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 will 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 was started in 1957 by Toh Chin Chye, in an effort to prevent the popular leftist faction of the PAP, which dominated the party during its infant years, at the grassroots level and many of its committees and composed much of its early membership, from ever taking control of the CEC again.^[6]

Prior to 1957, every party member could vote in the CEC elections. This had resulted in the leftists taking control of the CEC on 9 August 1957, with the original founders (the "Peranakan Circle") losing control. After Chief Minister Lim Yew Hock's crackdown on many of the leftist leaders in the CEC in 1957, as well as many non-PAP leftist leaders, the "Peranakan Circle" regained control of the CEC.^[1][6]

The core of the PAP, the members of the first generation CEC began much of their chemistry as a basement group in Lee Kuan Yew's house. S. Rajaratnam described the CEC's tight-knit dynamics as a small jazz band, where "each musician plays the same melody, but is with considerable latitude in the precise manner in which he backs up the others".^[3] Although party elections caused various members to enter and leave—overlooking the brief 1957 loss of power to the leftists—the core of the first generation of the CEC remained roughly the same for several election cycles up until 1984.

Lee Kuan Yew was the core and firm centre of the CEC, providing "forceful leadership", in the words of political scientist Tilman. However, Tilman argues that he was not the strongman of the political system as is wont to be found in many developing nations, as Lee could be opposed "cautiously" by other CEC members if dissent or resistance to Lee's policies became necessary.^[3]

Most internal disputes within the CEC were confined to the CEC. Generally, the team would work out a consensus in the Prime Minister's Office; contentious issues were often resolved by Lee's one-on-one discussions with individual CEC members. Having been previously resolved informally, the debates that the CEC would carry out before any of the "institutional policy-making forums" (e.g. Parliament) were thus mostly ceremonial. At these forums, the CEC would exhibit total unity. Differences in the CEC rarely emerged as part of a larger group; dissenting CEC members would voice their dissent in private to Lee Kuan Yew.^[3]

The following are members of the first-generation (1G) team, most commonly known as the "Old Guard":

• Lee Kuan Yew (1923–2015)
• S. Rajaratnam (1915–2006)
• Toh Chin Chye (1921–2012)
• Goh Keng Swee (1918–2010)
• Devan Nair (1923–2005)
• Othman Wok (1924–2017)
• Ahmad Ibrahim (1927–1962)
• Jek Yeun Thong (1930–2018)
• Chor Yeok Eng (1930–2016)
• Ong Pang Boon (1929–)
• Yong Nyuk Lin (1918–2012)

As of 17 July 2023, the Central Executive Committee comprises the following members:

• Cabinet of Singapore