 Opposing the motion , Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted that the Burkean model of representative democracy " puts the emphasis on choosing candidates to become MPs as the fundamental element of the whole scheme " , with the result that " if an MP dies or resigns , ... he has to be replaced , so a by @-@ election has to be held promptly without delay " . However , in the Government 's view , representative democracy is better understood as having an " emphasis on choosing political parties to form the government and to have political parties as the fundamental element in the system " : 
