Stop kidding yourself. Desmond and Kenneth will prove from this election that WP better not fuck around otherwise they will move in on Aljunied and Hougang and take away enough disgruntled opposition votes to return the two constituencies to the PAP.
One must always negotiate and bargain from a position of strength. That's Negotiation 101.
Of course you can also bluff, as in poker. And LKY used to do that back in the 60s and 70s. If someone had called his bluffs, he would have been caught out, then he had to pay for an expensive tuition lesson, if not with his freedom or even life. TT Durai tried to be like LKY and tried that on SPH and SPH called his bluff and he lost everything.
So if you are weak, you can try to gamble. But if you have a weak hand, and others can see it, better to close your cards and live to fight another day - in a stronger position.