Latest news with #LiyanaDhamirah
AsiaOne
03-05-2025
- Politics
- AsiaOne
PAP wins Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC with 76.66% of votes over RDU, Singapore News
Results for Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC in GE2025 People's Action Party (PAP) 76.66% Red Dot United (RDU) 23.34% The People's Action Party has won Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC with 76.66% of votes over the Red Dot United. PAP received 99,345 votes while RDU received 30,248 votes. The PAP's five-member team for Jurong East-Bukit Batok is led by Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu, who returned to a GRC slate after more than a decade. She previously served as an MP in Jurong GRC from 2006 to 2011 before moving to Yuhua SMC. The other members of team comprise newcomer charity director David Hoe, 37, former national gymnast and Hougang representative Lee Hong Chuang, 54, Minister of State for Health and for Digital Development and Information Rahayu Mahzam, 44, and Minister of State for Transport and Law Murali Pillai, 57. The RDU team has waste management company director Osman Sulaiman, 50, entrepreneur and author Liyana Dhamirah, 38, contemporary artist Ben Puah, 48, principal software engineer Harish Mohanadas, 39, and boutique marketing agency director Marcus Neo, 33. Osman previously contested in the 2011 and 2015 General Elections with the Reform Party and was a candidate with the Singapore People's Party in 2020. Liyana Dhamirah, 38, was an RDU candidate for Jurong GRC in the 2020 General Election. Following changes to the electoral boundaries on March 11, Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC consists of Bukit Batok SMC and parts of Jurong GRC, Yuhua SMC and Hong Kah North SMC. Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC has 142,510 registered electors. For our GE2025 microsite, visit here. editor@
Malay Mail
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Sexist, racist abuse of women candidates in Singapore GE2025 draws backlash from gender equality NGO
SINGAPORE, May 2 — As campaigning for the Singapore general election comes to a close, the spotlight on women candidates has taken an unsettling turn — with objectifying catcalls, sexist online remarks, and racist jibes overshadowing political debate and drawing sharp condemnation from the country's leading gender advocacy group. Yesterday, the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) took to Instagram to denounce the wave of sexist and racist commentary that has dogged several women candidates throughout the campaign. Calling the behaviour 'distasteful' and 'dangerous', Aware warned that it could deter future participation by capable women in politics. 'A woman on the ballot should not have to face being objectified, degraded and stereotyped,' the group said in a strongly worded post. 'It is insulting and humiliating.' The group shared screenshots of derogatory remarks targeting female candidates, and flagged instances where the focus had shifted from policy positions to physical appearance. Among the more glaring examples was the crowd behaviour at a Workers' Party rally, where loud catcalls of 'super chio bu' — a colloquial term for an attractive woman — were heard as Punggol GRC candidate Alexis Dang was delivering her speech. Another candidate, Red Dot United's Liyana Dhamirah, who is contesting Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, revealed she had been subjected to 'racist and sexist' abuse online, prompting her to file a police report. Meanwhile, Aware also took aim at a YouTube series titled Chio Bu of GE2025, which singled out several women candidates, including the People's Action Party's Sun Xueling and Bernadette Giam, for their looks. 'Harassment and discrimination should not be the price of entry into politics for women,' the organisation stated, adding that such conduct reinforces 'deeply entrenched gender and racial bias'. In its post, Aware stressed that reducing women politicians to their looks 'sends a loud message' that their leadership potential is not taken seriously. It added: 'This kind of behaviour perpetuates myths that women are less capable, less serious, and less competent to represent others.' Calling on the public to act, Aware urged Singaporeans to reject discriminatory behaviour: 'End sexism and racism against women in politics. Call it out when you see it.' The Singapore general election takes place tomorrow.
