Follow Singapore for better representation of minorities, says Shahidan

Shahidan Kassim said the Indian community makes up 6.6% of the population and they should be entitled to at least 16 seats.

KUALA LUMPUR: Shahidan Kassim (PN-Arau) has proposed that Malaysia emulate Singapore’s group representation constituency (GRC) system to enhance representation of minority ethnicities in Parliament.

He said it was time for Malaysia to consider a different electoral system, given that the existing one was determined in 1957 when the Federal Constitution came into force.

“If we implement the GRC system, it will ensure the minorities have adequate representation (in Parliament).

“For example, the Indian community makes up 6.6% of the population and they are entitled to 16 seats (out of the 222 parliamentary seats). But if you look at the number of seats they currently have, it’s not enough,” he said during the debate on the 12th Malaysia Plan mid-term review today.

Shahidan said that in Cambodia, the Muslim minority had two representatives in the government through the GRC system – a senior minister and a minister.

“This (GRC) system is most appropriate, please consider it.

“The government and the Election Commission should reconsider Malaysia’s electoral system because it was established in 1957 and there have been no changes since,” he said.

Under Singapore’s system, the electorate in the GRC vote for a group of individuals to be their MPs, who must be from the same political party or all independents.

The group may be made up of three to six individuals, as determined by Singapore’s president.

At least one of the MPs in the group representing a GRC must belong to a minority community, either a Malay, an Indian or another minority.

The number of GRCs that can be designated as those belonging to the Malay community cannot be more than three-fifths the total number of GRCs.

The GRC system was established in 1988 to ensure that the minority communities in Singapore would always be represented in Parliament.

To ensure this, the republic’s Parliamentary Elections Act requires that at least one-quarter of the total number of MPs must be representatives of GRCs. - FMT