[CONSOLIDATED] Singapore General Election 2025 Discussion Thread

[mouserabbit]

Red Dot United to contest Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, introduces three potential candidates​

https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...mah-grc-introduces-three-potential-candidates

Seems another rubbish party choping their seats everywhere.

 

[krikering]

Seems another rubbish party choping their seats everywhere.

Outside of WP/PSP/SDP, they are most reliable amongst remaining opposition parties le ba. They only formed like 3 weeks before 2020 GE, relatively new to the political scene.

 

[Eureka75]

Outside of WP/PSP/SDP, they are most reliable amongst remaining opposition parties le ba. They only formed like 3 weeks before 2020 GE, relatively new to the political scene.

Red Dot party got so much candidates and money to contest 22 seats? They have some members formerly from PSP, SDP and WP also. I don't think they will win any seats as those constituencies are considered moderate or strongly PAP leaning. Even PSP I think contest 14 seats, if those unannounced SMC are included

 

[yperic]

Red Dot United to contest Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, introduces three potential candidates​

An RDU party spokesman said the party promises to push for a “fairer system”.ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

SINGAPORE - Opposition party Red Dot United (RDU) on April 10 announced its plans to contest Holland-Bukit Timah GRC in the upcoming election.

The party also introduced three potential candidates, whom it said would lead the team in the four-member GRC: financial consultant Fazli Talip, 43, assistant engineer Sharad Kumar, 25, and business owner Patrick Tan, 70. It is not clear who the fourth member will be.

Of the three, two are political newcomers.

Mr Sharad Kumar and Mr Patrick Tan are being fielded in a general election for the first time.

Mr Fazli had contested East Coast GRC in the 2011 polls on the Workers’ Party ticket, and has been volunteering with RDU for the past five years.

The candidates were introduced by RDU secretary-general Ravi Philemon on the evening of April 10 at Senja Hawker Centre. He also said the party’s campaign for the GRC is themed ‘Fair Value for All’.

Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, which has 122,891 voters in total, is often dubbed the “rich man’s ward” because of the predominance of multimillion-dollar landed homes and high-end condominiums in the area.

An RDU party spokesman said the party promises to push for a “fairer system” where “every Singaporean, not just the most privileged, can feel secure and valued.”

Mr Fazli said he wants to speak for retirees living in private estates who have little or no income.

He said: “You don’t have to live in a rental flat to feel poor. There are families in private estates with little income and no support. It’s time we stop judging need by postcode.”

Mr Sharad, who works at manufacturing firm Applied Materials, said he was concerned about issues such as mental health and the climate crisis. He wants more accountability from corporations and the government on such matters.

Meanwhile, Mr Tan, who owns a business selling convenience goods, hopes to advocate for stronger government support for local businesses.

The move means RDU will enter a battlefield which has seen a face-off between the ruling PAP and the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) for three straight elections.

Apart from the SDP, no other opposition party has contested Holland-Bukit Timah GRC.

In each of the last three electoral contests, the PAP came out on top. In 2020, PAP won 66.36 per cent of the vote and in 2015, it won 66.6 per cent. In 2011, the PAP got 60.08 per cent of votes.

RDU’s announcement came after SDP chairman Paul Tambyah said on April 8 that his party was uncertain about fielding a team in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC for the upcoming polls.

He said they were “evaluating whether we have enough good candidates”, and said SDP is still interviewing potential candidates both within and outside the party.

Professor Tambyah also revealed that SDP had received calls from secretaries-general of two other political parties keen on contesting the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, but did not state which parties.

If other parties do not enter the fray, RDU will face a straight fight against the PAP team led by Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, and which includes Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and National Development Sim Ann, MPs Christopher de Souza and Edward Chia.

The GRC was not one of the six constituencies RDU earlier announced it would contest, which were Nee Soon GRC, Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, Tanjong Pagar GRC, and the Jurong Central, Jalan Kayu and Radin Mas SMCs.

On April 5, RDU introduced three potential candidates for the five-member Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC: entrepreneur and author Liyana Dhamirah, contemporary artist Ben Puah and principal software engineer Harish Mohanadas.

RDU confirmed its stake in Nee Soon GRC earlier in March, after the People’s Power Party (PPP) stepped aside to avoid a three-cornered fight with the ruling PAP, but has yet to unveil its slate for the GRC.

