Red Dot United (RDU) will contest Nee Soon GRC in the upcoming general election, following an agreement with the People’s Power Party (PPP), which has decided not to field a team there to avoid a three-cornered fight with the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP).
The decision was jointly announced on 22 March 2025, at a press conference held by both parties at Yishun Town Centre. Leaders from RDU and PPP confirmed that the opposition bid in Nee Soon GRC would be led solely by RDU.
PPP secretary-general Goh Meng Seng said the two parties had engaged in discussions since the release of the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) report on 11 March.
“I have had several conversations with Ravi Philemon of RDU, and we have come to the conclusion that it is time for us to move on and let RDU have a clean fight in Nee Soon,” said Goh.
“We have come to the agreement that we will not touch Nee Soon and will allow RDU to carry on and contest there,” he added.
Philemon, RDU’s secretary-general, thanked PPP for the decision, embracing Goh at the press conference.
“Both of us have worked the ground. Both of us know what our strengths are. And RDU, we will do our best to win Nee Soon GRC for a cause that we believe in,” he said.
The decision brings clarity to a previously expected three-cornered contest, with both RDU and PPP having earlier signalled plans to contest Nee Soon GRC against the PAP.
Philemon also noted that discussions with other opposition parties are ongoing, with the goal of reducing multi-cornered fights across constituencies.
“There is actually very little interest among the opposition parties in having multi-cornered fights, because in the context of Singapore, that always benefits incumbents,” he said.
“Conversations like what RDU has been having with PPP are ongoing with several other political parties.”
RDU was founded in May 2020 and began groundwork in Nee Soon GRC in 2024. It has since expanded its electoral plans to include Jurong East–Bukit Batok GRC, Tanjong Pagar GRC, as well as the Jalan Kayu, Jurong Central and Radin Mas SMCs.
As of 22 March, RDU has not announced any confirmed candidates. However, it was revealed that Kala Manickam would lead groundwork in Jalan Kayu SMC.
During the 2020 General Election, Nee Soon GRC was contested by the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) and PAP. The PAP team, comprising Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam, Minister of State Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Louis Ng, Derrick Goh, and Carrie Tan, secured 61.9 percent of the vote.
Despite withdrawing from Nee Soon, PPP remains active in the upcoming election.
Goh confirmed that the party will contest four constituencies: Ang Mo Kio GRC, Tampines GRC, Jalan Kayu SMC, and Tampines Changkat SMC.
This means PPP intends to field candidates in two Group Representation Constituencies and two Single Member Constituencies, signalling its continued commitment to participating in the national polls.
Goh had earlier suggested that PPP might withdraw from Nee Soon GRC under specific conditions.
During a Facebook live stream on 16 March, he said: “If K Shanmugam announces the next day that he is confirmed not going to field LGBTQ+ activists, and apologises to all the Christian leaders and Singaporeans for creating such anxiety and a ‘big hoo-ha’ among the Christian and Muslim communities, I will gladly withdraw my team.”
While no such announcement was made by the PAP, Goh later cited ongoing discussions with RDU as the reason for PPP’s formal decision to step aside.
During the press conference, Ravi noted that he had previously assisted at Minister K Shanmugam’s Meet-the-People Sessions in 2008–2009 after returning from the United States.
Reflecting on that period, he shared that his community experiences led him to conclude that it would be more effective to pursue change from outside the system.
As the general election approaches, opposition parties are actively working to coordinate efforts and avoid overlapping contests that could dilute their chances. The RDU-PPP cooperation in Nee Soon is viewed as a significant step toward broader unity among alternative parties.
The final electoral line-ups will become clearer in the coming months as nomination day draws nearer and party strategies solidify.
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