Review GRC system, so more can vote

Review GRC system, so more can vote

I WISH to address the problem of group representation constituencies (GRCs) which stymies one's opportunity to vote.

In theory, the motley group of opposition parties should contest every constituency, making and, lo and behold, the constitutional right and duty to vote will become very real for every eligible voter. If only opposition parties here were more credible and capable, and had the financial and other resources to work the ground long before the elections, many citizens like myself would not end up as frustrated spectators, come election time.

But are the opposition parties solely to blame? The GRC system was first formulated to help minority candidates. Then it became a way for young and clever but untried candidates to win a seat. Their chances of winning in single-seat wards are comparatively slimmer than in a GRC.

I feel that the GRC system obstructs my right and duty to vote, and appears discordant with the Government's stated policy 'to ensure the maximum possible participation by our citizens in the electoral process'.

I last voted (for the PAP, by the way) in the 1980s when Braddell was a single-seat constituency. Later, it was absorbed into an expanded Marine Parade GRC, defying the logic of contiguity.

I am now in my 60s and I fear I will continue to remain a mere observer unless GRCs are made fewer or smaller, and more single-seat constituencies are created. I want to vote - to exercise a fundamental right and duty of citizenship - and thereby manifest my affiliation with fellow Singaporeans.

One's vote in a general election is not incidental to having a good job, raising a family, living the good life...It is no longer a liberal Western notion. Iraqis and Afghans risk suicide-bombers when they attempt to vote. But here, in prosperous, peaceful Singapore, many are often denied the chance to vote.

It was reported that voter turnout in the last election was a high 95 per cent. What is an equally important statistic is the percentage of eligible voters who could not vote in the past five elections against the total number in the electoral register.

Tan Chak Lim

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