AsiaOne
02-05-2025
- Politics
- AsiaOne
'Call it out when you see it': Aware criticises treatment of women candidates in GE2025, Singapore News
From objectifying comments online to catcalling in person, this general election has seen a focus on women candidates — with much of it centring not on their policies or ideas, but their physical appearance. Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) took to Instagram on Thursday (May 1) to slam sexist and racist remarks that have surfaced throughout the campaign period. The gender advocacy organisation described these actions as "distasteful" and "dangerous". "A woman on the ballot should not have to face being objectified, degraded and stereotyped," Aware wrote. "It is insulting and humiliating." Aware shared multiple screenshots of sexist and racist comments targeting female candidates and the organisation warned that such an environment will only "discourage capable women from stepping forward" in politics in future. At a Workers' Party rally, loud catcalls of "super chio bu" were heard from the crowd as Punggol GRC candidate Alexis Dang was delivering her speech — drawing attention not to her words, but to her appearance. Elsewhere, Red Dot United's candidate for Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, Liyana Dhamirah, spoke out about receiving "racist and sexist" comments online, for which she filed a police report. Aware also highlighted a YouTube series titled Chio Bu of GE2025, which singled out female candidates such as People's Action Party's Sun Xueling and Bernadette Giam. "Harassment and discrimination should not be the price of entry into politics for women," the group said. In the caption, Aware stated that such behaviour reflects deeper issues of entrenched gender and racial bias which only reinforces myths that women are "less capable, less serious, and less competent to represent others". Reducing women in politics to their appearance "sends a loud message" that their leadership potential is not of importance. Aware urged Singaporeans to take a stand and "do better" by not engaging in sexist, racist, and harassing behaviour, both online and offline. "End sexism and racism against women in politics. Call it out when you see it," the group said. [[nid:717566]] For our GE2025 microsite, visit here. amierul@
Independent Singapore
01-05-2025
- Business
- Independent Singapore
GE2025: Vote with hope, not habit — Red Dot United calls for radical but necessary reform at Jurong Central SMC rally
Singapore: In the drizzle of a late evening rally in Jurong Central on April 30, umbrellas opened not just against the rain, but as shields for what RDU describes as deeper frustration felt across Singapore. One by one, Red Dot United (RDU) candidates took to the stage — to voice a growing sentiment among Singaporeans: it's time to raise the standard. 'Citizens are not asking for riches,' declared Liyana Dhamirah, 'they're asking for dignity.' From the young graduate drowning in gig work to the mother in Bukit Batok who gave up on dental care due to unbearable queues and costs. Liyana believes that 'the status quo no longer serves the people it claims to represent.' Reset, not patchwork RDU's 2025 manifesto is framed as a national reset — a rejection of piecemeal reforms in favour of bold, people-first policies. 'Singapore doesn't need more patchwork,' said Dhamirah. 'We need real solutions.' These solutions include a proposed citizen dividend — an unconditional payout to all Singaporeans, not as charity, but recognition. 'You are stakeholders in this country,' said business director Pang Heng Chuan. 'A responsible leader doesn't start with cutting workers. You cut the bloat. You stop vanity projects. You protect people.' Pang, who has led turnarounds in the private sector, brought his managerial lens to governance. 'If ministers want CEO pay, they must accept CEO accountability,' he said, calling out multimillion-dollar projects like the $330 million Founders' Memorial while basic estate maintenance suffers. From theory to lived reality RDU candidates repeatedly stressed their lived experience and how that informs their policies. Emily Woo, a PSC scholar and music educator, said her time in classrooms and communities showed her a disconnect between policymaking and people's daily struggles. 'I met an uncle who asked me, 'What are you giving out?' I told him — no gifts. Just my voice to speak for you. And he smiled. He said, 'Good. That's what matters.'' Emily has called for trimming redundant political roles — such as mayors and excess political secretaries, and pegging ministerial salaries to the median wage. 'It's time our leaders were invested in the incomes of all, not just the top ten per cent,' she said. A family's struggle, a nation's fight Other candidates turned to personal testimony. Marcus Neo recalled the pride in his mother's eyes when he landed a corporate job — and her heartbreak when that job, despite his performance, became a casualty of a stacked system. 'I gave them three chances,' he said, describing how a foreign HR manager dismissed Singaporean employment protections. 