GE2025: Inequality a key theme tackled by RDU candidates at rally

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SINGAPORE - Inequality was a key point raised by speakers at Red Dot United’s (RDU) rally on April 29, as candidates spoke about experiences and policies that highlight disparities in affluence here.

The speakers advocated rolling back the goods and services tax (GST) from 9 per cent to 7 per cent, and a rent-to-own scheme to keep homes affordable, among other policy ideas.

Mr Fazli Talip, one of

the party’s candidates for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC

, said he has met residents who are struggling with the rising cost of living despite receiving government financial assistance.

The financial consultant criticised his PAP opponents for not voting against the GST hike, saying in Malay: “The PAP keeps talking about the Pioneer generation, the Merdeka generation. But in reality, there is only one generation – the wealth generation, for themselves and their billionaire friends.”

He was among several speakers in the line-up of 12 who accused the PAP of aligning itself with businesses and the wealthy, at RDU’s rally at the School of Science and Technology. The school is located in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC.

Mr Marcus Neo, who is standing in Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, associated Holland-Bukit Timah with “the elite, the wealthy, flashy cars, big houses and perhaps the higher-income segment of society”.

He added that his party is not “against the accumulation of wealth, but we have to take a position against the type of wealth drivers that eventually lead to an unfair and unjust, and frayed society”.

He argued that the rich would vote for the opposition, and revealed that one of the biggest donors for his campaign is a resident of the group representation constituency.

Mr Neo said: “I believe that the wealthy people too can understand that our current economic model can’t continue indefinitely. It must come (to) a breaking point where this multi-tonne truck falls off the cliff.”

In their rally speeches, some of the RDU speakers also criticised PAP candidates, including Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and Sustainability and the Environment Minister Grace Fu.

In particular, RDU chair David Foo took issue with Ms Fu’s analogy about the Government

taking a chicken wing from citizens and giving back a chicken

. “Did you feel that you have gotten an entire chicken, or was it a pigeon? They look the same, but the size is really different,” he said, adding that young people are struggling to afford their first homes.

Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC candidate Ben Puah praised his PAP opponent, newcomer David Hoe, as an “excellent motivational speaker”, but doubted Mr Hoe’s ability to speak up in Parliament against policies that he does not believe in, if elected.

Several speakers, including Holland-Bukit Timah GRC candidate Sharad Kumar, criticised Dr Balakrishnan on issues such as his Facebook account allegedly “liking” a post offering to relocate Singaporeans to Gaza.

Dr Balakrishnan

earlier said that he did not “like” the post

, and a report had been filed with Meta over the unauthorised activity.

Apart from Dr Balakrishnan, the PAP slate contesting Holland-Bukit Timah GRC consists of Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and National Development Sim Ann, and incumbent MPs Christopher de Souza and Edward Chia.

They are up against Mr Fazli, Mr Sharad, Ms Emily Woo and Mr Nizar Subair in the constituency.

Meanwhile, RDU’s Jurong Central SMC candidate Kala Manickam hit back at those who doubt that the party can set up town councils, if elected. “Is it so difficult to set up a town council? I don’t understand. To set up a family is more challenging than setting up a town council... it’s a mosquito issue,” she said.

Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC candidate and rally emcee Liyana Dhamirah then clarified that managing a town council is not a trivial issue, and the party has laid out its town council management plan on its website.

“If elected into Parliament, we will ensure that the management of town councils is at our tiptop state, and not (turn) any estate into any slum,” she said.

RDU secretary-general Ravi Philemon rounded up the night by urging voters to back the party.

He said: “We need to rebalance and make sure that power comes back to the people, to the ordinary people and not to the billionaire class and not to the big companies.”