One, they must be fair to all political parties; two, they should result in a strong, effective Government after an election; and three, they must ensure diverse views are represented in Parliament.

Mr Goh also said that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will give details of the changes in Parliament this week.

He made these remarks to reporters at a community event when he was asked to comment on the subject, which President S R Nathan had touched on in his opening Address to Parliament last Monday.

President Nathan had said: 'Our political system is not set in stone. Singapore politics must evolve over time, as the world and our society change.'

The President's Address, including the plans and policies of individual ministries, will be debated by Parliament from today.

Mr Goh, in setting out the three objectives, said: 'Whatever changes which shall be made must be based on certain principles.

'First, they must be fair to all contesting political parties. That means changes must not be biased in favour of one party or the other.

'Second, they must end up, after the election, with a strong, effective Government. That means you do not want to have a system, which ends up with a weak, hung Parliament, and then you have a coalition Government. That is politically unstable for Singapore.

'And third, they must facilitate representation of diverse views in Parliament, including views of opposition parties.'

Mr Goh had also touched on the subject last July when he said the political system 'must continue to move in step' as society evolves and the needs of the electorate change.

The changes must give all parties an equal chance to contest and win, he had said at a dinner in opposition-held Hougang constituency.

But, he added, they must not lead to 'democratic chaos and politics of division' or put Singapore's unity, harmony, growth and long-term interests at risk.

Political scientist Ho Khai Leong, when interviewed yesterday, said he would not set his expectations too high.

Any changes will be a continuation of the present system, added the associate professor at the Nanyang Technological University.

'These three principles are already here, and if the changes are initiated by the PAP, they will be very incremental rather than a radical departure from the past,' said Prof Ho, declining to specify what could be the likely changes.

Last week, however, MP Inderjit Singh said one possible change is the size of group representation constituencies (GRCs).

There are 14 GRCs, with each having five or six MPs.

Some feel they are too large and create an uneven playing field between the ruling party and opposition parties during election time.

The GRC scheme was introduced to ensure minority racial communities are adequately represented in Parliament.

During his interview, Mr Goh also commented on the economy.

He suggested a government committee be set up to identify what new capabilities Singapore needed. But, he added, that was a matter for the Prime Minister to decide.

He also said he did not think a comprehensive Economic Review Committee, like that formed in 2001, was needed, because today's crisis is different.

Back then, private and public sector officials and academics gathered to review and propose strategies to exploit opportunities arising from globalisation and the economic rise of China and India.

Said Mr Goh: 'This time we are suffering from a collapse in global demand, so unless the US economy picks up, there is nothing much all of us can do.

'China and India may be doing well, but they are not importing final goods from Singapore. They import, in the case of China, components from Singapore which will then go into final consumer products for the US.

'So what will be needed will be a government committee, comprising ministers and officials, to work out what new capabilities Singapore must build.'

-end of ST article