SM Goh, flanked by (from left) Marine Parade GRC MPs Lim Biow Chuan, Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, and Fatimah Lateef at the Saucony 100 Plus Passion run organised by the Geylang Serai grassroots groups. There will be fewer six-member GRCs by the next election, said PM Lee. -- ST PHOTO: SHAHRIYA YAHAYA
IN A concession to often-made calls for smaller GRCs, the average size of these multiple-member constituencies will shrink to no more than five MPs.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told Parliament on Wednesday there should not be too many six-member GRCs, as this makes it harder for voters to identify with the whole slate of MPs.
Boundaries up to the committee
WHEN Mr Lee concluded his speech, Mr Low Thia Khiang (Hougang) promptly rose to ask the PM if he would ask the boundaries review committee to keep existing constituency boundaries as far as possible, and not gerrymander.
He also asked Mr Lee to consider appointing the committee earlier before an election so that the opposition will have more time to look at the changes.
PRIME MINISTER Lee, however, said single seats should also remain, so that small parties and independent candidates can still contest in general elections. He noted that there were both advantages and drawbacks to having bigger GRCs.
On the one hand, they allow stronger multiracial teams to be formed which include MPs with different backgrounds and skills 'to serve voters more comprehensively and effectively'. Resources can also be pooled to run town councils better.
Currently, the average number of MPs in a group representation constituency is 5.4, as there are five six-member GRCs and nine five-member GRCs.
There will therefore be fewer six-member GRCs by the next election, he promised. There will also be at least 12 single-member constituencies, or SMCs, up from the current nine.
Mr Lee said he would make these requirements part of the terms of reference for the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee, which determines the shape and size of electoral constituencies prior to every election. He hastened to add that he has not appointed the committee yet.
Former Non-Constituency MP Steve Chia of the National Solidarity Party told The Straits Times the move was 'a first step in the right direction'.
'From 1988 till now, it's been bad news for the opposition, but finally there's some loosening up,' he said, referring to how GRCs had expanded in size since they first came about 20 years ago.
'We hope the GRCs will be much smaller, and there will be more SMCs.'
In his speech, PM Lee defended the present system of having most MPs elected in GRCs. This was a sound system that ensured multiracial representation, the reason GRCs were first formed in 1988, he said.
'They encourage political parties to appeal to all races with moderate policies and not to one race or another with chauvinist or extremist policies,' said Mr Lee. 'They also put a premium on parties which can field credible teams and therefore demonstrate that they are fit not just to become MPs but also to form the government,' he added.
