The Singapore High Court yesterday (Apr 9) ruled that there is no need for an election even when a MP resigned. The court ruled in favour of ruling party PAP, stating that Halimah Yacob’s vacated seat would not require a by-election in the GRC.
Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC was supposedly a 4-member GRC, and as an Indian, Halimah Yacob was the only minority race candidate to fulfil the minority-interests requirement to contest the GRC. Through corruptions, Halimah Yacob resigned from her MP position last year to become Singapore’s first Indian-turned-Malay President through a walkover.
A resident of the affected GRC, Marsiling-Yew Tee, was fined S$10,764.35 for challenging the government’s decision not to call for a by-election.
According to the High Court judge, there is no “legal basis” to maintaining the election requirements i.e. minority interests and having 4 member in the GRC, after an election. In fact, the High Court ruled that all MPs in the GRC team must resign for a by-election to be effected. As such, even 1 member remaining in the team can be a “GRC team” by himself.
Singapore’s brand of corrupted democracy is however no news to Singaporeans, with many expressing “told you so” sentiments.