By Alicia Wong | SingaporeScene
While he will remain as a congress member in the NSP, he has also relinquished his position as a member of the Central Executive Committee (CEC), the 41-year-old said in a blog post.
He will be on a sabbatical for at least two years, he said, noting it is "timely to take stock of my future directions".
Goh, who led the NSP for 16 months, told Yahoo! Singapore he's "very happy" with his decision as "there are capable people to move the party".
The party voted on its new CEC members and secretary general on Sunday morning. While Goh declined to name his successor, he said the new chief is a female, who joined the party recently.
Several prominent female additions to the NSP in the recent General Election are lawyer Jeanette Chong-Aruldoss, 47; former government scholar Hazel Poa, 41; and advertising executive Nicole Seah, 24.
"I have mixed feelings about the GE results NSP achieved during my tenure as secretary general," said Goh in his blog post. In a press conference after the results were announced in May, Goh said he let down the party and its supporters.
While the NSP achieved its best electoral results since inception, it did not mange to snag any seats in Parliament.
During his sabbatical, Goh will be helping former NTUC Income chief executive Tan Kin Lian in the latter's presidential campaign, and will explore working with international non-governmental organisations.
Goh also flagged the possibility of looking for more business opportunities so he can provide enough financial support for his late brother's family. His eldest brother, David Goh, died of a heart attack in the early days of his campaign this year.
The death of his brother who helped him out during the election is his "biggest regret" in his tenure, Goh wrote.
"His death has provided much grief as well as inspiration for me during this period," he said.
Goh also said he may also look into setting up a think tank for people interested in providing non-partisan policy views.
He has not decided if he will stand in the next GE, but he added, "If I have to quit politics altogether now, I will gladly do so proudly."
"Ten years in politics is a very tiring process. There is one saying, 1 year in politics is just like 10 years in life. It is very true indeed," said Goh, who feels two key missions have been achieved by the opposition in Singapore during the recent General Election.
First, a GRC has been won for the first time by an opposition group -- the Workers' Party.
Second, Goh felt he managed to raise awareness about the ills of the Asset Enhancement Scheme for HDB flats.
Goh also thanked his supporters and colleagues in NSP for their support over the past year.
