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SINGAPORE: Three Bills have been tabled to amend the Constitution as well as the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections Acts - paving the way for changes to the political system ahead of the next General Election, due by February 2012.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had proposed in May last year several enhancements to the political system. These include decreasing the size of the Group Representation Constituency (GRC), increasing the number of Non-Constituency MPs and making the Nominated MP scheme permanent.
Mr Lee had said the changes are to reflect the aspirations of Singaporeans, and to provide for more diverse views in Parliament.
The changes to the Constitution though will not set out the number of GRCs and Single-Member Constituencies (SMCs). That will be set by the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee.
Changes to the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections Acts will also pave the way for a 'cooling-off' day as mentioned by Mr Lee in November 2009. This is a one-day blackout period for political parties and candidates during the eve of polling day, where no form of campaigning is allowed except for party political broadcasts.
And following the recommendations of the Advisory Council on the Impact of New Media on Society (AIMS), individuals will also be allowed to post election-related advertisements online. Foreigners though, will not be allowed to do so.
Currently, publication of Internet election advertising by or on behalf of "relevant persons" during election is prohibited. The Parliamentary Elections Act will be amended to lift this prohibition.
Responding to queries from MediaCorp, the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts said "relevant persons" are third-party political websites required to register with the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA).
These are sites deemed by MDA to engage "in the propagation, promotion or discussion of political issues relating to Singapore". With the change, such sites would be able to participate in Internet election advertising.
However, MICA said "they should be mindful that if what they do amounts to election activity which is done for the purpose of promoting or procuring the election of a candidate, they need written authorisation of the candidate or his election agent to do so". There are currently two websites that are registered with the MDA - the Think Centre and Singaporeans For Democracy.
And as part of the ongoing review of electoral law, the change will also reflect a wider range of responses to tackle any crisis that can disrupt or undermine the election.
For example, in a Parliamentary Election, the President may cancel the original writ of election and issue a fresh one, if an election totally fails - such as when there is no candidate nominated or elected, due to widespread catastrophe.
The returning officer may also change the timing of nomination or terminate polls at a polling station early. This will also apply to overseas polling stations.
Other changes include streamlining election spending rules and updating the list of offences under the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections Acts.
The changes in fines and jail terms, however, do not add to the list of offences for which disqualification of Parliamentary membership may arise.
The amendments tabled will have to go through a second reading in Parliament expected in April.
- CNA/sc
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