TCB could afford to disregard the Whip and oppose the Bill because he was no tailcoat MP. He has his grassroot support in Ayer Rajah would voted for the name TCB rather than the party PAP. A huge chunk of Ayer Rajah is Hong Leong Garden, where the rich people of the west live and between them own huge chunks of factories in Jurong, Tuas and elsewhere. These are the people who has formed the backbone of TCB support since the beginning of his first term as MP all the way to his PE bid. There's nothing the Whip could do to him unless PAP was prepared to lose Ayer Rajah or even worse. Most of the other PAP MPs rely on the party name to win elections.