Singapore's past two transitions of political leadership were gradual and, as they turned out, fairly uneventful. Its current leaders are striving to ensure the next one is as smooth. But this is not a given, especially as it comes with two years to go - perhaps less - before a general election that will not be as easy for the party as in 2015, when it secured a strong 69.9 per cent vote share.

There is no shortage of examples to show how rapidly voters' moods change, or how major parties can split.