- 'Group Representation Constituency' [Wiki]
- 'GRCs make it easier to find top talent: SM': "Without some assurance of a good chance of winning at least their first election, many able and successful young Singaporeans may not risk their careers to join politics" ; with hosting site footnote: "In Singapore, a Group Representation Constituency is a super-sized constituency where 5 or 6 candidates from the same party have to stand for election as a team. Voters vote for the party, not for individuals, thus weak candidates can still win a seat in Parliament by riding the coattails of stronger candidates."- [ST/ 'Yawningbread, 26June2006]
GRC comments/ Criticisms of Super-sized-GRCs:
- 'Revert to 3-member GRCs for credibility': "If the original objective could be achieved with three members in a GRC, why has the number increased so drastically over the years?... the changes were prompted by the People's Action Party's (PAP) desire to make it increasingly difficult for opposition parties to capture a GRC, after surviving a narrow shave in a few GRC contests... What the PAP has done in upsizing GRCs is wrong." [ST, 09Apr2011][alt link]
- 'On GRCs and losing Ministers': "The dilemma cited by DPM Wong Kan Seng, as quoted in the report "If PAP loses GRCs, it will weaken Government" (May 4) unfortunately is one created by the ruling party. ..The GRC system does not allow voters to pick who among the group candidates should be kept and who to vote out. It is designed for the contesting parties to win all or lose everyone in each GRC. It will be sad to lose a good minister. But the designer of the GRC system should know that this is always a possible outcome". [TDY, 04May2011]
- 'Consider reverting to three-member GRCs': "..with three-member GRCs increasing to six members over time.. this allowed the ruling party to bring in new candidates without them having to compete in an election. In GE 2011, while it has been said that Aljunied is an example that the GRC system works, everyone knows how difficult it was for the Opposition to make it happen. .. It is hope that the GRC scheme can be revised such that a GRC will consist of only three candidates, with one from the minority race." [TDY,12May2011]
- 'Minority candidates don't need GRC system to succeed': "The GRC system allows people no choice in electing individuals to represent them, but forces a "buy one get all" situation which allows weaker candidates to enter Parliament. ..we could offer a certain number of Nominated MP seats or Non-Constituency MP seats to the "best losing minority". It is time to relook the GRC system before we lose more good men like George Yeo." [TDY, 10May2011]
- 'It works fine': "THE aim of the Group Representation Constituency (GRC) system in ensuring that there is an adequate number of minorities elected into Parliament works... It is not easy to win in a GRC but as the Aljunied GRC result illustrated, it may be more difficult to defend it, as a very determined WP team led by Mr Low demonstrated." [ST,13May2011]
- 'Time to scrap it': "A look at Parliaments before and after GRC shows that minority groups had always been adequately represented by more than 20 per cent of total Members of Parliament. There may not be any real need. To be sure, we could always provide for nominated representatives - with full voting rights, unlike current Nominated Members of Parliament - from the minority groups. " [ST, 13May2011]
- 'Mini-GRCs work better': "DESPITE obtaining 40 per cent of the total votes cast, the opposition parties secured only about 7 per cent of the seats in Parliament. This sad fact is obviously due to the Group Representation Constituency (GRC) system.... Let us not forget those men who were elected in days gone by on their own merits before the GRC system was introduced: Mr David Marshall, Mr S. Rajaratnam, Mr Devan Nair, Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam, Mr E.W. Barker and others". [ST, 14May2011]
- 'Newbies should stand in single wards': "I suggest that new People's Action Party candidates be placed in Single Member Constituencies (SMCs) so that they can establish themselves in the eyes of the electorate... In this regard,.. I suspect BG Tan would have no problem winning a seat in Parliament by a comfortable margin if he were fielded in an SMC." [ST, 14May2011]
- 'GRC loss impacts PAP's renewal plans': "Opposition may now find it easier, and PAP harder, to recruit talent~ By Elgin Toh" [ST-commentary, 14May2011]
