SINGAPORE — Parliament on Wednesday (July 5) voted against a motion tabled by the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) to abolish the Group Representation Constituency (GRC) system, with many Members of Parliament — including Nominated MPs and those from the Workers’ Party — saying the system shou
Parliament on Wednesday voted against a motion tabled by the Progress Singapore Party to abolish the Group Representation Constituency system, with many Members of Parliament — including Nominated MPs and those from the Workers’ Party — saying the system should stay as there is still a risk of racially charged politics.
MP Murali Pillai was one of those who rose to speak in a debate that lasted almost four hours. He recounted his personal experience as a candidate in his Single Member Constituency in 2016 and 2020. “It would be difficult for any person to exploit matters along racial lines during elections when the political parties in the contest fielded minority candidates in their respective teams,” he added.In tabling the motion, PSP’s non-constituency MP Hazel Poa said that the GRC system has generated several “sub-optimal” outcomes.
Ms Poa proposed a variation of the current Non-Constituency MP scheme, where in the event of an under-representation of minorities in parliament, the best-performing losers who are minority candidates can be appointed NCMPs. While then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong had attributed the change to the set-up of community development councils which needed economies of scale and a critical mass of residents, Mr Leong said “many Singaporeans, including myself, have never been convinced by this reasoning”.
The GRC system “ought to be regarded as one of the most undesirable electoral rules in the world”, he added.Mr Chan, in his speech, rebutted the two alternatives put forth by Ms Poa. Such a scheme could also risk resulting in a predominantly Chinese party in power, with minority NCMPs in opposition. Parliament would then be divided along racial lines — a scenario the minister described as “most dangerous” for Singapore.
Likewise, the PSP may have also benefited from the star power of Dr Tan Cheng Bock when it contested in West Coast GRC in the 2020 General Election, he added. For garnering the highest vote among all the losing opposition teams in that election, the party was offered two NCMP seats. “Are Singaporeans racist? No. Even if there are a few bad hats, they do not represent us as a people. Are Singaporeans beyond race? I think we have gotten nearer today than yesterday, and I'm confident that we will be even nearer tomorrow.
However, a survey conducted by the IPS, which compared survey results from 2013 and 2018, showed that millennials were found to be more welcoming of racial diversity, Mr Singh pointed out. “Fundamentally, there are some systems out there that can accommodate, in my view, a racially balanced parliament,” Mr Singh added.Apart from racial issues, Mr Singh raised questions about gerrymandering — the manipulation of the boundaries of an electoral constituency in order to favour one party or class.
“But today, the vote on this motion hinges on this: To abolish the GRC; do we abolish it because we don’t agree with the philosophy, or do we abolish the GRC because we agree with the fundamentals but there are some things in the execution that you think we can evolve?” Mr Chan asked the House.“These are not new accusations that they exist, whether we have GRCs or no SMCs,” he said.
Mr Teo responded that the accusations of gerrymandering “happen in every country where the electoral boundaries are being drawn or redrawn”. Countering Mr Teo, Mr Singh said it would be helpful if the EBRC produced “a more detailed report when boundaries are redrawn”. Mr Chay also proposed reducing the land area covered by a GRC, which he argued could help to promote greater representation of minority groups and communities in parliament.
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