Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh has renewed calls for a more transparent and fair political system in Singapore, urging citizens to “step up” in light of recent changes to the country’s electoral map.
His statement comes amid growing scrutiny of the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC), following its report released on 11 March 2025, which introduced significant changes to electoral constituencies.
The Workers’ Party Secretary General described the process as “opaque” and warned of the consequences such a system may have on national unity and democratic integrity.
Writing on Facebook on 25 March 2025, Singh pointed to “significant public commentary”, particularly among younger Singaporeans, about the fairness of the redistricting process.
He criticised the rationale provided by the government—population growth and demographic changes—as inadequate justification for what he called “one of the most radical redrawing of boundaries Singapore has seen in recent memory”.
The new map saw the number of elected Members of Parliament rise from 93 to 97, with the creation of five new Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) and six new Single Member Constituencies (SMCs).
Aljunied GRC, held by WP, was also redrawn for the first time since 2011.
Singh cited past parliamentary responses from the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), which claimed that gerrymandering is common in other democracies.
“Gerrymandering? It happens in Western democracies too!” he quoted. “Where do you think the word came from?”
He also recalled remarks by former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in 2016, who said that PAP candidate Murali Pillai, then part of the losing PAP team in Aljunied GRC in 2015, could have been elected if the division he oversaw had been a single-member constituency.
Singh used this to highlight how electoral divisions are closely tracked, reinforcing the case for greater transparency.
Referencing 15 precincts that were transferred from Marine Parade GRC to East Coast GRC, Singh questioned whether such changes reflected voter trends in the 2020 General Election.
He called on the government to make precinct-level voting data public to allow Singaporeans to assess the rationale for the boundary shifts.
He expressed concern that institutions like the EBRC, if left unchecked, could become divisive, undermining the social cohesion essential in times of geopolitical and demographic change.
“Boundaries are important,” he wrote.
“And the reasons that justify their changes, matters. A lot.”
Constitutional law expert Professor Kevin YL Tan, speaking at a public webinar on 21 March 2025 hosted by AcademiaSG, echoed Singh’s concerns.
He described Singapore’s electoral boundary system as one that grants the government “almost limitless discretion”.
Prof Tan noted that Singapore’s Constitution does not set any legal criteria for the number or shape of constituencies. Instead, these powers are delegated to the Prime Minister, who appoints the EBRC, which functions without parliamentary oversight.
“There is very, very little by way of law insofar as how we construct our electoral boundaries,” said Prof Tan, warning that this lack of legal safeguards undermines the rule of law.
He called for sweeping reforms, including an independent elections commission, codified boundary guidelines, and restrictions on the use of precinct-level vote data in drawing maps.
He highlighted how such data, though technically not breaching ballot secrecy, gives the ruling party significant insight into voting patterns. “The party contesting every seat—the PAP—is the only one with complete data,” he said.
Drawing from personal experience, Prof Tan recounted how he had lived in the same house in Bedok for 18 years but saw his constituency shift multiple times—from Bedok SMC to Eunos GRC, and later to Aljunied GRC—illustrating the volatility of boundary changes.
He also cited MacPherson SMC as an example of boundary manipulation. The constituency has been repeatedly created and dissolved over decades, often coinciding with key political contests.
Most recently, MacPherson was folded into the newly formed Marine Parade Heights GRC in the 2025 revision.
“This makes nonsense of the delineation process,” said Prof Tan.
He warned that such volatility undermines voter clarity and political accountability, and noted that constituency sizes can differ by nearly 100 percent, meaning that some votes effectively carry more weight than others.
A voter in Potong Pasir, he pointed out, holds almost twice the voting power of someone in Bukit Panjang, due to a long-standing 30 percent deviation allowance introduced in 1980.
In closing, both Singh and Prof Tan emphasised that the stakes are not just about political outcomes but about public trust, national unity, and democratic legitimacy.
“Each generation can and must do its part,” Singh urged in his Facebook post.
“Let’s press on to build a more balanced political system. It can be done.”
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