I won't be surprised if this was all pre-planned beforehand and Calvin Cheng replayed the role of the 'bad cop'. The Tiongs call this 唱双簧.
You see this in pro-wrestling too, the babyface vs the heel, you get sucked into the storyline and support the babyface. But in the backstage, the babyface and the heel are the best of friends.
This is the result of money politics - groupthink. No Pappy dares to risk his million dollar salary to speak up for S'poreans unless his masters direct him/her to do so.