WP chief Pritam Singh questions fairness of electoral boundaries report

Workers' Party chief Pritam Singh has questioned the fairness of Singapore's new electoral boundaries, in his first remarks on the topic since the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) report was released on March 11.

- Wong Pei Ting

In a Facebook post on March 25, the Leader of the Opposition called the changes "one of the most radical redrawing of boundaries Singapore has seen in recent memory".

Many political observers had expressed incredulity that population growth was cited as the reason for these revisions, he noted.

"There has been significant public commentary, especially by young Singaporeans questioning the fairness of the political boundary redrawing process by the PAP government," Mr Singh said.

He added: "Boundaries are important, and the reasons that justify their changes, matter. A lot."

The EBRC determines electoral boundaries ahead of general elections, based on terms of reference set out by the prime minister. This year, it recommended boundary changes in 22 out of the existing 31 constituencies.

The committee had not explained its decisions in several decades. But this year, it stated that population shifts were a key driver for changes in certain areas, which had knock-on effects on boundaries in surrounding constituencies.