One, they must be fair to all political parties; two, they should result in a strong, effective Government after an election; and three, they must ensure diverse views are represented in Parliament.

He made these remarks to reporters at a community event when he was asked to comment on the subject, which President S R Nathan had touched on in his opening Address to Parliament last Monday.

President Nathan had said: 'Our political system is not set in stone. Singapore politics must evolve over time, as the world and our society change.'

The President's Address, including the plans and policies of individual ministries, will be debated by Parliament from Monday.

Mr Goh, in setting out the three objectives, said: 'Whatever changes which shall be made must be based on certain principles.

'First, they must be fair to all contesting political parties. That means changes must not be biased in favour of one party or the other.

'Second, they must end up, after the election, with a strong, effective Government. That means you do not want to have a system, which ends up with a weak, hung Parliament, and then you have a coalition Government. That is politically unstable for Singapore.

'And third, they must facilitate representation of diverse views in Parliament, including views of opposition parties.'

Read the full story in Monday's edition of The Straits Times.