SMU Associate Professor of Law and NMP Eugene Tan pointed out that since the 1984 general election, the People’s Action Party (PAP) has been on the lookout for elites to join its ranks. He also said that since the withdrawal of Barisan Socialis from Parliament in 1966, and the PAP’s clean sweep of the seats in 1968, PAP has become less concerned with recruiting candidates from the grassroots. This has gradually led to people having the impression that it is more concerned with the elite, and that it has forgotten that it is not only the ruling party, but a political party with a wide-based social foundation. Associate Prof Tan is of the opinion that even high-calibre candidates who are of humble origins like Dr Koh Poh Koon may not satisfy voters as they perceive that PAP favours the strategy of parachuting in candidates. He believes the PAP has to march together with the people in the journey forward, and not just lead them. Only by doing so will it be seen as a party formed by the masses for the masses.