On July 5, 2025, the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) announced a significant leadership reshuffle following its underwhelming performance in the May 3 general election. The changes include the resignation of three key figures from its Central Executive Committee (CEC) party founder and chairman Dr Tan Cheng Bock, former vice-chair and Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) Hazel Poa, and party treasurer S. Nallakaruppan.
The party’s press release confirmed that all three will remain members of the PSP but have relinquished their leadership roles. Dr Tan, who had earlier declared his retirement from electoral politics after the general election, has been replaced as chairman by A’bas Kasmani, previously the second vice-chair. Replacing Mr Nallakaruppan as party treasurer is Anthony Neo.
Dr Tan Cheng Bock, aged 84, is a former People’s Action Party (PAP) Member of Parliament for Ayer Rajah Single Member Constituency from 1980 to 2006. He left the PAP and later ran for President in 2011, narrowly losing. In 2019, he founded the PSP, positioning it as a credible opposition force. Dr Tan contested the 2020 and 2025 general elections under the PSP banner but was unsuccessful in both.
In the May 3, 2025 election, he led PSP’s West Coast-Jurong West GRC team, which included Ms Poa, Mr Leong Mun Wai, Mr Sani Ismail, and Mr Sumarleki Amjah. Despite a strong challenge, they lost to the ruling party team led by Education Minister Desmond Lee. The GRC includes Ayer Rajah, Dr Tan’s former ward, and had previously been one of the most hotly contested constituencies in 2020, where PSP nearly secured victory. That close result had allowed Ms Poa and Mr Leong to enter Parliament as NCMPs. However, the party's performance dipped significantly in GE2025, failing to gain any seats or NCMP positions.
The PSP’s new CEC also welcomed three co-opted members who contested in GE2025 but were defeated: lawyer Sani Ismail (West Coast-Jurong West GRC), former Singapore Manufacturing Federation secretary-general Lawrence Pek (Chua Chu Kang GRC), and homemaker and former lawyer Stephanie Tan (Pioneer SMC). These new members have not yet taken on specific portfolios in the CEC, the party’s highest decision-making authority.
This leadership transition marks the second such reshuffle in 2025. In March, a CEC election had positioned the current executive team in charge of the party's campaign for GE2025. At that time, Mr Leong Mun Wai was reinstated as secretary-general, a role he had stepped down from in February 2024 after being issued a correction direction under Singapore’s fake news law for a misleading social media post. Ms Poa had served as interim leader until Mr Leong returned.
Dr Tan's retirement and the resulting structural changes reflect the party's intention to reset its leadership core and bring in newer voices as it evaluates its future direction. The PSP, which made its political debut in GE2020, has struggled to maintain momentum despite early gains and public recognition associated with Dr Tan’s leadership.
As of July 5, 2025, the PSP is expected to realign its leadership and strategies under Mr Leong and Mr A’bas, focusing on rebuilding public trust and preparing for future electoral challenges. The party’s public communications indicate it remains committed to offering an alternative political voice in Singapore.
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