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan

Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong and Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo garnered the 13th and 14th highest votes and were co-opted into the CEC.

The party posts will be announced after the committee meets which, based on previous years, would be around two weeks later, a PAP spokesperson told TODAY.

Notably, party chairman Gan Kim Yong, who held the post since 2018 after then-Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan stepped down, did not stand for re-election to the CEC.

All eyes were also on Wong this time round, given that he has been picked as leader of the party’s 4G team, paving the way for him to become Singapore’s next Prime Minister. He did not hold a prominent position in the previous CEC.

Historically, prime ministers-in-waiting which include Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong were elected into top roles in the CEC before they took up the top job.

Speaking to reporters after the results were announced, Louis Ng of Nee Soon Group Representation Constituency (GRC) said that the current nominees make a "good line-up”.

"It’s a good line-up of diverse ministers with different experiences... And I think that’s important in that they all have different experiences, very different standpoints on perhaps different issues as well that will help chart the way forward,” he said.

Jessica Tan of East Coast GRC and Edward Chia of Holland-Bukit Timah GRC agreed that the team is a strong one.

Chia added: "We have every confidence that this is a team that will take the party forward.”

MacPherson Member of Parliament Tin Pei Ling said this new line-up represents the mandates that the party cadre members have given to them.

"And it is a show of confidence in them leading the party forward to take Singapore in the next step to face whatever challenges that may come our way,” she said. — TODAY