SMU Assistant Professor of Law Eugene Tan commented that for the Punggol-East by-election, it might not be effective to have political heavyweights participating in the campaign and rallies. As such, the People’s Action Party (PAP) would carefully consider who they want to send to help rally for votes. However, letting Dr Koh Poh Koon run the campaign on his own, on the other hand, might send the message that the PAP does not take the election seriously. Assistant Prof Tan pointed out that the days of incumbents getting re-elected without a battle were gone since the 2011 General Election. He also said that while the Singapore Democratic Party might face embarrassment for withdrawing from the by-elections now, it would still be better than losing the election badly.
Source
Lianhe Zaobao