Red Dot United

16/10/2026

𝐀 𝐌𝐀𝐍 𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐃 𝐈𝐍 𝐘𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐔𝐍 𝐘𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐃𝐀𝐘. 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆, 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐌 𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐓𝐎 𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐍.

Yesterday morning, a 51-year-old man was found dead at Block 703 Yishun Avenue 5 after falling from height.

This morning, our RDU North team, led by Mohamed Fazli Bin Talip, visited the neighbourhood to speak with residents and check on their wellbeing.

Among the people Fazli spoke to was a Town Council cleaner who had been working at nearby Block 701 around the time of the incident. He hadn't heard about what happened. Another resident, who lived on the second floor, recalled returning home at around 10.30am yesterday and being shocked to see police officers cordoning off the area.

None of the residents our team spoke to recognised the deceased.

There is something about these encounters that make should make us reflect on the communities we live in.

We share the same corridors, take the same lifts, eat at the same coffee shops and pass one another almost every day. Yet, how much do we really know about the people around us? Not recognising someone doesn't necessarily mean that person was alone. But it does remind us that proximity and community are not necessarily the same thing.

Singapore has built an extensive network of community institutions. Residents' Networks, grassroots organisations, Community Clubs and elected MPs all have a part to play in connecting people.

But perhaps we should also ask ourselves what meaningful community engagement really looks like.

Is it enough to organise activities and bring people together? Or should we also be paying more attention to those who seldom participate, who rarely come forward with their problems, and whose struggles might go unnoticed?

These are questions not just for our elected representatives or grassroots organisations, but for all of us who call these neighbourhoods home.

Our RDU North team went down this morning because we believe that caring for a community begins with being present, listening and showing concern. Sometimes, there is little we can do beyond that. But even that matters.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to the deceased's family and loved ones.

A compassionate society is not built merely by putting people together in the same neighbourhood. It is built when people begin to care about the lives of those around them.

That is the Singapore we must continue working towards.

13/10/2026

𝐈𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟑, 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐳𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬. 𝐀 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫.

Thirteen years later, the haze is back. And the law has yet to produce a single fine.

On 19 June 2013, as Singapore choked under smoke from Indonesian forest fires, I wrote an article titled Singapore Government can do more to tackle haze. I argued that diplomatic expressions of concern and consumer boycotts were insufficient. Commercial interests were driving the burning, and some companies operating in the region had links to Singapore. Why should corporate accountability stop at our borders?

I called for legislation making Singapore citizens and Singapore-registered businesses answerable for corrupt practices overseas. It was a proposal for a foreign corrupt practices law, but the principle was clear: wrongdoing committed beyond Singapore should not enjoy immunity merely because it happened elsewhere.

Then the crisis took a personal turn.

On 8 July 2013, Communications and Information Minister Yaacob Ibrahim named me twice in Parliament. He accused me of spreading rumours over a Facebook post questioning the availability of N95 masks. I had been asking why the Government's assurance of sufficient supplies did not match what people were finding in pharmacies. I had even travelled to Johor Bahru to buy masks with my own money and distribute them to those who needed them.

I was sitting in Parliament that day. I could hear my name being used against me, but I had no microphone with which to respond.

Weeks later, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen introduced DRUMS — Distortions, Rumours, Untruths, Misinformation and Smears. TODAY's report connected his warning to Yaacob's criticism of me. DRUMS failed, and failed miserably. What were they going to call me — Ravi the DRUMmer? I would have been happy to be the lead drummer in a rock band!

The joke was funny. The climate it reflected was not. To me, DRUMS foreshadowed the political approach that later found expression in POFMA: those questioning official accounts could find themselves branded as misinformation peddlers. People have eyes to see what is right and what is not.

The cost was real for me. Some donors threatened to withdraw support from the welfare organisation I led because its head had been criticised by a minister. My chairman urged me to stop answering the Government. It was, he said, bad for business.

I recount that episode in my 2024 memoir, Here I Am: Memoirs of a Social Activist in Singapore. I wrote there that a good name is an inheritance you leave your children. I was not prepared to surrender mine simply because powerful people disliked my questions.

But here's the part of the story worth remembering.

On the same day Yaacob named me in Parliament, Law Minister K. Shanmugam said he had asked the Attorney-General to study extraterritorial legislation against companies responsible for haze pollution. In 2014, Parliament passed the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, allowing action against entities contributing to haze in Singapore even when their conduct occurred overseas.

𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭. 𝐌𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝. 𝐒𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭'𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞. 𝐒𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐝.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲?

On 12 October 2026, our 24-hour PSI stood between 118 and 155 — Unhealthy. Smoke from fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan was once again crossing our borders. Thirteen years on, we are still watching the skies, checking air-quality readings and hoping the winds change.

Minister Grace Fu says the Government is on top of the situation. There are masks, shelters, task-force meetings and offers of assistance to Indonesia. Public-health preparations matter. But masks cannot stop commercial burning. Shelters cannot prosecute an errant company.

Twelve years after the Act came into force, no fines have been imposed. Investigations involving four Indonesian companies over the 2015 haze remain open. Eleven years. No conclusion. No meaningful accountability under the Act.

