July 14, 05:38 PM 
514 Chai Chee Lane 03-16, Singapore 469029 After Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told Parliament on Monday that he has convened his electoral boundaries review committee two months ago, there is suddenly a wave of election fever online with comments from outraged opposition parties and self-appointed political experts.
As PM Lee only sent the memo to the Secretary to the Prime Minister without keeping the opposition parties in the loop, one can understandably sense the frustration among them.
We now know that the GE can be called within two months' time and that there is some possibility that Singaporean residents may change constituencies again without changing their home.
So what do the rest of the political parties (besides the ruling party) really think? And do the political pundits make sense?
Here are 10 comments from the political parties and political pundits whom you would hear more regularly from in the next two months.
Political Parties
1. Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) - "shocking"
Source: SDP Facebook
"It is shocking that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong chose not to announce the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee when he appointed it two months ago...
The SDP calls on Mr Lee to ensure that at least two months are given from the time of the announcement of the new boundaries to the dissolution of Parliament. There should also be ample time of at least three weeks for official campaigning which is in keeping with international democratic norms." - SDP website
2. NCMP Yee Jenn Jong from Workers’ Party (WP) - the process of setting up the committee should be “automatic and transparent”.
Source: Yee Jenn Jong Facebook
Yee told TODAY newspaper that WP believes the process of setting up the committee should be “automatic and transparent”.
He added that "it will make (for) a fairer democratic system if the review of electoral boundaries is based on a known timeline, independent of when elections will be held.
WP also reiterated its call for a period of at least six to 12 months between any changes to the electoral boundaries and Nomination Day.
3. NCMP Lina Chiam from Singapore People's Party - "hopes the average size be between 3-4 members GRC as it was in 1988"
NCMP'>
Posted by Singapore People's Party on Monday, July 13, 2015
4. Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) - “utterly sorry and disappointed”
SDA told TODAY newspaper that it was “utterly sorry and disappointed” in what it called “the government’s private redistricting... without the knowledge of the people”.
“We urge that the government dissolve the existing constituencies’ committees, to reappoint a new committee in which the members should comprise of representatives from various political parties, so that the citizens are not restricted to just the civil servants in-charge".
5. National Solidarity Party (NSP) president Sebastian Teo - "shorter time to plan"
Teo told TODAY newspaper that NSP "will have a shorter time to plan which areas to focus on and to study the formations of the Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs)".
Political observers
6. Writer Catherine Lim - "The Next Phase Of My Role As Political Commentator"
Lim wrote in her blog that she "would like to announce the end of my 20-year-old role as political commentator, which is timed to coincide with the end of the Lee Kuan Yew (LKY) era".
In her new role, she will "play the role of mentor and consultant to the young" and suspend her lecturing and writing role.
7. Former NMP and SMU law don Eugene Tan - EBRC's role must be seen as "non-partisan".
"Nonetheless, the EBRC’s role is critical for a level playing field. Voters are entitled to know why boundaries are redrawn and how they are done so. Otherwise, some Singaporeans may view the redrawing of boundaries as being calculated to undermine the Opposition or, at the very least, not to disadvantage the ruling party.
Ultimately, the EBRC’s work and report must not only be non-partisan, but must also be seen to be non-partisan. This is necessary to sustain confidence and legitimacy in the review of electoral boundaries, since that is an integral part of the electoral process". TODAY Commentary.
8. Ex NMP Calvin Cheng - " if these opposition politicians were serious, they would be working the ground for the last 4 years and not wait till electoral boundaries are announced".
Good'>
Posted by Calvin Cheng on Monday, July 13, 2015
