Not that simple, I feel. Why don't Paul Tambyah also ravish praise on LLL. I am sure he would be asked to comment. He's not diplomatic?
It's the same thing. If VW or PT is announced and Yee JJ says something like "VW is an outstanding candidate", I won't think it's diplomacy.
It's "lavish praise" on LLL.
If we say that Paul Thambyah "ravishes" LLL, it's a nice way of saying that Paul Thambyah is fucking LLL. That one I got to see.
It's true that it's not always good to praise your opponent. It is the way that you do it. Ang Yong Guan didn't praise LLL, he praised the decision to field her. Usually the right way is "their candidates have good qualities but ours is better". If the WP have done something correct, then it is alright to acknowledge it a bit if you don't go too far. Barack Obama praised Mitt Romney for being "hardworking and disciplined" but I don't think that that sends a message "therefore you should vote for him".