On the SMC front, RDU introduced piano teacher Emily Woo, 59, and Kala Manickam, an educator and a former Singapore Armed Forces officer, as its team leads for Jurong Central and Jalan Kayu respectively.

Mr Philemon said his party would focus on issues such as cost of living and fair representation by MPs. It will also call for the goods and services tax to be reverted to 7 per cent, and for Singapore’s carbon tax to be abolished.

RDU was Singapore’s youngest political party during the 2020 election and contested only in Jurong GRC.

A team - then barely three weeks old - led by Mr Philemon went up against the PAP team in Jurong GRC, which included then-Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam. RDU garnered 25.39 per cent of the vote.

• Christine Tan is a journalist at The Straits Times reporting on crime, justice and social issues in Singapore.

 

[chongquan82]

end up majority of sinkies still vote for pap

and also dont disturb moi retirement plans

looking forward to many great years with pap

 

[vegaspace]

Red Dot party got so much candidates and money to contest 22 seats? They have some members formerly from PSP, SDP and WP also. I don't think they will win any seats as those constituencies are considered moderate or strongly PAP leaning. Even PSP I think contest 14 seats, if those unannounced SMC are included

Red Dot will lose all seats contested because they did not do any ground work since the last GE. They are choping seats east, west, north and central without any clear plan of how to win any of them.

This is yet another mosquito party where everyone wants to be a candidate, leaving very few people working behind the scenes to handle the logistics and operations management.

 

[vegaspace]

Will there be CECA deal 2.0 after the elections?

 

[Shion]

Red Dot will lose all seats contested because they did not do any ground work since the last GE. They are choping seats east, west, north and central without any clear plan of how to win any of them.

This is yet another mosquito party where everyone wants to be a candidate, leaving very few people working behind the scenes to handle the logistics and operations management.

never see them at nee soon, suddenly say wanna come, set up new fb page and etc
but, very few updates on their fb page

 

[Heriophant]

Red Dot United to contest Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, introduces three potential candidates​

An RDU party spokesman said the party promises to push for a “fairer system”.ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

SINGAPORE - Opposition party Red Dot United (RDU) on April 10 announced its plans to contest Holland-Bukit Timah GRC in the upcoming election.

The party also introduced three potential candidates, whom it said would lead the team in the four-member GRC: financial consultant Fazli Talip, 43, assistant engineer Sharad Kumar, 25, and business owner Patrick Tan, 70. It is not clear who the fourth member will be.

Of the three, two are political newcomers.

Mr Sharad Kumar and Mr Patrick Tan are being fielded in a general election for the first time.

Mr Fazli had contested East Coast GRC in the 2011 polls on the Workers’ Party ticket, and has been volunteering with RDU for the past five years.

The candidates were introduced by RDU secretary-general Ravi Philemon on the evening of April 10 at Senja Hawker Centre. He also said the party’s campaign for the GRC is themed ‘Fair Value for All’.

Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, which has 122,891 voters in total, is often dubbed the “rich man’s ward” because of the predominance of multimillion-dollar landed homes and high-end condominiums in the area.

An RDU party spokesman said the party promises to push for a “fairer system” where “every Singaporean, not just the most privileged, can feel secure and valued.”

Mr Fazli said he wants to speak for retirees living in private estates who have little or no income.

He said: “You don’t have to live in a rental flat to feel poor. There are families in private estates with little income and no support. It’s time we stop judging need by postcode.”

Mr Sharad, who works at manufacturing firm Applied Materials, said he was concerned about issues such as mental health and the climate crisis. He wants more accountability from corporations and the government on such matters.

Meanwhile, Mr Tan, who owns a business selling convenience goods, hopes to advocate for stronger government support for local businesses.

The move means RDU will enter a battlefield which has seen a face-off between the ruling PAP and the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) for three straight elections.

Apart from the SDP, no other opposition party has contested Holland-Bukit Timah GRC.

In each of the last three electoral contests, the PAP came out on top. In 2020, PAP won 66.36 per cent of the vote and in 2015, it won 66.6 per cent. In 2011, the PAP got 60.08 per cent of votes.

RDU’s announcement came after SDP chairman Paul Tambyah said on April 8 that his party was uncertain about fielding a team in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC for the upcoming polls.

