In a report from the Think Centre (www.thinkcentre.org) it was reported that :
"Dr. Tan Cheng Bock lamented that the GRC system was not healthy and wished in his personal opinion that the election system had more single member constituencies. Dr. Tan can clearly state that he fought six elections but not many PAP MPs can say that nowadays. His comments were made at the Singapore Politics forum conducted by the Department of Political Science, National University of Singapore (NUS), at the Guild House."
Dr Tan has always been known to be an outspoken and honest PAP Member of Parliament, and has spoken from conscience of his heart more often then not, although submitting himself to the PAP Whip in most Parliamentary Voting.
In a GRC Group of 3 or 4 Candidates, any "2 out of 3" or "3 out of 4" Leading Candidates can pull in the Weaker Loser Candidate into Parliament; leaving that particular Constituency without their "rightful" elected Representative Candidate into Parliament.
The original intention of the GRC System was to ensure that there will be a fair representation of people from the "Minority Races of Singaporean Community" to be in Parliament; and that the GRC will prevent such a good intention to be thwarted by communities that prefer to live in "Racial Enclaves" - voting for their own racial candidate.
With almost NINETY PERCENT of Singaporeans living in HDB Flats, and the "Racial Ratio of Tenants" allowed to occupy each block (including resale flats) subject to HDB-Government Approval and Control, is it still necessary to have the GRC system to ensure a fair representation of "Minority Races" in Parliament ?
When the GRC system was first introduced, about One-Third of the Constituencies were grouped into GRC - (Election Vote counting lasted till 6.00a.m. in the morning).
However, about three election (12 years) later, almost Three Quarter of the Constituencies were realigned to become GRC's; which only ensured further the assured success of the only single domineering Political Party - (Election Vote Counting and Final Result was over by 2.00 a.m.)
To have an assured representation of the Minority Races in Parliament, can we not have these Representative Candidates from the Minority Race standing for elections in the original ONE-THIRD of the Consituencies - (as when GRC was first introduced) ?
Hence, leaving the remaining TWO THIRDS of the country to be Single Seat Constituencies for a fair representation of the People's Will for the Country.
At present, the candidates from the Minority Races number about only Eight Persons in Parliament, yet the GRC System covers TWO-THIRDS of all the Constituencies.
Is this a reasonable and fair system to allow weaker candidates to enter Parliament by default, and not by a vote that represent the Constituents ?