SINGAPORE: Although the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) contested Nee Soon GRC in the previous election, Red Dot United (RDU) has been intensifying its engagement in the area, signalling a potential challenge to the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) in the next election.
RDU has also created a dedicated community Facebook page for Nee Soon. This move indicates the party’s growing interest in the constituency, currently led by Law Minister K. Shanmugam.
In the 2020 General Election, PAP’s team of K. Shanmugam, Derrick Goh, Carrie Tan, Louis Ng, and Faishal Ibrahim garnered 61.90% of the votes against PSP’s Kala Manickam, Brad Bowyer, Taufik Supan, Nallakaruppan, and Damien Tay.
Law Minister Shanmugam has been serving the Chong Pang ward since 1988, when he was first elected to office in Sembawang GRC alongside Charles Chong and former president Tony Tan.
In 2011, the five-member Nee Soon GRC was formed, which included Shanmugam’s Chong Pang ward. The WP contested against the PAP in Nee Soon GRC at the 2011 and 2015 elections.
RDU recently shared on the “RDU Nee Soon” Facebook page their engagement with the residents at Nee Soon GRC during one of their visits to a coffeeshop opposite Khatib MRT earlier this month.
The interaction with the residents sparked a conversation about the rising cost of living and job security, as well as increasing unaffordability of everyday expenses like food and transportation.
“…we also listened to stories that reflect deeper concerns. Some older residents told us they rarely eat out these days—not because they don’t want to, but because it’s increasingly unaffordable. Even a simple kopi-o kosong now costs $1.20 to $1.50 at some coffeeshops,” posted Red Dot United on social media.
RDU, formed prior to the previous election, also spoke to a man in his mid-50s who had well-paying senior positions overseas, and despite his qualifications and experience he was not able to find a comparable job here upon his return to Singapore during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“To make ends meet, he now juggles gig work, driving for Grab and Tada, and freelance jobs. He shared how the rising cost of living and financial stress have taken a toll on his family’s quality of life and mental well-being,” shared the RDU Nee Soon team.
In August, the party launched its “Town Council Management Plan” during their National Day celebration at Jurong GRC. According to RDU, the plan represents a resident-centric town council and their commitment to effective and transparent governance, as well as outlining their approach to managing town councils that prioritises the needs and voices of the residents.
The key components of RDU’s “Town Council Management Plan” includes, transparency and accountability, community engagement, efficient resource utilisation, quality of life enhancements, responsive customer service, and sustainable practices.
“Our Town Council Management Plan should reassure voters that, if elected in the upcoming General Election, we have the knowledge and expertise to manage their town councils, perhaps more effectively than the incumbents,” said RDU’s secretary-general Philemon during the launch in August.
The party also introduced key members of their town council transition committee. This includes RDU’s secretary-general ravi Philemon; Emily Woo a resident of Jurong GRC who is actively engaged in community events; Harish Mohanadas, a principal software engineer; Nicholas Tang, a graduate of King’s College London and a senior legal engineer at an international law firm; and Pang Cheng Huang, who has experience in strategic planning and financial oversight.
In the 2020 election, RDU only contested in Jurong GRC led by its secretary-general Philemon, garnering 25.39% of the votes. Since the election, the opposition party has been spotted at other constituencies including Tanjong Pagar GRC, and Radin Mas SMC.
In that election, PSP contested Tanjong Pagar GRC while Kumar Appavoo from the Reform Party contested in Radin Mas. PAP won both constituencies, 63.10% and 74.01% in Tanjong Pagar and Radin Mas respectively.