He said they were “evaluating whether we have enough good candidates”, and said SDP is still interviewing potential candidates both within and outside the party.

Professor Tambyah also revealed that SDP had received calls from secretaries-general of two other political parties keen on contesting the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, but did not state which parties.

If other parties do not enter the fray, RDU will face a straight fight against the PAP team led by Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, and which includes Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and National Development Sim Ann, MPs Christopher de Souza and Edward Chia.

The GRC was not one of the six constituencies RDU earlier announced it would contest, which were Nee Soon GRC, Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, Tanjong Pagar GRC, and the Jurong Central, Jalan Kayu and Radin Mas SMCs.

On April 5, RDU introduced three potential candidates for the five-member Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC: entrepreneur and author Liyana Dhamirah, contemporary artist Ben Puah and principal software engineer Harish Mohanadas.

RDU confirmed its stake in Nee Soon GRC earlier in March, after the People’s Power Party (PPP) stepped aside to avoid a three-cornered fight with the ruling PAP, but has yet to unveil its slate for the GRC.

On the SMC front, RDU introduced piano teacher Emily Woo, 59, and Kala Manickam, an educator and a former Singapore Armed Forces officer, as its team leads for Jurong Central and Jalan Kayu respectively.

Mr Philemon said his party would focus on issues such as cost of living and fair representation by MPs. It will also call for the goods and services tax to be reverted to 7 per cent, and for Singapore’s carbon tax to be abolished.

RDU was Singapore’s youngest political party during the 2020 election and contested only in Jurong GRC.

A team - then barely three weeks old - led by Mr Philemon went up against the PAP team in Jurong GRC, which included then-Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam. RDU garnered 25.39 per cent of the vote.

• Christine Tan is a journalist at The Straits Times reporting on crime, justice and social issues in Singapore.

Looks like I am voting this yr aha!

 

[Eureka75]

Red Dot will lose all seats contested because they did not do any ground work since the last GE. They are choping seats east, west, north and central without any clear plan of how to win any of them.

This is yet another mosquito party where everyone wants to be a candidate, leaving very few people working behind the scenes to handle the logistics and operations management.

They are like NSP last time in GE 2011 which they chope seats north south eaat west but lost all of them. At least WP contest only on the east side because of logistics and also to minimise effect of gerrymendering

 

[surfman]

Red Dot United to contest Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, introduces three potential candidates​

An RDU party spokesman said the party promises to push for a “fairer system”.ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

SINGAPORE - Opposition party Red Dot United (RDU) on April 10 announced its plans to contest Holland-Bukit Timah GRC in the upcoming election.

The party also introduced three potential candidates, whom it said would lead the team in the four-member GRC: financial consultant Fazli Talip, 43, assistant engineer Sharad Kumar, 25, and business owner Patrick Tan, 70. It is not clear who the fourth member will be.

Of the three, two are political newcomers.

Mr Sharad Kumar and Mr Patrick Tan are being fielded in a general election for the first time.

Mr Fazli had contested East Coast GRC in the 2011 polls on the Workers’ Party ticket, and has been volunteering with RDU for the past five years.

The candidates were introduced by RDU secretary-general Ravi Philemon on the evening of April 10 at Senja Hawker Centre. He also said the party’s campaign for the GRC is themed ‘Fair Value for All’.

Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, which has 122,891 voters in total, is often dubbed the “rich man’s ward” because of the predominance of multimillion-dollar landed homes and high-end condominiums in the area.

An RDU party spokesman said the party promises to push for a “fairer system” where “every Singaporean, not just the most privileged, can feel secure and valued.”

Mr Fazli said he wants to speak for retirees living in private estates who have little or no income.

He said: “You don’t have to live in a rental flat to feel poor. There are families in private estates with little income and no support. It’s time we stop judging need by postcode.”

Mr Sharad, who works at manufacturing firm Applied Materials, said he was concerned about issues such as mental health and the climate crisis. He wants more accountability from corporations and the government on such matters.

Meanwhile, Mr Tan, who owns a business selling convenience goods, hopes to advocate for stronger government support for local businesses.

The move means RDU will enter a battlefield which has seen a face-off between the ruling PAP and the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) for three straight elections.

Apart from the SDP, no other opposition party has contested Holland-Bukit Timah GRC.

