SINGAPORE: Political party Red Dot United (RDU) can offer a “fighting chance” against the People’s Action Party (PAP) in the six constituencies it plans to contest in the upcoming General Election (GE).
This is what the opposition party's founder and secretary-general Ravi Philemon told members of the media on Saturday (Mar 15).
“The last (GE), we knew we were not going to be elected into parliament, nobody elects a three-week old party into parliament,” the 56-year-old said.
“I think in the past five years we have built enough brand, we have enough good people … in 2020, we were an 11-man party, in 2025, we have 250 people … we think we can offer a fighting chance with the PAP,” the veteran media practitioner said.
In the GE2020, Mr Philemon led his RDU team against the PAP-held Jurong Group Representation Constituency (GRC) led by now-President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, attaining 25.39 per cent of the vote.
RDU’s heaviest losses then were at the Taman Jurong ward, which was one of five wards in Jurong GRC and then under Mr Tharman. However, the party thinks it is "unfair" that the ward has been hived off from the new GRC they aim to contest in - Jurong East-Bukit Batok - pointing out how they had put “a lot of work” into the ward.
Mr Philemon was speaking to the media after a porridge distribution event on Saturday afternoon at Bukit Batok East Avenue 4, which was formerly part of Jurong GRC but is now part of Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC.
Just a few metres away, the MP for the area, Ms Rahayu Mahzam, and her team were also distributing porridge to residents.
She is also minister of state for the Ministry of Digital Development and Information and the Ministry of Health.
Mr Ravi said he had planned the event even before the release of the GE2025 boundaries report, but had only found out a day prior that Ms Rahayu’s team planned to hold her event at a similar location.
The two exchanged greetings briefly between their respective porridge distributions.
Red Dot United Secretary-General Ravi Philemon shook hands with People's Action Party MP Rahayu Mahzam during their Ramadan porridge distribution which happened to be side by side of one another at Bukit Batok East on Mar 15, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Raydza Rahman)
Speaking to the media, Ms Rahayu said she was “not surprised” to see Mr Philemon and his party, noting that they had also contested the constituency in the 2020 General Election.
Asked if she would run in the same constituency in the upcoming election, Ms Rahayu said: “I’m here now. For us honestly, it’s still business as usual so we’ll still carry on.
“Of course, I feel affection for my residents and the familiarity … but I do believe at the end of the day, it is a collective work.”
On whether contesting the election would be more challenging given that Bukit Batok SMC will merge with parts of Jurong GRC to form the new Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, Ms Rahayu said: “We have had one town council … and we are actually very close as a Jurong family … so it’s not uncomfortable.
“It’s almost natural, and I can’t say it’s more challenging because we have always looked at things collectively.”
The 2025 General Election will be the first in more than two decades where Mr Tharman, previously anchor minister for Jurong GRC and MP for the Taman Jurong ward, is not contesting, after he was elected as Singapore’s head of state in 2023.
“Of course we miss him, and of course residents miss him very much,” Ms Rahayu said. “At the start, I’m sure there was a lot of anxiety.”
Still, she noted that Mr Tharman had built a “very good team” at his ward in Taman Jurong, and party members have continued their efforts to maintain those efforts.
While there has been speculation that Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu – currently MP for Yuhua SMC – could be positioned as the anchor minister for the new Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, Ms Rahayu said: “We are very grateful for the guidance that she has provided. She’s also been there for a long time.
“For me, she’s always benefitted me with her insights and her support, and I’m very happy with whatever (support) she’s given so far.
“We take guidance for the future but like I said, it’s really something to be seen. As far as we are concerned, it’s BAU (business as usual).”
Red Dot United Secretary-General Ravi Philemon shook hands with People's Action Party MP Rahayu Mahzam during their Ramadan porridge distribution which happened to be side by side of one another at Bukit Batok East on Mar 15, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Raydza Rahman)
Mr Philemon said that after a relatively poor showing at the Taman Jurong ward in the GE2020, his team decided to double down its engagement efforts there over the past few years.
“I mean, Taman Jurong is 'Tharman' Jurong,” he quipped.
“When these results came out, we decided that we need to do a lot more work in Taman Jurong.”
He said that since Mr Tharman stepped down from his member of parliament (MP) role and was elected as president in 2023, residents told him and other RDU members that “now we have a better chance, better reason to elect an opposition”.
