General Election 2025

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Red Dot United unveils line-up for Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC and Jurong Central SMC​

Red Dot United's Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC candidates (from left) Ben Puah, Liyana Dhamirah, Marcus Neo, Osman Sulaiman and Harish Mohanadas.ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
Michelle Ng and Syarafana Shafeeq
Apr 17, 2025

SINGAPORE – Red Dot United (RDU) on April 16 unveiled its slate for the newly formed Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, which includes two candidates with political experience.

Mr Osman Sulaiman, 50, is a director of a waste management company, and contested the past three elections. He ran on the Reform Party’s ticket in 2011 and 2015, and was a candidate with the Singapore People’s Party in 2020.

Entrepreneur and author Liyana Dhamirah, 38, was an RDU candidate for Jurong GRC in the 2020 General Election.

The five-member team is rounded out by contemporary artist Ben Puah, 48; marketing agency director Marcus Neo, 33; and principal software engineer Harish Mohanadas, 39.

RDU will also contest the Jurong Central single seat, fielding piano teacher Emily Woo, 59, in the SMC. Madam Woo, who joined the party in 2020, was a teacher with the Ministry of Education and has been teaching the piano since 2000.

Red Dot United will contest the Jurong Central single seat, fielding piano teacher Emily Woo in the SMC.ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
RDU secretary-general Ravi Philemon introduced the party’s candidates at a press conference held at 255 Jurong East Street 24, near Jurong-Clementi Town Council.

Mr Philemon said those being fielded in both constituencies are the party’s “first-choice candidates”.


They were selected by the election committee after studying the demographics of the area, and not through “tikam tikam” – “randomly picked” in Malay – or frivolous thinking, he said.

“When you’ve walked the ground the past five years, you know the demographics of the people who live in this constituency. And so we can make a good decision when it comes to fielding candidates,” he said. “We have done our work, we think we have a good chance. We think these constituencies are winnable.”

In the 2020 General Election, RDU, then the youngest political party, contested only Jurong GRC.

Mr Philemon said there is a “Geylang Serai of the west” near Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, and the constituency has a fairly large number of Malay/Muslim voters.

According to a Straits Times analysis of demographic data, 15.3 per cent of the resident population there are Malays, higher than the national average of 13.5 per cent.

Introducing Mr Osman and Ms Liyana as the “anchor candidates” for the team, Mr Philemon said: “We acknowledge the Government has done a lot for the Malay/Muslim community, but in some areas... we can do more.”

Mr Osman, who is based in the Philippines, is prepared to return and be based in Singapore if elected, said Mr Philemon. “That is the kind of commitment he brings to the residents here,” he added.

Ms Liyana, who has overcome many struggles to become an entrepreneur, said she wants to champion issues close to the Malay/Muslim community.

Mr Harish, who is a central executive council member of RDU, is a former civil engineer with over a decade of experience in Singapore’s built environment sector.

He said the rising cost of living is hitting those who struggle the most, from the elderly to low-income families. He added that, if elected, he hopes to ensure that Singapore’s success is shared by all Singaporeans.


Mr Neo is the director of a boutique agency that serves law firms.

Mr Puah, whose works are part of major public and private collections, including those of the Singapore Art Museum and the National Institute of Education, joined RDU in 2024.

The core of the new Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC comes from Jurong GRC, and it will also absorb all of Bukit Batok SMC and parts of Yuhua SMC and Hong Kah North SMC.

The RDU team will be up against a PAP team led by Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu, the incumbent MP for Yuhua.

Besides Ms Fu, 61, the other two incumbents are Minister of State for Law and Transport Murali Pillai, 57, and Minister of State for Health and Digital Development and Information Rahayu Mahzam, 44.

Political newcomer David Hoe, 37, and Mr Lee Hong Chuang, 54, who was the PAP’s candidate for Hougang SMC in the 2015 and 2020 elections, round out the PAP’s slate for Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC.

At the new Jurong Central SMC, carved out as a single seat from Jurong GRC with changes to the electoral boundaries, RDU’s Madam Woo will be up against incumbent and first-term MP Xie Yao Quan, 40.

Madam Woo, who is a Jurong resident of over 20 years, said she has noticed municipal issues in the area, such as abandoned shopping carts, shaky lamp posts, peeling paint and littering.

“Under RDU, if we are elected, we will do our best to ensure the littering problem is eradicated, and we will do our best to win the trust and confidence of the local constituents,” she said.

