GE2025: Red Dot United to field secretary-general and chairman in Nee Soon GRC

SINGAPORE: Red Dot United (RDU) has unveiled its slate of potential candidates for Nee Soon GRC in the upcoming General Election, including its secretary-general Ravi Philemon and chairman David Foo. 

RDU made the announcement on Sunday (Apr 20) at Block 701C in Yishun Avenue 5, which is within Nee Soon GRC.

Both men are not new to the scene, having contested in previous elections.

Dr Foo, 60, a research chemist, was among a team fielded in Jurong GRC in 2015 under the banner of the now-defunct Singaporeans First political party. 

Mr Philemon, 56, was a Singapore People's Party (SPP) candidate for Hong Kah North SMC in 2015 and contested Jurong GRC in 2020 under RDU. He is the managing partner of a media company focusing on health and wellness.

First-timers Mr Pang Heng Chuan, Ms Sharon Lin and Dr Syed Alwi Ahmad – who were previously named as the party’s team leads for the GRC – make up the rest of the five-member team.

RDU will face a People’s Action Party (PAP) slate likely led by Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam, alongside four new candidates.

At an event on Saturday, Mr Shanmugam introduced Dr Syed Harun Alhabsyi, Ms Goh Hanyan, Mr Jackson Lam and Ms Lee Hui Ying, but did not confirm if they would represent PAP in Nee Soon. 

The PAP is expected to announce its official slate for the constituency on Monday. 

When asked why RDU is fielding its top leadership in Nee Soon, Mr Philemon said: “It is an important battle to bring to this constituency”. He pointed out that the GRC is helmed by a minister who holds two important portfolios - law and home affairs.

Calling Mr Shanmugam an “acquaintance “ and a “formidable opponent”, Mr Philemon noted the minister’s track record and strong grassroot support in the constituency, having served in the area since 1988.

"That is the kind of incumbency that we are fighting against. But the fact is, Mr Shanmugam cannot be in all the wards. Nee Soon is a very big GRC,” he said. 

"There can only be one Shanmugam, there cannot be five Shanmugams," he added. 

Mr Philemon asked residents to give RDU a mandate in the upcoming election. 

"We think we can make Nee Soon, or Yishun, better," he added. 

He acknowledged that one tough issue facing the team is that it is difficult to reach every voter in such a huge constituency. The team only started engaging residents in Nee Soon from September last year.

In 2020, the PAP’s team comprising Mr Shanmugam, Mr Louis Ng, Ms Carrie Tan, Mr Derrick Goh and Associate Professor Faishal Ibrahim won 61.9 per cent of the vote in Nee Soon GRC.

That year, they faced a Progress Singapore Party (PSP) team made up of Mr Bradley Bowyer, Mr Muhammad Taufik Supan, Mr S Nallakaruppan, Mr Tay Chye Seng and Ms Kala Manickam, who has since joined RDU.

The electoral boundaries of Nee Soon GRC have not changed since the 2020 election. There are 151,634 registered voters in the constituency, up from 146,902 in the previous contest.

RDU'S NEW FACES

SHARON LIN

Ms Lin, 40, is a senior consultant in the IT services sector. She has experience in cybersecurity and digital systems, having worked in multinational corporations and national-scale tech projects.

She grew up in Yishun and her parents still live there, so she “continues to stay rooted in the community,” RDU said in her candidate profile.

Her conversations with residents have strengthened her resolve to advocate for affordability, transparency and fairness in public policy, the party said, adding she believes the government is responsible for building strong safety nets to help its citizens.

Ms Lin cited several experiences that shaped her understanding of the world and motivated her to join politics - her parents getting retrenched, being asked to lower her salary expectations and incidences of train breakdowns. 

"I came to understand that policies have an effect on our wages, workers' rights, food prices, housing prices, education and all other aspects of life," she said. 

She added she then started volunteering with the opposition, hoping that voices like hers would be heard. 

"I want to focus on citizen empowerment, putting more money into the pockets of ordinary people," she said, adding this will help groups like the elderly, those retrenched and single parents.

SYED ALWI AHMAD

Dr Alwi, 57, is a teacher and a theoretical physicist with a background in quantum field theory and black hole physics.

In RDU, he heads the policy team and Malay bureau, and believes that policymaking must be inclusive, principled and grounded in the lived realities of Singaporeans.

He is particularly committed to advancing the Malay-Muslim community, “not out of favouritism but out of fairness”, the party said.

"Empowering underrepresented groups is not about division, but about dignity, equity, and ensuring no one is left behind," it added.

Dr Alwi told reporters on Sunday he was motivated to stand for election because he was concerned about a lack of transparency surrounding the government's efforts to explore nuclear energy options.

He said he does not want Singapore to make such decisions behind closed doors and only inform citizens when everything is "signed and settled".

"This election matters because it decides who will ask the hard questions before it's too late," he said, adding that Singaporeans will have to live with the risks and consequences if a nuclear power plant is set up.

PANG HENG CHUAN

Mr Pang, 56, is a director at an international company based in China, and has overseen projects in branding, e-commerce and gaming.

RDU said he honed his leadership skills through working with multinational companies locally and overseas.

His expertise makes him a strong advocate for policies that promote innovation and job security, the party added.

Mr Pang was previously spotted during a walkabout at Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC. He volunteered with RDU during the previous election and has walked the ground in various constituencies including Nee Soon, Radin Mas and Tanjong Pagar.

He told the media on Sunday he is "deeply concerned" about the rising economic insecurity that some Singaporeans face, adding that many struggle with increasing costs and stagnant wages.

However, he said the challenges are "not insurmountable".

"With the right leadership and commitment to a new social contract, we can build a Singapore where every citizen is treated as a first-class citizen," he said.