SINGAPORE: Red Dot United (RDU) Secretary-General Ravi Philemon has raised concerns over the fairness of General Election 2025 (GE2025), alleging that giveaways, grassroots coordination, and big-business-backed initiatives skewed the campaign in favour of the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP).
In a Facebook post on 10 May 2025, he cited a series of events—particularly in Nee Soon GRC—he believes unfairly tilted the advantage towards the PAP.
Philemon recounted an exchange on 1 May 2025, the final day of campaigning, in which a voter in Nee Soon GRC asked him to “belanja” (treat) him and his friends to a meal in exchange for their support.
Despite explaining that RDU does not buy votes, Philemon noted that such expectations were not uncommon during their campaign walkabouts.
Some residents, he said, asked for beer or food.
He interpreted these requests as indicative of a wider problem—voter susceptibility to inducements rather than policy platforms.
Philemon: GE2025 is a battle RDU could not have won
According to Philemon, the perceived imbalance began even before the official campaign period.
Prior to the issuance of the Writ of Election on 15 April, the DBS Foundation reportedly distributed free groceries and household essentials to 1,700 residents in Nee Soon GRC.
Philemon claimed that PAP politician K Shanmugam was prominently featured at the event, suggesting a strong association between the aid and the party.
Following that, on 16 April 2025, the People’s Association (PA) launched a scheme allowing Nee Soon residents to purchase S$20 worth of groceries for just S$1.
The initiative featured the five sitting MPs of Nee Soon GRC and was scheduled to take place from 27 April—six days before Polling Day.
Philemon stated that many residents queued up for the tickets and some were even disappointed when they missed out, highlighting the popularity and influence of the initiative.
Community events with perceived partisan undertones
On 21 April 2025, just two days before Nomination Day, Philemon said the PA opened the Nee Soon Link Community Square and credited its launch to PAP MP Derrick Goh Soon Hee.
Once again, he alleged Shanmugam was given centre stage at the event.
The sequence of such engagements led Philemon to question whether the ruling party had prior knowledge of election timelines, allowing it to time events for maximum voter exposure.
Job fairs and campaign visibility challenges
Philemon also cited a job fair co-organised by the Association of Trade and Commerce and the PA on 1 May 2025 in Nee Soon GRC.
He noted that many of the volunteers wore white—the colour typically associated with PAP—and alleged that senior PAP figures were prominently featured.
He questioned how alternative parties like RDU, which lacked similar access to large organisational resources, could compete under such conditions.
Disparities in enforcement and access
Philemon further alleged that on 24 April, during the campaign period, RDU volunteers were asked to move away from the area near Khatib MRT station while canvassing.
He claimed they were told by staff that canvassing at the station walkway was not allowed.
However, minutes later, he observed PAP candidates allegedly campaigning in the same location.
When questioned, the station manager explained that the PAP team was only greeting commuters and not handing out flyers.
Philemon contested this explanation and requested a written policy.
While he was not given a copy, he was allowed to photograph the relevant document.
Eventually, he said, the PAP team conceded the space to RDU.
Philemon acknowledged this as a small but fair victory. He contrasted it with other campaign scenarios where the scale and resources deployed left RDU outmatched.
Call for electoral reform and public support
Describing another incident on 1 May, Philemon alleged that his team saw PAP volunteers placing stickers of a yet-to-be MP on store fronts at a halal eatery where they were having lunch.
As 1 May was the final day of campaigning, and with RDU’s rally scheduled that night, Philemon said the party was unlikely to address the matter immediately due to the demands of preparation.
Philemon raised concerns over the legality and appropriateness of such activity, which he said was not something his team could immediately contest due to time constraints.
Philemon concluded his post by asserting that the system was “rigged and unfair”.
He remarked, “If you wonder why the Workers’ Party kept all the constituencies that they had won in GE2020, it is in no small part because the PA and the big businesses like DBS Foundation and the billionaire class with their trade and commerce associations cannot unfairly tilt the advantage to the PAP.”
He announced his intention to lodge a formal complaint with the Elections Department (ELD), questioning whether advance notice of election dates was given to PAP candidates and whether events timed around this knowledge undermined electoral neutrality.
GE2025 results and RDU’s performance
Despite contesting in three GRCs and one Single Member Constituency (SMC), RDU did not win any seats.
Its strongest performance came in Nee Soon GRC, where it secured 26.19% of the vote.
Other results included 23.34% in Jurong East–Bukit Batok GRC, 20.71% in Holland–Bukit Timah GRC, and 19.49% in Jurong Central SMC.
Nevertheless, Philemon insisted that the party’s showing was a step forward and pledged to continue pushing for reform and greater accountability.
Philemon’s message extended beyond electoral mechanics.
He framed the situation as a fight for a more just society—where dignity, not handouts, drives political support.
He called on citizens who witnessed or felt injustice to join RDU, suggesting that lasting change requires persistence, even when outmatched.
“The fight is not over,” he wrote, concluding with an appeal for public solidarity, and a vision of a future where political power is not contingent on financial influence or institutional reach.
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