Punggol’s snap election: Resident visits continue this morning

SMU Assistant Professor of Law Eugene Tan commented that contrary to the Hougang by-election, the Workers’ Party (WP) has been slow in deciding which candidate to field. WP has to consider whether they want to increase their number of seats in the Parliament, and if so, they will not field Gerald Giam, However, if they intend to nurture Gerald Giam in preparation for the next General Election, they may elevate him from a NCMP to a single-constituency MP. Assistant Prof Tan added that by not announcing their candidate over the weekend, WP had missed a good opportunity. However, it also means that their candidate needs no introduction. “Many feel that Gerald Giam is more heavy-weight than Lee Lilian, however, I disagree.  Punggol East residents may not agree either. Lee Lilian claimed 41 per cent of the votes at the last election. If she had continued to be active, the residents would definitely have become more familiar with her. Moreover, one more female MP would certainly enhance WP’s image.” Assistant Prof Tan said that WP is likely to deliberate their options carefully before making a decision.