SMU Assistant Professor of Law Eugene Tan said that while the Government had announced several measures to tackle hot button issues, implementation of these policies takes time, and citizens are facing rising cost of living in the meantime. Tweaking policies during the by-election period was not ideal as the Government could have been perceived to be doing so just to win votes. The People’s Action Party could also have had difficulties receiving feedback as the grassroot do not usually relay negative comments, while the residents would not disclose their genuine feelings. On the results of the by-election, Assistant Prof Tan said that even the Workers’ Party would have been surprised that it won by more than 10 percentage points.