Red Dot United (RDU) has confirmed that its withdrawal from the opposition coalition was made public prematurely due to a leak of its private message to coalition partners — a move that party chief Ravi Philemon said was neither expected nor intended.
In a Facebook post published on 12 April 2025, Ravi Philemon revealed that RDU chairman David Foo had sent a confidential WhatsApp message to coalition leaders at 12.03 pm the day before, intending to inform them of the decision discreetly.
However, by 12.50 pm, he purportedly received a call from a CNA journalist who had obtained the message.
“I didn’t expect that. And I don’t know why it happened. Only God knows,” Philemon wrote.
He added that CNA had informed him the leak came from a leader within the National Solidarity Party (NSP).
He clarified that the intention was to allow coalition members time to digest the decision before a formal public statement was issued. “It wasn’t a press release. It wasn’t meant for public circulation,” he wrote.
Despite the breach, Philemon’s statement emphasised that the core issue behind RDU’s withdrawal was a divergence in values — particularly NSP’s move to contest Sembawang GRC, where the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) is also standing, potentially leading to a three-cornered contest with the People’s Action Party (PAP).
“This is not about blame. It’s about staying true to our compass,” Philemon stated. “Multi-cornered fights don’t just weaken the opposition. They wear down the trust of the very people we say we want to serve.”
RDU had been a co-founder of the coalition, which included NSP, the Singapore United Party (SUP), and the Singapore People’s Party (SPP), with a shared goal of avoiding overlapping candidacies and consolidating opposition efforts.
However, Philemon said that NSP’s approach now runs contrary to that founding principle.
Leaks during election season are not uncommon in Singapore’s political landscape.
In the lead-up to the 2015 General Election, sensitive details from a “horse-trading” meeting among opposition parties — hosted at the NSP’s headquarters — were also leaked to the media.
Several party leaders later criticised the media coverage, claiming leaked information had been taken out of context or misrepresented.
RDU’s exit has ignited strong reactions online, particularly on The Online Citizen’s Facebook page. A significant number of commenters expressed support for RDU’s decision and voiced frustration with NSP’s electoral strategy.
Many took issue with NSP’s plan to field 25 candidates in five Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) and two Single Member Constituencies (SMCs), including Sembawang GRC, Sembawang West SMC, and Tampines GRC — all of which are expected to see contests by other opposition parties.
NSP last contested in 2020, securing 33.59 percent of the vote in Tampines GRC and 32.71 percent in Sembawang GRC.
Despite this, its visibility since then has been low, prompting scepticism about its readiness, relevance and its purpose.
“Why does NSP purposely want to stand in precisely the constituencies SDP is standing in when NSP has hardly appeared the last few years?” one user asked. Another wrote, “Who is behind financially supporting this party?”
The intensity of criticism increased as several commenters accused NSP of being a potential spoiler or even a “mole” party. Others questioned whether the party’s apparent lack of engagement with national issues between elections should disqualify it from contesting so many seats.
While a small number of users defended NSP’s historical presence in Sembawang — noting its contests there in past elections — the overwhelming sentiment on social media was that its strategy threatens opposition unity and risks giving PAP an easy win.
Philemon addressed these concerns indirectly, stating: “We are open to working with all — including the People’s Action Party — if it is in the best interest of our people. But for now, we must walk our own path.”
He added: “This upcoming election is too important for anything less… Unity must be built on shared purpose, not just shared presence.”
The post Leak of RDU’s exit message prompts early disclosure as NSP faces public backlash over multi-cornered fights appeared first on The Online Citizen.
