Sylvia Lim, the chief of the Worker's Party, raises the standard complaint about the unfair bloating of GRCs from 4 to 6 wards.
That's not the point. No one in Singapore cares if the electoral system is unfair to opposition parties.
Instead, look at the Parliamentary Elections Act, which says a GRC is:
(i) a constituency where at least one of the candidates in every group shall be a person belonging to the Malay community; or
(ii) a constituency where at least one of the candidates in every group shall be a person belonging to the Indian or other minority communities.
In 1991, when the GRC system was implemented, all GRCs had 4 wards. By 1996, the Act was changed to allow the Whiteshirts to create 6-ward GRCs.
Look, the Prime Minister began life as a mathematician. He'll tell you that increasing the size of GRCs will dilute minority representation in Parliament, since 6-member teams need to field at least one minority candidate, the same minimum requirement of a 4-member team.
If the GRC system was to ensure minorities have a voice in Parliament, the move to expand the size of GRCs is inconsistent with the stated aim, to say the least. Are the Whiteshirts committed to racial harmony or not?
The whiteshirts are committed to keeping the Lee clan in power, the rest of us are just here to make up the numbers.
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