In each of the last three electoral contests, the PAP came out on top. In 2020, PAP won 66.36 per cent of the vote and in 2015, it won 66.6 per cent. In 2011, the PAP got 60.08 per cent of votes.

RDU’s announcement came after SDP chairman Paul Tambyah said on April 8 that his party was uncertain about fielding a team in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC for the upcoming polls.

He said they were “evaluating whether we have enough good candidates”, and said SDP is still interviewing potential candidates both within and outside the party.

Professor Tambyah also revealed that SDP had received calls from secretaries-general of two other political parties keen on contesting the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, but did not state which parties.

If other parties do not enter the fray, RDU will face a straight fight against the PAP team led by Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, and which includes Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and National Development Sim Ann, MPs Christopher de Souza and Edward Chia.

The GRC was not one of the six constituencies RDU earlier announced it would contest, which were Nee Soon GRC, Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, Tanjong Pagar GRC, and the Jurong Central, Jalan Kayu and Radin Mas SMCs.

On April 5, RDU introduced three potential candidates for the five-member Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC: entrepreneur and author Liyana Dhamirah, contemporary artist Ben Puah and principal software engineer Harish Mohanadas.

RDU confirmed its stake in Nee Soon GRC earlier in March, after the People’s Power Party (PPP) stepped aside to avoid a three-cornered fight with the ruling PAP, but has yet to unveil its slate for the GRC.

On the SMC front, RDU introduced piano teacher Emily Woo, 59, and Kala Manickam, an educator and a former Singapore Armed Forces officer, as its team leads for Jurong Central and Jalan Kayu respectively.

Mr Philemon said his party would focus on issues such as cost of living and fair representation by MPs. It will also call for the goods and services tax to be reverted to 7 per cent, and for Singapore’s carbon tax to be abolished.

RDU was Singapore’s youngest political party during the 2020 election and contested only in Jurong GRC.

A team - then barely three weeks old - led by Mr Philemon went up against the PAP team in Jurong GRC, which included then-Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam. RDU garnered 25.39 per cent of the vote.

• Christine Tan is a journalist at The Straits Times reporting on crime, justice and social issues in Singapore.

Can sdp explain why this year they run away from holland Bukit Timah and run to sembawang
I was looking forward to vote for sdp but after seeing these 3 jokers… looks like I will vote for pap for first time in my life
At least sim ann got appear quite a lot in the estate

 

[vegaspace]

Can sdp explain why this year they run away from holland Bukit Timah and run to sembawang
I was looking forward to vote for sdp but after seeing these 3 jokers… looks like I will vote for pap for first time in my life
At least sim ann got appear quite a lot in the estate

Because their vote share in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC improved by a mere 0.24% from GE2015 to GE2020. In GE2020, there was a 8% swing against PAP but their improvement was so marginal. It doesn't seem like a good investment at all.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holland–Bukit_Timah_Group_Representation_Constituency

In contrast, SDP overperformed in other areas like Bukit Panjang SMC, Bukit Batok SMC and Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC. Holland-Bukit Timah was the only outlier.

This GE, it looks like PSP and SDP are focusing on areas where they have a chance, reducing the number of seats contested to optimise use of resources.

 

[yperic]

GE2025: AMK GRC heading for three-cornered fight after 2 opposition parties fail to strike deal​

SUP secretary-general Andy Zhu said his party is adamant about contesting the ward despite the presence of a “third party”. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

SINGAPORE – Ang Mo Kio GRC is poised for a three-cornered fight in the upcoming polls after two opposition parties failed to reach a deal on which one will face off against the PAP.

Singapore United Party (SUP) secretary-general Andy Zhu said his party is adamant about contesting the ward despite the presence of a “third party”.

The third party is the People’s Power Party (PPP), which has indicated that it will also field a team in Ang Mo Kio GRC, to be led by party treasurer William Lim.

Speaking to reporters during a walkabout in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 on April 10, Mr Zhu, 42, said the SUP tried to broker a deal with PPP secretary-general Goh Meng Seng but the two parties could not agree on which party will pull out.

“I have spoken to him, and he will bring the matter back to his team to deliberate... We do hope that PPP will recede from here,” said Mr Zhu, a property agent.

