Former Workers' Party chief Low Thia Khiang says he's not contesting in next GE

SINGAPORE - Former Workers' Party (WP) chief Low Thia Khiang has confirmed that he will not be participating in the next general election.

In a video posted on the WP's Instagram account at about noon on Saturday (Dec 7), the 68-year-old was seen distributing the party's Hammer newsletter as part of outreach activities when he was approached by a resident who asked if he was "retired" or participating in the next election.

He said: "I'm already retired. I'm not participating in the election.

"We got a younger generation that can move the party forward. They can do much better than me," he added.

Low has been seen at various WP walkabouts, Hammer newsletter sales and on the party's social media in recent months, even after stepping away from electoral politics in 2020. This has prompted speculation in some quarters that the party elder could return as a candidate in the upcoming general election.

The Straits Times has contacted WP and Low for comment.

Singapore must hold its next general election by November 2025.

Low joined the WP in 1982 and was its assistant secretary-general when he won the single-member constituency of Hougang in the 1991 General Election.

He was elected to be Hougang's MP for three further terms in 1997, 2001 and 2006. He contested the 2001 and 2006 elections as the leader of the WP, having become its secretary-general in May 2001.

He left his seat in Hougang to contest Aljunied GRC as part of a team together with Pritam Singh, Sylvia Lim, Faisal Manap and Chen Show Mao at the 2011 General Election. The WP team won the contest, becoming the first opposition team to win in a GRC.

The party won the contest for Aljunied GRC again in the 2015 election, with Low being elected as an MP for the sixth consecutive term.

Low stepped down from his position as the WP's secretary-general in 2018 to pave the way for Singh to take over as the party's leader. He said he felt that he had achieved his goal of securing a GRC for the WP and renewing the leadership of the party.

In April 2020, he had a bad fall at his Upper Thomson home and was hospitalised for almost a month with a traumatic brain injury.

In June 2020, he announced he was stepping down as MP, and did not contest the GE that was held in July that year. However, he remains part of the WP's leadership and a member of its central executive committee.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.