- 'GRCs no longer safe havens for newbies': "Perhaps it is time to take a hard look at the motivations of PAP's talent. While not doubting the quality of talent typically recruited by the ruling party, a common personality trait exhibited by them seems to be one of being afraid to lose. No such guarantee is available for opposition candidates." [ST, 18May2011]
- 'Revert to 3-member GRCs for credibility': "If the original objective could be achieved with three members in a GRC, why has the number increased so drastically over the years?... the changes were prompted by the People's Action Party's (PAP) desire to make it increasingly difficult for opposition parties to capture a GRC, after surviving a narrow shave in a few GRC contests... What the PAP has done in upsizing GRCs is wrong." [ST, 09Apr2011][alt link]
- 'On GRCs and losing Ministers': "The dilemma cited by DPM Wong Kan Seng, as quoted in the report "If PAP loses GRCs, it will weaken Government" (May 4) unfortunately is one created by the ruling party. ..The GRC system does not allow voters to pick who among the group candidates should be kept and who to vote out. It is designed for the contesting parties to win all or lose everyone in each GRC. It will be sad to lose a good minister. But the designer of the GRC system should know that this is always a possible outcome". [TDY, 04May2011]
- 'Consider reverting to three-member GRCs': "..with three-member GRCs increasing to six members over time.. this allowed the ruling party to bring in new candidates without them having to compete in an election. In GE 2011, while it has been said that Aljunied is an example that the GRC system works, everyone knows how difficult it was for the Opposition to make it happen. .. It is hope that the GRC scheme can be revised such that a GRC will consist of only three candidates, with one from the minority race." [TDY,12May2011]
- 'Minority candidates don't need GRC system to succeed': "The GRC system allows people no choice in electing individuals to represent them, but forces a "buy one get all" situation which allows weaker candidates to enter Parliament. ..we could offer a certain number of Nominated MP seats or Non-Constituency MP seats to the "best losing minority". It is time to relook the GRC system before we lose more good men like George Yeo." [TDY, 10May2011]
- 'It works fine': "THE aim of the Group Representation Constituency (GRC) system in ensuring that there is an adequate number of minorities elected into Parliament works... It is not easy to win in a GRC but as the Aljunied GRC result illustrated, it may be more difficult to defend it, as a very determined WP team led by Mr Low demonstrated." [ST,13May2011]
- 'Time to scrap it': "A look at Parliaments before and after GRC shows that minority groups had always been adequately represented by more than 20 per cent of total Members of Parliament. There may not be any real need. To be sure, we could always provide for nominated representatives - with full voting rights, unlike current Nominated Members of Parliament - from the minority groups. " [ST, 13May2011]
- 'Mini-GRCs work better': "DESPITE obtaining 40 per cent of the total votes cast, the opposition parties secured only about 7 per cent of the seats in Parliament. This sad fact is obviously due to the Group Representation Constituency (GRC) system.... Let us not forget those men who were elected in days gone by on their own merits before the GRC system was introduced: Mr David Marshall, Mr S. Rajaratnam, Mr Devan Nair, Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam, Mr E.W. Barker and others". [ST, 14May2011]
- 'Newbies should stand in single wards': "I suggest that new People's Action Party candidates be placed in Single Member Constituencies (SMCs) so that they can establish themselves in the eyes of the electorate... In this regard,.. I suspect BG Tan would have no problem winning a seat in Parliament by a comfortable margin if he were fielded in an SMC." [ST, 14May2011]
- 'GRC loss impacts PAP's renewal plans': "Opposition may now find it easier, and PAP harder, to recruit talent~ By Elgin Toh" [ST-commentary, 14May2011]
- 'GRCs no longer safe havens for newbies': "Perhaps it is time to take a hard look at the motivations of PAP's talent. While not doubting the quality of talent typically recruited by the ruling party, a common personality trait exhibited by them seems to be one of being afraid to lose. No such guarantee is available for opposition candidates." [ST, 18May2011]
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At/ related:
A1forum:
05May2011: [ST Blogs] The GRC voter's dilemma
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