SINGAPORE: Red Dot United (RDU) party chief Ravi Philemon questioned on Thursday (Apr 3) if it is “ethically right” for a Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) to contest in a General Election as a member of a political party.
Speaking to journalists during a walkabout at Yishun Park Hawker Centre on Thursday evening, Mr Philemon said residents are concerned about an NMP possibly being “parachuted” into Nee Soon GRC.
Singapore’s Constitution expressly provides for an NMP to join a political party after they resign from their position, Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said on Mar 31.
Dr Syed Harun Taha Alhabsyi, as well as Mr Raj Joshua Thomas, resigned from their NMP roles on Feb 14, fuelling speculation that they could contest in this year’s General Election.
Mr Thomas has confirmed that he joined the People’s Action Party (PAP) as a member, while Dr Syed Harun has been spotted alongside Mr Shanmugam, who helms the ruling party’s Nee Soon GRC team, and other members of the PAP team at recent community events.
Referring to what Mr Shanmugam said on the matter, Mr Philemon said there is “nothing legally wrong” with an NMP joining a political party and that it is “constitutionally right”.
“But there is a difference between what’s legally right, what’s constitutionally right, what’s ethically right, what is principled and what is fair,” he added.
Dr Syed Harun, who was also on a walkabout at Yishun Ring Hawker Centre with PAP members and volunteers on Thursday evening, shook hands with Mr Philemon when their paths crossed.
When asked to address concerns about his former NMP status, Dr Syed Harun said that his candidature in the upcoming General Election is “still not firm” and will be up to the prime minister.
When pressed, he said he had no further comments on the matter. “We’ll address it at some point,” he added.
If an NMP is fielded in Nee Soon GRC, they, as well as the team’s anchor minister, must answer questions about when they stopped “being non-partisan”, said Mr Philemon.
“Was he asked to ask some inconvenient questions in parliament by the ministers or by those that are affiliated with the incumbent? Did he comply with these wishes?” he added.
Members of the People’s Action Party and of Red Dot United meet during a walkabout at Yishun Park Hawker Centre on Apr 3, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Mak Jia Kee)
Mr Philemon went on to compare the NMP issue with the legality of ministers renting black-and-white colonial bungalows on Ridout Road.
There is “absolutely nothing wrong” with this, he said. “But is it fair? It’s not a question of if people are jealous that the minister is able to move into a Ridout bungalow.
“But the question to ask is, while the minister can live in a bungalow which is the size of four, five football fields, why are our HDB flats shrinking in size? It’s a legitimate concern to us.”
Mr Shanmugam rents 26 Ridout Road while Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan rents 31 Ridout Road. During a parliamentary debate on the matter in July 2023, then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said both ministers did nothing wrong in their rental of the two state properties for personal use.
Investigations, including by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing or preferential treatment given to the two ministers.
An investigation report by Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean also found that both ministers conducted themselves properly in the rental transactions and took appropriate steps to avoid any conflict of interest.
At the time, Mr Shanmugam said he rented the Ridout property after deciding to put his family home up for sale, and had rented out the latter while deciding on the sale.
He said he was “not making any money from the difference” in rents by renting out his family home and living at 26 Ridout Road.
Dr Balakrishnan explained that he had wanted to bring his entire extended family together under one roof while his grandchildren were still young. He first rented 31 Ridout Road in 2019 and renewed his lease three years later.
The scrutiny over the rental of two black-and-white colonial bungalows along Ridout Road by Mr Shanmugam and Dr Balakrishnan first arose in early May 2023, following a series of online articles by opposition politician and Reform Party chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam.
Mr Jeyaretnam had questioned in his articles if the ministers were “paying less than the fair market value” for the properties.
Red Dot United's secretary-general Ravi Philemon with Dr Syed Alwi Ahmad, Mr Eddy Tan and Mr Pang Heng Chuan, speaking to the media during a walkabout at Yishun Park Hawker Centre on Apr 3, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Mak Jia Kee)
If elected into parliament, RDU will call on the government to revert the Goods and Services Tax (GST) to 7 per cent, said Mr Philemon, when asked about the party’s plans to address cost of living concerns.
RDU has also asked for carbon tax to be abolished, he said, adding that utilities companies are “pushing it down” to the people in their utility bills. Singapore raised its carbon tax to S$25 per tonne for greenhouse gas emissions in 2024 and 2025, and will raise it to S$45 per tonne for greenhouse gas emissions in 2026 and beyond.
“Instead, what should be done is the utilities companies should be made to pay for this carbon pollution. It is them who are polluting the environment more than ordinary residents,” said Mr Philemon.
The party will officially launch their campaign for the upcoming General Election on Apr 13, he added.
Independent researcher Dr Syed Alwi Ahmad, IT professional Mr Eddy Tan and director at an international tech start-up Mr Pang Heng Chuan were also present with Mr Philemon on Thursday. All three sit on RDU’s central executive committee as councillors.