He said that even during walkabouts at Taman Jurong, he felt that residents had become warmer towards his members and volunteers after Mr Tharman stepped down.
“We did most of our work in Taman Jurong … of course, if you ask me if it’s fair to us, I will say that it’s not fair.”
Red Dot United volunteers distributing Ramadan porridges to the residents at Bukit Batok East on Mar 15, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Raydza Rahman)
Soon after the electoral boundaries report was released, the party signalled its intention to run in six constituencies: Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, Jurong Central Single-Member Constituency (SMC), Nee Soon GRC, Jalan Kayu SMC, Tanjong Pagar GRC and Radin Mas SMC.
Asked if there was potential for three-cornered fights, Mr Philemon said that he has been in talks with other opposition parties to try to prevent this.
“It’s in no one’s interest to have three-cornered fights (which) is likely to benefit the incumbents in many ways, so opposition unity is key,” he said.
Bukit Batok SMC, which was closely contested by Singapore Democratic Party’s Chee Soon Juan in GE2020, was absorbed into Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC for the upcoming GE.
Asked if he had spoken to Dr Chee about how they would handle this situation, Mr Philemon said: “It’s best not to disclose who we have been speaking to right now, but it will eventually come (out).”
As for which candidates he will field, Mr Philemon said that he has a list of over 20 potential candidates consisting of academics and professionals.
One such potential candidate is 56-year-old Pang Heng Chuan, who is a director at an international tech start-up that produces smart street lamps.
Red Dot United candidate Pang Heng Chuan speaking to the media during a walkabout at Bukit Batok East on Mar 15, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Raydza Rahman)
He had volunteered with the party during GE2020 and joined soon after that, walking the ground at Radin Mas, Tanjong Pagar, Nee Soon and at Jurong.
Asked about his strategy to make himself known to residents - being a new face in a young political party - Mr Pang said: “Since the last election five years ago, we haven’t been idle. We have been walking on the ground.
“So what we felt is that we have connected to the residents … and we do want to make their voices heard in parliament.”
Mr Pang said the party has also “gradually” stepped up its engagement efforts on the ground. While it held activities about once a month after GE2020, the team now hits the ground about twice a week on average.
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This is what the opposition party's founder and secretary-general Ravi Philemon told members of the media on Saturday (Mar 15).
“The last (GE), we knew we were not going to be elected into parliament, nobody elects a three-week old party into parliament,” the 56-year-old said.
“I think in the past five years we have built enough brand, we have enough good people … in 2020, we were an 11-man party, in 2025, we have 250 people … we think we can offer a fighting chance with the PAP,” the veteran media practitioner said.
In the GE2020, Mr Philemon led his RDU team against the PAP-held Jurong Group Representation Constituency (GRC) led by now-President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, attaining 25.39 per cent of the vote.
RDU’s heaviest losses then were at the Taman Jurong ward, which was one of five wards in Jurong GRC and then under Mr Tharman. However, the party thinks it is "unfair" that the ward has been hived off from the new GRC they aim to contest in - Jurong East-Bukit Batok - pointing out how they had put “a lot of work” into the ward.
Mr Philemon was speaking to the media after a porridge distribution event on Saturday afternoon at Bukit Batok East Avenue 4, which was formerly part of Jurong GRC but is now part of Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC.
Just a few metres away, the MP for the area, Ms Rahayu Mahzam, and her team were also distributing porridge to residents.
She is also minister of state for the Ministry of Digital Development and Information and the Ministry of Health.
Mr Ravi said he had planned the event even before the release of the GE2025 boundaries report, but had only found out a day prior that Ms Rahayu’s team planned to hold her event at a similar location.
The two exchanged greetings briefly between their respective porridge distributions.
Red Dot United Secretary-General Ravi Philemon shook hands with People's Action Party MP Rahayu Mahzam during their Ramadan porridge distribution which happened to be side by side of one another at Bukit Batok East on Mar 15, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Raydza Rahman)
‘BUSINESS AS USUAL’
Speaking to the media, Ms Rahayu said she was “not surprised” to see Mr Philemon and his party, noting that they had also contested the constituency in the 2020 General Election.
Asked if she would run in the same constituency in the upcoming election, Ms Rahayu said: “I’m here now. For us honestly, it’s still business as usual so we’ll still carry on.
“Of course, I feel affection for my residents and the familiarity … but I do believe at the end of the day, it is a collective work.”
