“One consideration (of the PAP) is that many people might decide to interpret the by-election as a referendum on the government and what it has done after the general election,” political analyst Derek da Cunha said. “A further erosion of the PAP’s vote in Hougang – which cannot be discounted – would be an embarrassing result,” he said.
But delaying a by-election for too long or opting against one – leaving about 25,000 voters without parliamentary representation for up to four and a half years – will invite further criticism and hurt Mr. Lee’s public standing, analysts say. Full story