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Speaking to journalists during a walkabout at Yishun Park Hawker Centre on Thursday evening, Mr Philemon said residents are concerned about an NMP possibly being “parachuted” into Nee Soon GRC.
Singapore’s Constitution expressly provides for an NMP to join a political party after they resign from their position, Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said on Mar 31.
Dr Syed Harun Taha Alhabsyi, as well as Mr Raj Joshua Thomas, resigned from their NMP roles on Feb 14, fuelling speculation that they could contest in this year’s General Election.
Mr Thomas has confirmed that he joined the People’s Action Party (PAP) as a member, while Dr Syed Harun has been spotted alongside Mr Shanmugam, who helms the ruling party’s Nee Soon GRC team, and other members of the PAP team at recent community events.
Referring to what Mr Shanmugam said on the matter, Mr Philemon said there is “nothing legally wrong” with an NMP joining a political party and that it is “constitutionally right”.
“But there is a difference between what’s legally right, what’s constitutionally right, what’s ethically right, what is principled and what is fair,” he added.
Dr Syed Harun, who was also on a walkabout at Yishun Ring Hawker Centre with PAP members and volunteers on Thursday evening, shook hands with Mr Philemon when their paths crossed.
When asked to address concerns about his former NMP status, Dr Syed Harun said that his candidature in the upcoming General Election is “still not firm” and will be up to the prime minister.
When pressed, he said he had no further comments on the matter. “We’ll address it at some point,” he added.
If an NMP is fielded in Nee Soon GRC, they, as well as the team’s anchor minister, must answer questions about when they stopped “being non-partisan”, said Mr Philemon.
“Was he asked to ask some inconvenient questions in parliament by the ministers or by those that are affiliated with the incumbent? Did he comply with these wishes?” he added.
Members of the People’s Action Party and of Red Dot United meet during a walkabout at Yishun Park Hawker Centre on Apr 3, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Mak Jia Kee)
RIDOUT ROAD
Mr Philemon went on to compare the NMP issue with the legality of ministers renting black-and-white colonial bungalows on Ridout Road.
There is “absolutely nothing wrong” with this, he said. “But is it fair? It’s not a question of if people are jealous that the minister is able to move into a Ridout bungalow.
“But the question to ask is, while the minister can live in a bungalow which is the size of four, five football fields, why are our HDB flats shrinking in size? It’s a legitimate concern to us.”
Mr Shanmugam rents 26 Ridout Road while Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan rents 31 Ridout Road. During a parliamentary debate on the matter in July 2023, then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said both ministers did nothing wrong in their rental of the two state properties for personal use.
Investigations, including by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing or preferential treatment given to the two ministers.
An investigation report by Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean also found that both ministers conducted themselves properly in the rental transactions and took appropriate steps to avoid any conflict of interest.
At the time, Mr Shanmugam said he rented the Ridout property after deciding to put his family home up for sale, and had rented out the latter while deciding on the sale.
He said he was “not making any money from the difference” in rents by renting out his family home and living at 26 Ridout Road.
Dr Balakrishnan explained that he had wanted to bring his entire extended family together under one roof while his grandchildren were still young. He first rented 31 Ridout Road in 2019 and renewed his lease three years later.
The scrutiny over the rental of two black-and-white colonial bungalows along Ridout Road by Mr Shanmugam and Dr Balakrishnan first arose in early May 2023, following a series of online articles by opposition politician and Reform Party chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam.
Mr Jeyaretnam had questioned in his articles if the ministers were “paying less than the fair market value” for the properties.
Red Dot United's secretary-general Ravi Philemon with Dr Syed Alwi Ahmad, Mr Eddy Tan and Mr Pang Heng Chuan, speaking to the media during a walkabout at Yishun Park Hawker Centre on Apr 3, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Mak Jia Kee)
If elected into parliament, RDU will call on the government to revert the Goods and Services Tax (GST) to 7 per cent, said Mr Philemon, when asked about the party’s plans to address cost of living concerns.
RDU has also asked for carbon tax to be abolished, he said, adding that utilities companies are “pushing it down” to the people in their utility bills. Singapore raised its carbon tax to S$25 per tonne for greenhouse gas emissions in 2024 and 2025, and will raise it to S$45 per tonne for greenhouse gas emissions in 2026 and beyond.
“Instead, what should be done is the utilities companies should be made to pay for this carbon pollution. It is them who are polluting the environment more than ordinary residents,” said Mr Philemon.
The party will officially launch their campaign for the upcoming General Election on Apr 13, he added.
Independent researcher Dr Syed Alwi Ahmad, IT professional Mr Eddy Tan and director at an international tech start-up Mr Pang Heng Chuan were also present with Mr Philemon on Thursday. All three sit on RDU’s central executive committee as councillors.
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