Workers Party accuses PAP of gerrymandering

Sylvia Lim

Singapore - Workers’ Party (WP) chairman Sylvia Lim has accused the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) of gerrymandering to gain an unfair advantage from the redrawn electoral map, reported the Straits Times.

Referring to changes in several constituencies the party had been working on as potential battlegrounds since the 2006 General Election, she said: “Over all, we believe there is gerrymandering in the ruling party’s favour,”

One example, she cited, was Aljunied GRC, which lost seven polling districts to Ang Mo Kio GRC and gained six new ones from Marine Parade GRC. She said the WP had enjoyed ’significant support’ in the seven districts that were next to Hougang, the seat held by WP chief Low Thia Khiang.

Further, the estimated number of electors in Aljunied GRC stands at 143,024, compared to 150,839 in 2006, when she led a WP ‘A’ team there that received 43.9 per cent of valid votes.

“As the number of electors under the new Aljunied GRC is not significantly different from those under Aljunied GRC in the last GE, one has to ask – why the changes?” she said via email.

The new electoral map was released on Thursday and will be implemented at the next General Election., which is expected to be anytime soon.

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Jessie