GRCs and the high-stakes game

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Apr 8, 2011
GRCs and the high-stakes game
I REFER to the interesting proposition put forth by Mr Ang Kok Thiam ("Chiam, Low should stay put"; April 2) - that Mr Chiam See Tong and Mr Low Thia Khiang should not leave their respective single-member constituencies (SMCs) to contest group representation constituencies (GRCs) as we may lose either two Cabinet ministers or two opposition leaders.

It is the introduction of the GRC scheme and the People's Action Party's (PAP) institutionalised practice of having Cabinet ministers helm GRCs which have significantly changed the nature of the general election into a high-stakes game.
Hypothetically, the concerns of Mr Ang may be non-existent if there were no GRCs. In this scenario, such equally qualified candidates from the ruling and opposition parties may not necessarily face off in the same SMC, and we can speculate that they may each stand an equally high chance of being successfully elected.
In contrast, one ramification of our unique electoral system comprising GRCs is that the opposition would need to field candidates of a similar stature to potential office holders anchoring the PAP team in order to have a fighting chance to win a GRC.
This inevitably results in a high-stakes head-to-head contest in which the winning team would be elected into Parliament, at the expense of the similarly qualified members of the losing team.
The Prime Minister has rightly said that the general election is about deciding Singapore's long-term future and leadership. The high quality of leadership of the ruling party is an indubitable fact. Nevertheless, this should be a time to reflect on whether it is in Singapore's long-term interest to vest her future in a single dominant party or whether it is healthy for Singapore's long-term democracy to influence her political development towards two, if not more, equally strong and capable parties for securing the future of our nation.
Sin Wei Xiang
http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/OnlineStory/STIStory_654187.html

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