Public expectations for by-election 'tough to ignore'

On whether a by-election would be called in Punggol East, SMU Assistant Professor of Law and NMP Eugene Tan said that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong might not see a need to call one. Assistant Prof Tan noted that unlike opposition-stronghold Hougang, Punggol East is a PAP constituency, and the party has appointed a caretaker MP for its residents. He added that the Prime Minister now has the High Court's confirmation that he has discretion to decide whether and when to call by-elections. That came in August, when the High Court dismissed a Hougang resident's bid for a court declaration that the PM did not have unfettered discretion in this area.