In response to queries, Mr Goh said he had a short discussion with Mr Zhu, but there is no resolution in sight.

PPP has also shown interest in Tampines GRC, where the Workers’ Party and National Solidarity Party are likely to contest.

SUP is part of an informal alliance of opposition parties called The Coalition, formed in October 2023. The other members are the National Solidarity Party (NSP), Red Dot United (RDU) and the Singapore People’s Party (SPP).

The PAP team in Ang Mo Kio is helmed by Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong. It secured 71.91 per cent of votes against the Reform Party (RP) in the 2020 polls.

Several SUP members, including Mr Zhu, who stood under the RP banner in 2020 garnered 28.09 per cent of the votes in Ang Mo Kio GRC.

Mr Zhu said SUP has been walking the ground in Ang Mo Kio since its inception in 2020, and has carried out a lot of engagement with residents.

Apart from monthly house visits and outreach in the markets, SUP distributed food during the Ramadan period to needy families, and gave out mandarin oranges during Chinese New Year.

Ang Mo Kio GRC was also chosen because SUP believes that no other opposition party would contest there, as he does not wish to “step on their toes”, Mr Zhu said.

He added that he is “very firm” about contesting in Ang Mo Kio, and has even paid vendors to print his party’s election collateral.

When asked if he sees SM Lee as a strong opponent, Mr Zhu said his priority is to represent residents and fellow Singaporeans.

The SUP election slogan “Moving forward, together”, Mr Zhu said, symbolises unity between the party and residents. The party will reveal its election manifesto and slate of candidates when the Writ of Election is issued, he added.

He said the SUP manifesto is based on feedback from residents, who raised concerns about the high cost of living, and suggested that the goods and services tax be removed for basic necessities.

They are also worried about housing and healthcare costs, he added.

Said Mr Zhu: “The main challenge now is that we have to deal with the PAP and the other party. More efforts will be needed to fend the PPP off... and to showcase our candidates, and what they have for the residents.”

• Chin Soo Fang is senior correspondent at The Straits Times covering topics such as community, politics, social issues, consumer, culture and heritage.

https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...er-2-opposition-parties-fail-to-strike-a-deal

 

[Heriophant]

Can sdp explain why this year they run away from holland Bukit Timah and run to sembawang

Easy le. HBT GRC is filled with multi million dollar homes + condos... They have benefitted immensely under PAP rule

 

[alvincy]

I think this ex RP team now SUP deserved some credits. They stick to where they contested all these years to prevent 3 corners fight.

This PPP is the troublemaker.

 

[Damienic]

I think this ex RP team now SUP deserved some credits. They stick to where they contested all these years to prevent 3 corners fight.

This PPP is the troublemaker.

GMS is the perfect example to the saying “empty vessels makes the loudest noise”.

 

[jeffrey745]

Red Dot will lose all seats contested because they did not do any ground work since the last GE. They are choping seats east, west, north and central without any clear plan of how to win any of them.

This is yet another mosquito party where everyone wants to be a candidate, leaving very few people working behind the scenes to handle the logistics and operations management.

They will stretch themselves too thinly this GE running around everywhere....

Even PSP TCB acknowledged that they stretched themselves too thinly during last GE...

 

[jeffrey745]

Those who sank roots in sg are largely the ultimate haters of the ccp. Guess which party reminds them of the CCP in singapore?

Well at least in sg there are elections, although it's not entirely fair?

 

[Food_Lover]

I think this ex RP team now SUP deserved some credits. They stick to where they contested all these years to prevent 3 corners fight.

This PPP is the troublemaker.

Does not matter who is the troublemaker. Afterall, Ang Mo Kio GRC is a stronghold for PAP.

Those opposition parties sending their team to Ang Mo Kio, Marsiling-Yew Tee, Tanjong Pagar, Jurong-Bukit Batok GRC are technically suicide squad. PAP sure bao jiak, nothing to compete.

If those rubbish Opposition can chip off 35-40% votes in Ang Mo Kio GRC, it is counted as a win liao. Means Pinky no longer popular liao.

 

[Tormented Soul]

I think this ex RP team now SUP deserved some credits. They stick to where they contested all these years to prevent 3 corners fight.

This PPP is the troublemaker.

Wanted to say that as well. PPP is the troublemaker everywhere and all their candidates are utter ********