[2] Legal academic Valentine Winslow wrote that the committee has the power to reject anyone who does not have "integrity, good character, and reputation", and that this places too much discretionary power in the hands of a small group of persons, with no guarantee that they are qualified to judge others as being of integrity and good character, or are unbiased, as there is no provision for any independent election commission.
[3] Constitutional lawyer Thio Li-ann wrote that the mechanism of selecting qualified candidates "removes the power of choice one step further away from the people, placing in the hands of an unelected group of people the power to decide who is a suitable candidate".
[4] Thio observed that the committee is "not under a legal duty to give reasons for their decision, which is deficient as a process".
The Community Committee is headed by Timothy James de Souza, a member of the Presidential Council of Minority Rights.
The Community Committee is headed by Edward D'Silva, a member of the Public Service Commission.