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OPPOSITION activists have called for a reform of the electoral system here and aim to set up a committee to see how this can be achieved.
Singapore Democratic Party chief Chee Soon Juan, who mooted the idea on Sunday, hopes to bring opposition parties, civil society groups and individuals together to discuss changes.
These would include having an independent election commission.
They could also research best practices elsewhere, train poll observers and raise awareness of what they see as problems with the current election system, such as the group representation constituencies, he told 50 party supporters and others at a forum at the Allson Hotel.
Opposition parties, among others, have previously said that electoral rules do not give them a level playing field.
One criticised feature is the absence of an independent electoral body. A Government-run Elections Department oversees the polls.
But an Institute of Policy Studies survey after the 2006 general election found voters generally agreed that the 'whole election system is fair to all political parties'.
No other opposition party accepted Dr Chee's invitation to speak at the forum.
He wrote to Singapore People's Party chairman Chiam See Tong, Workers' Party (WP) chief Low Thia Khiang, and to the National Solidarity Party and Singapore Malay National Organisation.
But he was not deterred, saying: 'I will persuade them, make them see the importance of coming together.'
Two panellists, both former WP candidates, were less generous towards opposition MPs who, they said, 'play by the rules' but got nowhere.
Lawyer Chia Ti Lik, leader of advocacy group SG Human Rights, called them 'PAP apologists' who did not raise the issue of election reform, while Mr Jufrie Mahmood said they 'did not deserve the label' of opposition.
Panellist J.B. Jeyaretnam, a former WP chief who plans to set up the Reform Party this year, said the ruling PAP had created a climate of fear and that there was a lack of transparency about the way elections are held.
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