SINGAPORE: Red Dot United’s (RDU) secretary-general, Ravi Philemon, has warned that multi-corner fights in the upcoming general election would only undermine the interests of opposition parties. This statement comes on the heels of several opposition parties staking claims on various constituencies following the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee’s report released on Mar 11.
Mr Philemon emphasised that avoiding multi-corner fights and putting a straight contest between the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) and an opposition candidate would be more effective. The concern is that multi-corner fights would not only lead to a split in opposition votes, ultimately benefiting the ruling party, but also waste resources, including election expenses.
Among the constituencies that RDU have set sights on are the three Group Representation Constituency (GRC), Jurong East-Bukit Batok, Nee Soon, and Tanjong Pagar, as well as three Single Member Constituency (SMC), Jurong Central, Jalan Kayu and Radin Mas.
The People’s Power Party (PPP), led by Mr Goh Meng Seng, is also eyeing several of the above constituencies, including Nee Soon GRC and Jalan Kayu SMC. However, after a discussion between the two party leaders from PPP and RDU, Mr Goh has graciously decided to give way to his ‘good friend’ Mr Ravi to form a team and contest at Nee Soon GRC.
This decision comes after Mr Goh said that the PAP is unlikely to field an LGBT activist as a candidate at Nee Soon GRC.
“For the time being, I do not think that the PAP would actually carry out the intention of fielding this LGBTQ activist as a candidate in Nee Soon GRC, and we felt that opposition unity is important.
“If there is a way of reconciliation between parties, we are very glad that we will talk about it, and indeed, I have had several conversations with Mr Ravi Philemon of RDU, and we have come to the conclusion that it is time for us to actually move on and let RDU have a clean fight in Nee Soon GRC,” said PPP’s secretary-general Mr Goh during a joint media conference with RDU on Saturday, Mar 22.
“I want to thank Mr Goh and PPP for conceding Nee Soon to RDU. Both of us have worked the ground. Both of us know what our strengths are, and RDU will do our best to win Nee Soon GRC for a cause that we believe in,” shared Mr Ravi to the media.
Nee Soon GRC was previously contested by the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) in the 2020 general election. They garnered 38.10% against PAP’s team led by Law Minister K Shanmugam.
However, the PSP has been muted in their community outreach in the area in recent months. A check on PSP’s Nee Soon Facebook page showed that their last activity in the constituency was in November 2023.
RDU’s team lead for Jalan Kayu and Jurong Central
RDU has also recently introduced their team leads, Ms Kala Manickam and RDU central executive council member Madam Emily Woo for Jalan Kayu and Jurong Central SMCs, respectively, during a walkabout to both constituencies.
“What attracted me to them (RDU), is that they are looking into issues in a more fairer manner for Singaporeans and also to give a very inclusive Singapore. They are actually listening to the people on the ground, and they take very prompt actions,” said Ms Kala to the media during her first walkabout with RDU in the newly carved-out Jalan Kayu SMC on Mar 21.
“Any emails or any calls we receive, we are actually on the ground to actually attend to them, so I see that’s one part of it, that’s one aspect of it, and we have a lot of maturity among the team in terms of how they listen to even our younger volunteers. I like the openness and consultative way they do things,” added the 57-year-old specialist educator.
Ms Kala contested Nee Soon GRC during the 2020 election with the Progress Singapore Party (PSP). She sued the PSP after the election for wrongful termination of her membership as a party member.
“Experience plays a part, and I want to say (thankful) that I had an opportunity with PSP to contest in Nee Soon. That opportunity and experience I gained on the ground was even more amazing because I was in Chong Pang against Minister Shanmugam. That is a courageous move that we took to be in that constituency,” shared Ms Kala.
As for Madam Woo, she is currently a resident in the Jurong Central constituency and held her first walkabout in that area with the party on Sunday, Mar 23. She was joined by fellow party leaders, including Mr Ravi and council members Mr Fazli Talip, Harish Mohanadas and Ms Liyana Dhamirah.
“I have been heavily involved in my community in the outreach work for a very very long time, from the Loving Heart (Multi-Service Centre) to the Active Ageing Centres, so I interact very frequently with the residents here,” said Madam Woo to the media after her engagement with the residents at Jurong Central SMC.
“In the coming weeks, we will hope to accelerate our activities and our engagement, so most of them are very concerned with the cost of living. We are also very mindful of the topic (on) the employment issue. Why I am coming forward is because being an older Singaporean, I understand first-hand how difficult it is to get jobs on a regular basis.”
Although RDU has appointed team leads for Jalan Kayu and Jurong Central SMCs, party chief Mr Philemon is keeping his cards close to his chest, saying it’s premature to confirm whether they will be the party’s candidates for the upcoming general election in those constituencies.