GE2025: Pritam Singh says 'opaque' electoral boundaries committee raises questions of fairness

SINGAPORE: Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh has called for Singaporeans to "step up" and build a "more balanced political system", two weeks after the release of the report by the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC), a body he described as "opaque".

Mr Singh, who is also the Workers' Party secretary-general, noted in a Facebook post on Tuesday (Mar 25) that there has been "significant" public commentary - particularly from younger Singaporeans - questioning the fairness of the boundary redrawing process.

He expressed concern over the recent EBRC report, pointing to a lack of transparency in how electoral divisions are reshaped.

Five new Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) and six new Single Member Constituencies (SMCs) have been created. The boundaries of the opposition-held Aljunied GRC - which Mr Singh represents through the Eunos ward - were also redrawn for the first time since the 2011 General Election.

“'Gerrymandering?' It happens in Western democracies too! Where do you think the word came from?” wrote Mr Singh, in what he said was a response by the People's Action Party in parliament when the opposition suggested electoral boundary changes were made especially to constituencies that saw close fights in the preceding election.

In a recent CNA938 interview, Dr Janil Puthucheary, the Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information as well as Health, said that changes to electoral boundaries reflect population shifts and growth across the country.

Mr Singh noted that political observers had been surprised by this rationale, calling the latest EBRC report "one of the most radical redrawing of boundaries" in recent memory.

"Boundaries are important, and the reasons that justify their changes, matters. A lot," he said.

Mr Singh recalled a remark made by then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during the 2016 Bukit Batok by-election, where Mr Lee said that PAP candidate Murali Pillai - part of the team contesting Aljunied GRC in 2015 - could have been elected if the division he oversaw had been an SMC instead.

Mr Singh noted that Mr Murali's division polled higher than those of his teammates in Aljunied GRC, suggesting Mr Lee's comments shed light on how closely individual divisions and precincts are tracked.

“It is not out of place for Singaporeans to wonder how Singaporeans in the 15 precincts … that have been cut out from the former Marine Parade GRC into East Coast GRC cast their vote in GE2020,” he added, urging the government to make such data public to allow Singaporeans to draw their own conclusions.

An electoral map attached to Mr Singh's post showed the 15 precincts marked in yellow.

While he acknowledged that the work of the EBRC is "important", Mr Singh said the institution remains "opaque" and its decisions shape Singapore’s political landscape in significant ways.

"Because we all seek a meaningful stake in the country we call home - for a functioning and robust social compact that creates trust, so that we are all invested in our shared future. This is the spirit captured by the Forward Singapore report - a report where fairness was upheld as a shared value of all Singaporeans," said Mr Singh.

The Forward Singapore report was released in November 2024 and is based on a national strategy that seeks to refresh Singapore's social compact. The report found found that Singaporeans value a strong and vibrant economy, alongside fairness, inclusiveness and stewardship.

"But when question marks about fairness abound right from square one, on an issue as fundamental as how we organise ourselves politically as a nation, values like fairness can lose their meaning," said Mr Singh. 

This, he warned, could lead to institutions like the EBRC carrying a "real risk of being unwittingly divisive, putting paid to a united people – ironically, one that is needed most at a time of important geopolitical shifts, potential external shocks and demographic transition".

In a broader call for fairness, trust, and transparency - values he described as central to national unity and resilience in times of change - Mr Singh urged Singaporeans to "become one united people".

"A report can be called anything. Forward Singapore, Singapore Together, Singapore 21 or Turbo-charge Singapore," he said.

"All the latest version of the EBRC report does, is to show us how much further we have to go to build a democratic society, based on justice and equality. But each generation can and must do its part. And become one united people. Step up. Let’s press on to build a more balanced political system. It can be done."