SINGAPORE: Lawyer and noted socio-political commentator Yeoh Lian Chuan has highlighted the need for a reasonable time gap between the release of the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) report. His comments, posted online just hours after the report’s release, come amid significant changes to Singapore’s electoral map.
The EBRC report, a critical document shaping the country’s political landscape, saw only five Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) and four Single Member Constituencies (SMCs) emerging unscathed. Five SMCs were absorbed into larger GRCs, while other constituencies were either dissolved or split off into multiple parcels belonging to various GRCs.
While ruling party politicians have sought to reassure constituents that they will continue receiving support from their current branch representatives, opposition parties are facing a far more complex challenge. The extensive boundary changes have disrupted years of groundwork, forcing opposition parties to recalibrate their campaign strategies even as the countdown to the general election ticks ahead.
For opposition parties, the shifting boundaries present a significant hurdle. Many have spent the past five years engaging residents, walking the ground, and offering services despite limited resources. Now, with constituencies redrawn, they must quickly adjust to new political realities, often having to abandon or rethink campaign efforts planned for areas they may no longer be contesting.
Critics online have voiced concerns that the scale and magnitude of the constituency realignments further tilt the playing field in favour of the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP).
Against this backdrop, Mr Yeoh took to Facebook to question whether opposition parties would be granted sufficient time to re-strategize. He wrote, “Let’s see how much of a gap there is between the EBRC report and the Writ of Election. In my view, a reasonable time should be allowed to elapse before polls are called – especially given the significant changes to the constituency boundaries.”
He added, “It doesn’t stand to any sort of reason in my view why polls should be based on boundaries drawn only very shortly before the elections.”
Mr Yeoh ended his post with a pointed remark, quoting a well-known Cantonese phrase: “讲，你又唔听，听，你又唔明” (Speak, but you don’t listen; listen, but you don’t understand). This line, originally from an Andy Lau film, was recently used by Manpower Minister Tan See Leng in Parliament to criticize opposition Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) Leong Mun Wai, adding an ironic layer to the lawyer’s critique.