For the 2025 General Election, the party has introduced potential candidates for Nee Soon GRC and Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, and previously indicated interest in contesting Jalan Kayu SMC, Tanjong Pagar GRC and Radin Mas SMC.

 

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GE2025: Social entrepreneur among 10 potential candidates featured in PAP video​

(Clockwise from top left) Mr Cai Yinzhou, Mr Jackson Lam, Dr Charlene Chen, Mr Victor Lye, Mr David Neo, Ms Lee Hui Ying, Mr Gabriel Lam, Mr Lee Hong Chuang, Mr Syed Harun Alhabsyi and Ms Gho Sze Kee were featured in the latest PAP candidate video.PHOTOS: SCREENGRABS FROM LAWRENCE WONG/FACEBOOK
Chin Soo Fang
Apr 16, 2025

SINGAPORE - Social entrepreneur Cai Yinzhou is one of 10 potential candidates featured in the latest PAP video released on April 16.

The director of Citizen Adventures conducts walking tours in Geylang and Dakota Crescent, and organises events and initiatives advocating social issues. He also started an initiative to give free haircuts to those in need.

Mr Cai received the Singapore Youth Award in 2017.

In 2020, he was also nominated for The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year award for co-founding the Covid-19 Migrant Support Coalition during the pandemic.

The then 30-year-old had mobilised volunteers across several migrant worker aid groups to help workers endure their dormitory lockdowns. The coalition distributed meals and essential goods such as groceries and toiletries to workers.

Others featured in the video include Mr Jackson Lam, 40, the former PAP branch chairman in Hougang, former Nominated MP Syed Harun Alhabsyi, 39; and grassroots volunteer and civil servant Lee Hui Ying, 36. All three have been spotted in Nee Soon GRC.

Former chief of army David Neo, 47, was also part of the video, as was Dr Charlene Chen, 43, assistant professor of marketing at Nanyang Technological University. Both are on the PAP’s Tampines GRC slate.

Also in the video was 42-year-old Gabriel Lam, chief operating officer of moving company Shalom International Movers. He will likely stand in Sembawang GRC for the polls on May 3.

Another potential candidate featured was shipping lawyer Gho Sze Kee, who is in her mid-40s. She has been photographed alongside Mountbatten MP Lim Biow Chuan since August 2024, but has also appeared with incumbent MPs for the Marine Parade cluster at an event on April 6.

PAP veterans Lee Hong Chuang, 54, and Victor Lye, 63, were also featured.

Mr Lee, former branch chairman of the PAP’s Hougang division who contested the WP-held Hougang seat in the 2015 and 2020 elections, is part of the slate for the newly formed Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC helmed by Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu.

Mr Lye was part of the PAP teams for Aljunied GRC that lost to the WP in the 2015 and 2020 general elections. Formerly the chairman of the PAP Bedok Reservoir-Punggol branch for 13 years, he was seen with Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Ang Mo Kio GRC on April 13.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said in the video: “We come from different backgrounds, hold different perspectives, and grew up in different cultures, but our differences should never pull us apart. Being Singaporean doesn’t mean giving up our identity. It means embracing and valuing each other for who we are.”

He added: “Singapore may be small but there will always be a place for everyone. Over the past 60 years, we have confronted crises and overcome obstacles together. We have stood by one another, lifted each other up in difficult times, and emerged stronger.

“Our unity is our greatest strength. It is a precious asset that we must continue to protect and nurture. It gives us the courage, determination and resolve to tackle new challenges.”

The video ended by urging Singaporeans to stay united as one Team Singapore and to keep the nation a shining beacon of stability, progress and harmony.

 

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GE2025: PSP to field former West Coast A-team member in Marymount, ex-SAF scholar in Kebun Baru​

PSP chairman Tan Cheng Bock (centre) with Mr Jeffrey Khoo (left) and Mr Tony Tan during a walkabout at Bishan Street 22 on April 17.ST PHOTO: GIN TAY

Chin Hui Shan
Apr 18, 2025

SINGAPORE – The opposition PSP will return to contest in Marymount and Kebun Baru, fielding candidates with previous election experience in the two single-member constituencies.

The party will be fielding Mr Jeffrey Khoo, 56, who was a member of the PSP’s best performing team in the 2020 polls, in Marymount SMC.

Former National Solidarity Party (NSP) member Tony Tan, 55, will be standing in Kebun Baru SMC under the PSP banner.

