PAP was more transparent and swift compared to the WP

SMU Assistant Professor of Law Eugene Tan commented that the public may not view the resignation of Michael Palmer and Yaw Shin Leong equally, as their expectations for Palmer were higher given his role as the Speaker of Parliament. Assistant Prof Tan highlighted that such expectations stemmed from PAP’s emphasis on recruiting only the best talent. On whether a by-election would be called in Punggol East, he said that this depended on whether PAP had suitable candidates to field, but he did not expect it to be held any time soon. He also noted that not all the opposition parties would contest in the by-election due to limited resources, and that residents unhappy with the PAP may vote for the opposition, although this would have little effect on the ruling party’s clout.