GE2025: Red Dot United to contest Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, introduces three potential candidates
[SINGAPORE] Opposition party Red Dot United (RDU) on Thursday (April 10) announced its plans to contest Holland-Bukit Timah GRC in the upcoming election.
The party also introduced three potential candidates, whom it said would lead the team in the four-member group representation constituency: financial consultant Fazli Talip, 43, assistant engineer Sharad Kumar, 25, and business owner Patrick Tan, 70. It is not clear who the fourth member will be.
Of the three, two are political newcomers.
Sharad and Tan are being fielded in a general election for the first time.
Fazli had contested East Coast GRC in the 2011 polls on the WP ticket.
The candidates were introduced by RDU secretary-general Ravi Philemon on the evening of April 10 at Senja Hawker Centre. He also said the party’s campaign for the GRC is themed Fair Value for All.
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Holland-Bukit Timah GRC has 122,891 voters in total. There are many private home dwellers in the area.
About 46 per cent of its households live in landed properties and private estates, far higher than the national average of about 27 per cent.
An RDU party spokesman said the party promises to push for a “fairer system” where “every Singaporean, not just the most privileged, can feel secure and valued”.
This is the first time RDU is contesting in the GRC. This means it will enter a battlefield which has seen a face-off between the ruling PAP and the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) for three straight elections.
The GRC was not one of the six constituencies RDU earlier announced it would contest, which were Nee Soon GRC, Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, Tanjong Pagar GRC, and the Jurong Central, Jalan Kayu and Radin Mas SMCs.
Flanked by about 12 party members and volunteers, Philemon told the media that Holland-Bukit Timah GRC was an “important piece of the puzzle” which connects Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC to Nee Soon GRC.
“It makes strategic sense for us to contest Holland-Bukit Timah GRC. It’ll be easier for the flow of logistics, it’ll be easier for the flow of (administration),” said Philemon.
He said if it contests this GRC, RDU will no longer field candidates in Tanjong Pagar GRC and Radin Mas SMC.
Philemon added that he wanted to be “honest with the residents” and acknowledged that the party is unfamiliar with Holland-Bukit Timah GRC.
Going forward, the party plans to speak with residents and SDP to understand municipal issues in the area, he added.
Fazli said he wants to speak for retirees living in private estates who have little or no income.
He said: “You don’t have to live in a rental flat to feel poor. There are families in private estates with little income and no support. It’s time we stop judging need by postcode.”
Sharad, who works at manufacturing firm Applied Materials, said he was concerned about issues such as mental health and the climate crisis. He wants more accountability from corporations and the Government on such matters.
Meanwhile, Tan, who owns a business selling convenience goods, hopes to advocate stronger government support for local businesses.
In each of the last three electoral contests with SDP, the PAP came out on top. In 2020, PAP won 66.36 per cent of the vote and in 2015, it won 66.6 per cent. In 2011, the PAP got 60.08 per cent of votes.
RDU’s announcement came after SDP chairman Paul Tambyah said on April 8 that his party was uncertain about fielding a team in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC for the upcoming polls.
He said they were “evaluating whether we have enough good candidates”, and said SDP is still interviewing potential candidates both within and outside the party.
Professor Tambyah also revealed that SDP had received calls from secretaries-general of two other political parties keen on contesting the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, but did not state which parties.
Philemon said they spoke to SDP’s leadership when they heard that the latter was uncertain about fielding candidates in the GRC, but gave the caveat that negotiations were still ongoing.
He said: “If SDP is not contesting here... it will mean that they are passing the baton to us, and we intend to run a good race.”
If other parties do not enter the fray, RDU will face a straight fight against the PAP team led by Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, and which includes Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and National Development Sim Ann, MPs Christopher de Souza and Edward Chia.
Philemon acknowledged there was a “real challenge” as Dr Balakrishnan had been “entrenched” in the GRC, but did not want to comment on RDU’s chances in the GRC.
But he added: “I think a new broom sweeps better.”
On April 5, RDU introduced three potential candidates for the five-member Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC: entrepreneur and author Liyana Dhamirah, contemporary artist Ben Puah and principal software engineer Harish Mohanadas.
RDU confirmed its stake in Nee Soon GRC earlier in March, after the People’s Power Party (PPP) stepped aside to avoid a three-cornered fight with the PAP, but has yet to unveil its slate for the GRC.
On the SMC front, RDU introduced piano teacher Emily Woo, 59, and Kala Manickam, an educator and a former Singapore Armed Forces officer, as its team leads for Jurong Central and Jalan Kayu respectively.
Philemon said his party would focus on issues such as the cost of living and fair representation by MPs. It will also call for the goods and services tax to be reverted to 7 per cent, and for Singapore’s carbon tax to be abolished.
RDU was Singapore’s youngest political party during the 2020 election and contested only in Jurong GRC.
A team – then barely three weeks old – led by Philemon went up against the PAP team in Jurong GRC, which included then Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam. RDU garnered 25.39 per cent of the vote. THE STRAITS TIMES
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