The Singapore dilemma: ethnic justice or democratization?

Abstract

Over the last few decades, there has been growing concern within democratic societies over the composition of representative assemblies. It has become increasingly important that national legislatures be (or appear to be) inclusive and demographically representative of the broader society. As most contemporary countries are composed of multi-ethnic and/or multi-cultural groups, whether ethnic minorities are appropriately represented in legislatures has become an important indicator of "quality" of a democracy. Many countries have adopted a variety of strategies to promote the parliamentary representation of ethnic minorities.