Speaking to reporters at Bishan North Shopping Mall on April 17, Mr Khoo, chief executive of a regional risk consulting firm, said that the party was familiar with Marymount, having contested there in the previous polls.

“We have been here before. Dr Ang was here for a period of time, and we have done quite a few market visits. I have a lot of friends that stay here. So I would say that we understand the place well,” he said, referring to the party’s former Marymount candidate Ang Yong Guan, who lost to PAP’s Gan Siow Huang in the 2020 election.

Dr Ang garnered 44.96 per cent of the vote share, while Ms Gan won with 55.04 per cent. Of the five SMCs that the PSP contested and lost in GE2020, the party performed best in Marymount. But following a suspension of his medical licence, Dr Ang, a psychiatrist, said in early 2025 that he will not participate in the upcoming election.

On his candidacy in Marymount SMC, Mr Khoo said he would tackle the perennial issues of cost of living, education and jobs, which are concerns that have been voiced by Singaporeans across constituencies.

“Wherever we go, wherever we contest, we are all talking about Singaporeans… so our conversations will always (involve) the same thing,” he said, adding that it might be a new constituency for him, but the concerns are “pretty much the same”.

Mr Khoo was part of the PSP A-Team – led by party chairman Tan Cheng Bock – that was fielded in the 2020 polls in West Coast GRC.

The PSP team then lost with 48.32 per cent of the vote against the PAP team’s 51.68 per cent – making it the narrowest win for the ruling party in the 2020 election.

Mr Khoo’s West Coast teammates, Mr Leong Mun Wai and Ms Hazel Poa, later took up Non-Constituency MP seats in Parliament as the top losers of the polls.

Mr Khoo, who is a father of three, said he has an interest in climate change and has done work involving parametric insurance – which is an insurance payout that can be triggered in specific instances of climate risk or natural disasters, including earthquakes or excess rainfall.

Meanwhile, PSP’s Kebun Baru candidate, Mr Tony Tan, is a former Singapore Armed Forces scholarship holder with a background in engineering. He is married to Ms Poa, who is the party’s first vice-chairperson.

He is also a co-founder of a private education and gaming firm.

“I hope that we can build a better Singapore... and we should strive not to leave anyone behind,” said Mr Tan.

He also said that more can be done on the social support and education fronts to “better realise the potential of every individual Singaporean” and “maximise their contribution” to the community.

Mr Tan, who has two sons, has been volunteering with the PSP since the party was founded in 2019. He also contested Chua Chu Kang GRC while he was with the NSP in the 2011 General Election. In the 2020 polls, he helped with Ms Poa’s campaign when she stood for election in West Coast GRC.

Under the PSP banner, Mr Tony Tan (left) will be standing in Kebun Baru SMC, while Mr Jeffery Khoo will be standing in Marymount SMC.ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
Both PSP candidates were on April 17 introduced by party founder Tan Cheng Bock, who had earlier indicated that he intends to stand in the coming election.

“I’m actually going to be 85 soon, in a couple of days. I will be able to contribute, and I still think I can contribute,” Dr Tan said, without confirming if or revealing where he would be fielded, should he run in the polls.

“I go everywhere... Our goal is to let Singaporeans know that they need a good voice, and currently, the (number of) opposition members in the House is too small... but generally, we need that voice in the House to articulate all the issues that are presented to us,” said Dr Tan.

When asked if there is a chance that former WP MP Leon Perera would be a candidate for PSP in the upcoming election, Dr Tan said: “He’s not standing with us.”

Mr Perera, who previously said he was assisting the party and was not a member, was on April 15 seen entering the PSP’s party headquarters for a meeting after the Writ of Election was issued.

While the PAP has yet to announce its candidate for the 2025 polls, Mr Khoo will likely face off against the incumbent Marymount MP, Ms Gan. The 51-year-old, who is the Minister of State for Education and Manpower, in March said she hopes to contest Marymount again.

Mr Tony Tan will likely come up against the PAP’s incumbent Kebun Baru MP, Mr Henry Kwek.

Another opposition party, the People’s Alliance for Reform (PAR), had also said earlier that it intends to contest in Marymount SMC, which could result in a potential three-cornered fight for the seat.

Mr Leong, who is PSP chief, is in talks with the PAR, said Mr Khoo, adding that “things will pan out well by itself”.