Both sides will need to raise their game

• Main Author: EUGENE, Tan K. B.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2012
• Subjects: Asian Studies; Election Law; Social Influence and Political Communication
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sol_research/3770; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/sol_research/article/5728/viewcontent/TODAY_20120529_1.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

Now that the Hougang by-election is over, the Workers' Party (WP) and the People's Action Party (PAP) will conduct their post-mortems. SMU Assistant Professor Eugene Tan wrote that ?Among the key questions would be how they campaigned and how they can deal with the issues that the hustings threw up. For the WP, how can it keep Hougang in its fold and grow the famed "Hougang Spirit"? How can it be less reliant on its charismatic leader Low Thia Khiang? For the PAP, how can it make significant gains and be more competitive in Hougang?? He concludes that what the PAP and the Opposition do between now and the next GE will provide a firmer indication of the direction and substance of political change in Singapore.