Business-as-usual despite NSP sec-gen Hazel Poa stepping down: Nicole Seah

It's business-as-usual at the National Solidarity Party (NSP) although Hazel Poa stepped down on Thursday, said second assistant secretary-general Nicole Seah.

Poa, 43, who has been suffering from a chronic illness, told the party's central executive council (CEC) on Thursday of her decision to leave her post after taking an approximately-two-month leave of absence.
 
In an interview with Yahoo Singapore on Friday afternoon, Seah noted that the CEC had already been sharing the load of Poa’s duties.

A special party congress will be called in about a month's time so the party could elect a new leader, she said.

"There has been no disruption to our activities,” Seah said, speaking from overseas on a personal trip. “It's business as usual, (and) this will be the case until the special congress.”
 
Seah denied there was any other reason apart from Poa's health that led to the latter’s departure from her post.
 
"She's had to take a backseat on a lot of physical activities," she said. "(Poa) has always been a very strong person mentally, and she's been very brilliant so I don't think (stepping down) was an easy decision for her to make."
 
Seah believes it was the stress of her tuition centre business, which she runs with her husband Tony Tan, also an NSP CEC member, as well as that of family and juggling politics that took its toll on Poa.
 
"She definitely has to manage her energy, and in the meantime, it's really about focusing on her family," she added.
 
That begs the question — who will take over? Seah acknowledges it would be key on the minds of the public, adding that the leadership themselves "haven't really thought about this".
 
"We definitely have to look to electing a new leader but with regard to who it is, I think it's as good as anyone's guess at this point," she said. "We really have no clear person in the waiting right now… this came as relatively sudden news to us as well."
 
Poa's departure from her post certainly leaves a hole in the party's policymaking process, though, with Seah speaking strongly of her contribution in that area.
 
"It's no secret that (Poa) and (Tan, her husband) are really the star policymakers in the party," she said. "With them being absent to settle (Poa's) health, it came to a point where we had to lead a lot of these discussions, and I think it's been quite a challenge."
 
Despite this, Seah's concern is more in terms of her health than for what will follow her stepping down, having known her when they were both in the Reform Party (RP) in 2009.
 
"I've always seen (Poa) as a friend, so I know… it must have been very difficult for her; her health must have really taken a toll," she said. "I'm just hoping she gets out of it quickly."
 
"I hope that she will in due course recover so she can continue to contribute as a council member," added party vice-president Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss, who also moved over to the NSP with them from RP in 2011. "I hope it's just a short-term thing, and that she will soon enough get back on track."
 
Meanwhile, council member Praveen Velu, who also led their media and communications efforts, left the party in August, citing work commitments.