Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday during the debate on the President's address, he said while there are advantages to having bigger rather than smaller GRCs, there are also some downsides to bigger GRCs.

There are currently nine GRCs with five members, and five six-member GRCs, and nine single-member constituencies (SMCs).

'In the light of our experience, we concluded that on balance smaller - less than six-member GRCs - have the edge over large (six-member) GRCs,' said Mr Lee. 'Hence, we should have more smaller GRCs, and fewer six-member ones.'

But he added that the six-member GRCs should not be ruled out entirely, as 'sometimes the configuration of constituencies makes this the most practical option.'

The PM said the fine-tuning can be done without having to amend the Constitution or the Parliamentary Elections Act.

The Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) has the flexibility to work out specific sizes and configurations of constituencies to match the population distribution. The refinements can be made explicit in the terms of reference when he appoints the committee.

He said when the EBRC is next appointed, it should create fewer 6-member GRCs, and smaller GRCs with not more than the new average of 5 members. The present average is 5.4.

'This guidance will achieve our objective of having smaller GRCs, while giving the Committee the flexibility to do its work properly,' said Mr Lee.

Listing the advantages of GRCs, Mr Lee said they ensure multi-racial representation in Parliament and encourage political parties to appeal to all races with moderate policies, and not to one race or other with chauvinist, extremist policies.

This system also puts a premium on parties which can field credible teams, and so demonstrate that they are fit not just to become MPs but to form the government.

GRCs also enable stronger, multi-racial teams, including MPs with different backgrounds and skills, to serve voters more comprehensively, for example, pooling resources to provide economies of scale to run Town Councils more efficiently.

They require any challenger also to field a strong team and offer a serious alternative. As such, they encourage responsible and credible political parties to emerge. But the PM acknowledged that there are also some downsides to bigger GRCs.

It makes it harder for voters to identify with whole GRC or whole team of MPs. Each MP has to look after his own ward, hence not easy for him or her to get to know voters in all the other wards.

Mr Lee added that there will continue to be a limited number of Single-member constituencies (SMCs), which stand at nine now. These will be increased to 12.

The changes to smaller GRCs and more SMCs may or may not result in more seats being contested or more opposition MPs elected, he said.

'That is not their purpose. Ultimately, it is up to opposition parties to field candidates to contest elections, and up to voters to decide who they want to represent them in Parliament. The purpose of changes is to make the GRC scheme work better, to strengthen the link between voters and their MPs.

'Voters have a strong incentive to vote for candidates who will do the best job of looking after their estates, representing them in Parliament, and forming a government to run the country. MPs have a strong incentive to do their best in these three responsibilities, and will work hard to serve their voters well, individually and as GRC teams, and so win their support.'

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