Commenting on Prime Minister (PM) Lee Hsien Loong’s statement last Friday regarding the dispute between the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council and the National Environment Agency over the cleaning of the hawker centres, SMU Associate Professor of Law Eugene Tan said that PM Lee was sending out a message to Singaporeans to view the incident in an objective manner. He added that the matter involves the creditability of public institutions, and that if the PM had not stepped in, there is a possibility that the public might perceive Minister Vivian Balakrishnan to be making a personal attack against the Workers’ Party.