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SINGAPORE – Opposition party Red Dot United (RDU) has unveiled its full slate for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, which includes one of the youngest candidates in the coming polls.
The four-man team comprises assistant engineer Sharad Kumar, 25, financial consultant Fazli Talip, 43, business owner Patrick Tan, 70, and operations manager Nizar Subair, 57.
Mr Sharad, Mr Nizar and Mr Tan are being fielded in an election for the first time, while Mr Fazli contested East Coast GRC in the 2011 polls on the Workers’ Party ticket.
RDU secretary-general Ravi Philemon introduced the candidates for Holland-Bukit Timah on April 18 at a Housing Board estate near Ghim Moh Market and Food Centre.
Mr Sharad, Mr Tan and Mr Fazli were introduced to the residents on April 10, when RDU first declared its interest in the GRC.
Mr Philemon has said Holland-Bukit Timah GRC is an “important piece of the puzzle” that connects Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC to Nee Soon GRC – two other constituencies it plans to contest – and it made “strategic sense” for them to contest there.
The RDU campaign is themed Fair Value For All, which a party spokesman described as a push for a “fairer system”, where “every Singaporean, not just the most privileged, can feel secure and valued”.
Holland-Bukit Timah GRC has 122,891 voters, many of whom live in landed homes and condominiums.
Mr Sharad, likely one of the youngest candidates up for this election, said he was concerned about issues like mental health and the climate crisis, and wants more accountability from firms and the Government on such matters.
Mr Nizar works in the marine services industry and is pushing for stronger employment safeguards to protect mid-career professionals, and aims to draw from the experience of losing his job during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, Mr Fazli said he wants to speak for retirees living in private estates who have little or no income, whom he described as a “less visible group”.
Rounding out the slate is Mr Tan, who owns a business selling convenience goods. He hopes to advocate stronger government support for local businesses.
RDU is contesting Holland-Bukit Timah GRC for the first time and will face the incumbent team of MPs: Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, 64, Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and National Development Sim Ann, 50, lawyer Christopher de Souza, 49, and businessman Edward Chia, 41.
The same PAP line-up contested the 2020 General Election, and won 66.36 per cent of the vote against the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP).
SDP, which contested Holland-Bukit Timah GRC in the past three elections, has signalled that it is uncertain about fielding candidates in the GRC.
In neighbouring Bukit Panjang SMC, four-term MP Liang Eng Hwa, 61, is set for a “re-match” against SDP chairman Paul Tambyah, whom he faced in the 2020 polls.
Bukit Panjang was one of the most hotly contested seats in that election, with the PAP narrowly retaining the seat with 53.73 per cent of the vote.
For the 2025 election, RDU has introduced potential candidates for Nee Soon GRC and the newly formed Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, and earlier indicated interest in contesting Jalan Kayu SMC, Tanjong Pagar GRC and Radin Mas SMC.
- Christine Tan is a journalist at The Straits Times reporting on crime, justice and social issues in Singapore.
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