Central Executive Committee (PAP)
Encyclopedia
The Central Executive Committee (CEC) is the highest ruling committee within Singapore
's People's Action Party
(PAP) and its "inner circle".
The cadre system of the PAP was started in 1957 by Toh Chin Chye
, in an effort to prevent the popular leftist wing of the PAP (which dominated the Party at the grassroots level and many of its committees, and composed much of its membership) from ever taking control of the CEC again.
Before 1957, every party member could vote in CEC elections. However in 1957, the leftists took control of the CEC, and the original founders (the "Peranakan Circle") lost control. After Lim Yew Hock
, widely accused of violating human rights, cracked down on many of the leftist leaders in the CEC in 1957 (as well as many non-PAP leftist leaders in general), the Peranakan Circle regained control of the CEC.
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
's People's Action Party
People's Action Party
The People's Action Party is the leading political party in Singapore. It has been the city-state's ruling political party since 1959....
(PAP) and its "inner circle".
History
The PAP's organisational structure has Leninist roots whereby a group of elite PAP members known as cadres elect 18 CEC members from a list of candidates. Originally when this structure was organised in 1957, the outgoing committee recommended a list of candidates for the next CEC. This has been changed recently so that the CEC nominates eight members and the party caucus selects the remaining ten.The cadre system of the PAP was started in 1957 by Toh Chin Chye
Toh Chin Chye
Toh Chin Chye is a prominent first generation political leader in Singapore. He completed his Secondary education in St. George's Institution and continued his studies at Raffles College and the University of London. Subsequently, Toh received his PhD at the National Institute for Medical...
, in an effort to prevent the popular leftist wing of the PAP (which dominated the Party at the grassroots level and many of its committees, and composed much of its membership) from ever taking control of the CEC again.
Before 1957, every party member could vote in CEC elections. However in 1957, the leftists took control of the CEC, and the original founders (the "Peranakan Circle") lost control. After Lim Yew Hock
Lim Yew Hock
Lim Yew Hock , later renamed Haji Omar Lim Yew Hock, was Singapore’s second Chief Minister from 1956 to 1959. He is known for suppressing the communist movements and leading the all-party delegation that won internal self-government for Singapore....
, widely accused of violating human rights, cracked down on many of the leftist leaders in the CEC in 1957 (as well as many non-PAP leftist leaders in general), the Peranakan Circle regained control of the CEC.