On whether contesting the election would be more challenging given that Bukit Batok SMC will merge with parts of Jurong GRC to form the new Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, Ms Rahayu said: “We have had one town council … and we are actually very close as a Jurong family … so it’s not uncomfortable.
“It’s almost natural, and I can’t say it’s more challenging because we have always looked at things collectively.”
The 2025 General Election will be the first in more than two decades where Mr Tharman, previously anchor minister for Jurong GRC and MP for the Taman Jurong ward, is not contesting, after he was elected as Singapore’s head of state in 2023.
“Of course we miss him, and of course residents miss him very much,” Ms Rahayu said. “At the start, I’m sure there was a lot of anxiety.”
Still, she noted that Mr Tharman had built a “very good team” at his ward in Taman Jurong, and party members have continued their efforts to maintain those efforts.
While there has been speculation that Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu – currently MP for Yuhua SMC – could be positioned as the anchor minister for the new Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, Ms Rahayu said: “We are very grateful for the guidance that she has provided. She’s also been there for a long time.
“For me, she’s always benefitted me with her insights and her support, and I’m very happy with whatever (support) she’s given so far.
“We take guidance for the future but like I said, it’s really something to be seen. As far as we are concerned, it’s BAU (business as usual).”
Red Dot United Secretary-General Ravi Philemon shook hands with People's Action Party MP Rahayu Mahzam during their Ramadan porridge distribution which happened to be side by side of one another at Bukit Batok East on Mar 15, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Raydza Rahman)
"UNFAIR" THAT TAMAN JURONG NOT PART OF JURONG EAST-BUKIT BATOK GRC
Mr Philemon said that after a relatively poor showing at the Taman Jurong ward in the GE2020, his team decided to double down its engagement efforts there over the past few years.
“I mean, Taman Jurong is 'Tharman' Jurong,” he quipped.
“When these results came out, we decided that we need to do a lot more work in Taman Jurong.”
He said that since Mr Tharman stepped down from his member of parliament (MP) role and was elected as president in 2023, residents told him and other RDU members that “now we have a better chance, better reason to elect an opposition”.
He said that even during walkabouts at Taman Jurong, he felt that residents had become warmer towards his members and volunteers after Mr Tharman stepped down.
“We did most of our work in Taman Jurong … of course, if you ask me if it’s fair to us, I will say that it’s not fair.”
Red Dot United volunteers distributing Ramadan porridges to the residents at Bukit Batok East on Mar 15, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Raydza Rahman)
GEARING UP FOR THE HUSTINGS
Soon after the electoral boundaries report was released, the party signalled its intention to run in six constituencies: Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, Jurong Central Single-Member Constituency (SMC), Nee Soon GRC, Jalan Kayu SMC, Tanjong Pagar GRC and Radin Mas SMC.
Asked if there was potential for three-cornered fights, Mr Philemon said that he has been in talks with other opposition parties to try to prevent this.
“It’s in no one’s interest to have three-cornered fights (which) is likely to benefit the incumbents in many ways, so opposition unity is key,” he said.
Bukit Batok SMC, which was closely contested by Singapore Democratic Party’s Chee Soon Juan in GE2020, was absorbed into Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC for the upcoming GE.
Asked if he had spoken to Dr Chee about how they would handle this situation, Mr Philemon said: “It’s best not to disclose who we have been speaking to right now, but it will eventually come (out).”
As for which candidates he will field, Mr Philemon said that he has a list of over 20 potential candidates consisting of academics and professionals.
One such potential candidate is 56-year-old Pang Heng Chuan, who is a director at an international tech start-up that produces smart street lamps.
Red Dot United candidate Pang Heng Chuan speaking to the media during a walkabout at Bukit Batok East on Mar 15, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Raydza Rahman)
He had volunteered with the party during GE2020 and joined soon after that, walking the ground at Radin Mas, Tanjong Pagar, Nee Soon and at Jurong.
Asked about his strategy to make himself known to residents - being a new face in a young political party - Mr Pang said: “Since the last election five years ago, we haven’t been idle. We have been walking on the ground.
“So what we felt is that we have connected to the residents … and we do want to make their voices heard in parliament.”
Mr Pang said the party has also “gradually” stepped up its engagement efforts on the ground. While it held activities about once a month after GE2020, the team now hits the ground about twice a week on average.
Continue reading...