Dr. Chee Soon Juan, Secretary-General, Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), distinguished speakers, SDP colleagues, fellow Singaporeans, and friends.
A very warm welcome to all of you.
Allow me to first extend my gratitude to SDP’s Project Reform team, which made this gathering possible.
As you know, the sad and sudden closure of The Projector four days before this event had the organising team scrambling to secure an alternative venue.
I was especially impressed by the can-do spirit of all those involved – the volunteer team of 20 people and the project managers Arrifin and Karthik – to secure an alternative venue and press on.
I also want to welcome and thank our speakers this afternoon:
● Dr Elvin Ong, a fellow political scientist
● Leon Perera, a former MP
● Jo Teo, who is not an MP, yet
● Jeremy Tan, an independent candidate in the 2025 GE
● Ahmad Amsyar, our moderator for today
Before the panel, we will have Angela Oon who will present on overseas voting.
SDP’s Project Reform calls for six key changes:
1. Remove the Elections Department from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO)
2. End Gerrymandering: Reform the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC)
3. Abolish the Group Representation Constituency (GRC) System
4. Ensure a Minimum Three-Week Campaign Period
5. Set a Minimum Six-Month Gap Between Boundary Changes and Parliament Dissolution
6. Review the Newspaper and Printing Presses Act (NPPA) to Allow Independent Media
These reforms seek to align Singapore’s electoral processes with international democratic standards and ensure genuinely free and fair elections.
Singaporeans from all walks of life have asked for all of these reforms for at least 15-20 years.
We presently have an online petition calling for these six changes with nearly 6000 signatures. We invite you to sign on and share the petition to your networks.
Today’s discussion is important as there is a need to articulate clearly what is wrong with our electoral system in order to press for change. We look forward to our panel of speakers for this clarity.
To press for electoral reform, there is a need to reach out to the people directly so that they can get behind the reform project. Hence, I am happy to see so many of you today.
Additionally, this push for electoral reform needs to be rooted in principle and vision, on what should be, and NOT on what is “possible” or on “something is better than nothing.”
However, electoral reform around the world often happens not because incumbent governments decide to listen to the opposition or reform activists, but because incumbents pay attention when political mobilisation behind a reform issue in society starts to gather momentum until it reaches a stage where something has to be done.
In the Singapore case, we need to build momentum behind electoral reform so the message we send is clear – either reform the electoral system or lose at the polls.
To end, I want to say that when we commit ourselves to causes that will reshape our world or Singapore, we do so not knowing if we will see change in our lifetimes. We do it simply because it should be done and it is the right thing to do.
Hence, I am immensely grateful and privileged to have all of you here today.
Change has, and will continue to happen, because we all work for it.
So thanks for the love, the care, the practical support, the morale-boosters, and the solidarity.
Once again, I want to thank you all for being here and wish everyone a fruitful discussion.
Opening address delivered at Singapore Democratic Party’s (SDP) electoral reform initiative on 23 August 2025 with the forum Where Do We Draw the Line? at Marina One, marking the formal rollout of Project Reform under its Renew Rebuild Reignite: Roadmap 2030 strategic plan.