'Eventually, I took them on — legally, professionally. I won. But I also lost my job, and my mother's hope.' Neo's story, like many others that night, carried a quiet but powerful indictment: that a generation is growing up in a system where meritocracy is preached but privilege reigns. The H.E.A.R.T. Framework Harish Mohanadas, a civil and software engineer whose career revolves around handling and creating complex systems, introduced RDU's H.E.A.R.T. framework: H ousing security through a comprehensive reset and rent-to-own schemes E quitable healthcare that caps out-of-pocket costs A ssured prosperity through a citizen dividend and reversal of the GST hike R esilient economy prioritising SMEs and citizen-first hiring Transparent governance with public KPIs and an end to rubber-stamp politics 'We're not here to tinker around the edges,' Harish said. 'We're here to transform Singapore.' A serious plan for local governance Candidate Harish Mohanadas assured residents that RDU is ready to run town councils with competence and transparency from day one. 'We've launched a full Town Council Management Plan,' Harish told the crowd, 'and we've assembled a transitional committee made up of professionals with experience in finance, systems, and community engagement.' RDU's plan, first unveiled on Aug 25, focuses on sustainable urban management and citizen-focused service delivery. Harish emphasised that RDU's readiness was not theoretical. 'We're engineers,' he said. 'We're builders. We know how to scale operations, manage complexity, and get things done.' RDU's ground-up approach to town council governance stood in contrast to their portrayal of the incumbent PAP MPs as 'part-time representatives' disconnected from the daily realities of estate living. For RDU, managing a constituency isn't an add-on — it's core to what it means to serve. No more double standards Osman Sulaiman, a former corporate leader and current entrepreneur, took aim at the unequal expectations between the government and the citizen. 'When rules bend for the powerful, faith in the system dies,' he said. 'Whether you're a minister or a cleaner, the rules must be the same.' He cited the Crony Capitalism Index , where Singapore ranks 4th globally for economic systems that favour politically connected elites. He was echoed by Sharad Kumar, who highlighted the silence of PAP MPs during the GST hikes. 'Not one voted against it,' he said. 'We need a Parliament where MPs challenge bad policy, not explain it away.' Governance with grace For Kala Manickam, it was a daughter's safety and a single mother's grit that shaped her political conviction. A former officer and education leader, she wept recalling the mental burdens today's youth face — and the isolation of many parents trying to hold things together. 'Even with upskilling and retraining,' she said, 'too many Singaporeans are unemployed, underemployed, or stuck in systems that don't care.' Kala's five-year plan focused on valuing seniors, expanding mental health support, and ensuring that every child has a fair and dignified start. 'This isn't about envy,' she said. 'It's about fairness.' The rooster and the rainbow Then came Secretary-General Ravi Philemon, standing drenched in the rain, declaring that 'if we can't brave the weather for the people, how will they trust us?' Ravi painted RDU as the balance Singapore desperately needs — 'the yin to PAP's yang' — and described the party as the necessary reset for a system gone rigid. 'We are the rooster that crows,' he said. 'It's never easy to be the rooster in Singapore — they'll try to silence you, pluck your feathers, cook you into curry. But after the downpour comes the rainbow.' A vote for a voice As rallying cries go, Red Dot United's was simple, heartfelt, and firm. 'We don't just want a seat in Parliament,' Dhamirah said. 'We want to be your voice.' In a political climate often thick with fear, RDU made an appeal not just to the mind, but to the soul: Vote with hope. Not habit. Because for them, this election is not about who gains power, but who finally gets heard.
Straits Times
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
GE2025: How did RDU scale up from contesting 1 constituency in 2020 to 4 in GE2025?
Meet RDU's new faces in this episode of The Usual Place podcast. The Usual Place Podcast GE2025: How did RDU scale up from contesting 1 constituency in 2020 to 4 in GE2025? Follow our live coverage here. It's a very young political party, formed only in 2020 when it contested just one constituency – Jurong GRC – with a team of five candidates. Fast forward five years, and Red Dot United (RDU) is fielding the second-highest number of opposition candidates in this election, behind the WP's 26 candidates. RDU's 15 candidates are contesting four constituencies, going head-to-head with the PAP. How did the party scale up from a one-GRC showing in 2020 to four constituencies today? Tune in at 12pm on April 29 to meet Ms Liyana Dhamirah, 38 , who is contesting Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, her teammate Marcus Neo, 33, and Ms Kala Manickam, 57, candidate for Jurong Central SMC. The Usual Place – a podcast by The Straits Times – has moved from a weekly show to a half-hour daily live stream at noon from April 24 till May 1, the day before Cooling-off Day. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
