Commenting on the recent protests that were sparked by the White Paper population projections, SMU Assistant Professor of Law Eugene Tan described a "spatial and mental sense of being overwhelmed felt by large swathes of the public". "Singapore is barely coping with the rapid influx of immigrants over the past decade, so there is the prevalent view that if we can't cope with 5.3 million, how are we going to manage with 6.9 million within two decades?... There is a sense that the immigration policy will not be of benefit to the average Singaporean," he said. "Time is not on the side of the PAP… I think political change is inevitable and controversial issues like the White Paper on Population might hasten the flight of support to the opposition,” he added. "