The challenge is undeniably difficult: tracing fires to particular companies, establishing legal responsibility and securing cooperation across borders. But that is precisely what the law was meant to confront. Difficulty cannot become a permanent excuse for paralysis.

The Government owes Singaporeans clear answers. What has been established in those four investigations? What is preventing their conclusion? What changes to enforcement powers, evidence-gathering and regional cooperation are needed? And when will those changes be made?

I challenged the Government to legislate in 2013. Today, I challenge it to make that legislation count.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐥𝐚𝐰 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭. 𝐈𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞.

If you would like to read the fuller account of what happened to me in 2013, and the many other battles I fought as a social activist, my memoir, Here I Am, published by Fong Hoe Fang’s Word Image, is available for purchase at Red Dot United’s office. Just drop us a WhatsApp message at 88064365, and my team will arrange to have a copy mailed to you. The book costs $28, excluding shipping. All proceeds from the sale of my book go to Red Dot United to support the work we do.

Thirteen years later, Singaporeans are still breathing the consequences.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬.

09/10/2026

“The most happening political party right now!”

That was how one guest described Red Dot United at our recent Gala Dinner. We think so too!

Today, RDU Chairman Dr David Foo hosted an appreciation dinner to thank the volunteers who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make our Gala Dinner such a grand success. It was a simple but meaningful evening, recognising the people whose hard work, commitment and generosity keep RDU moving forward.

Political parties are built by people, not just personalities. And we are fortunate to have people who believe in what we are doing and are prepared to put in the hard work to make it happen.

Here's to stronger friendships, greater things ahead, and our shared commitment to building a better Singapore.

01/10/2026

What a night — and what a crowd.

These are pictures of many of our guests at the Red Dot United 6th Anniversary & National Day Celebration Gala Dinner 2026. Our Chairman and Secretary-General went from table to table to greet guests, catch up with old friends, meet new ones and personally thank those who came to celebrate with us.

It was a full house, full of conversations, laughter, warmth and energy. Thank you to everyone who showed up, filled the room and made the night what it was. These photos capture only part of it — but what an evening it was.

29/09/2026

Was the level of restraint used on Neo Swee Lin justified? What do you think?

Since yesterday, I have been reading accounts by and about the six people charged under the Public Order Act: Kirsten Han, Rocky Howe, Kokila Annamalai, Lim Kay Siu, Neo Swee Lin and Jeanne Ten.

Five of them were charged over one particular act: taking a group photograph outside the State Courts in February 2025. A group photograph. The maximum penalty for that alleged offence is a $5,000 fine.

No one has been convicted. Yet after bail was granted, they were taken into the court lock-up while their bailors completed the paperwork. Reading some of their accounts, a simple question arose: did the restraints match the risk they actually posed?

I am not asking the courts to go soft. I am asking whether public power was used properly. Officers must keep order and prevent escape, violence and disruption. But security is not a licence for automatic, one-size-fits-all treatment.

The court-house lock-up regulations allow restraints to prevent injury, damage to property, disturbance or escape. They give officers discretion. That discretion must mean something: assess the person, assess the risk, and justify the restraint. The regulations do not say that every person awaiting bail must be rear-cuffed and shackled.

I was particularly struck by the account of Neo Swee Lin—our Ah Ma from Phua Chu Kang. She has said that she had a healing broken right arm. She was handcuffed behind her back, with a chain connecting the handcuffs to ankle cuffs. She wrote that this was “a bit of a strain”.

As Secretary-General of Red Dot United, I have therefore written to Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon. I have asked whether discretion was exercised separately for each person; whether rear handcuffs and ankle restraints are routinely used on people awaiting bail; whether Ms Neo’s healing arm was taken into account; and what safeguards exist for people with injuries or medical conditions.

If the restraints were necessary, the Judiciary should explain why. If they were automatic, the procedure should be reviewed.

Neo’s account also brought to mind Susan Sarandon. Last week, Sarandon, 79, was detained during a sit-in outside the United Nations in New York, where protesters blocked First Avenue ahead of Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the General Assembly. Protesters were taken into custody; reports and video showed police using zip ties as they escorted people away.

Of course, the situations are not identical. Sarandon was among protesters blocking a major road in Manhattan. Neo was charged here over a non-violent public-assembly matter. But both were acts of conscience: Sarandon protesting the war in Gaza and US support for it; Neo and her fellow accused opposing the death penalty.

That is why the comparison is worth making.

Sarandon was detained at a large protest outside the UN. Neo Swee Lin—our Ah Ma—was awaiting bail in the State Courts after being charged over a group photograph outside the building. She had a healing broken right arm, yet was rear-cuffed and linked by a chain to ankle cuffs.

The strength of a justice system is not measured by how quickly it can restrain people. It is measured by whether it can exercise power fairly, distinguish real risk from routine, and account for its actions when asked. That is how public trust is earned.

I believe the State must be able to use force where necessary. But that force must be exercised with judgment. If this level of restraint was necessary for Neo Swee Lin, the Judiciary should be able to say why.

27/09/2026

Lanterns out, smiles on, and plenty of good energy on the ground. 🏮✨

RDU marked the Mid-Autumn Festival with residents — sharing lanterns, conversations, laughter and a bit of festive cheer along the way. Sometimes the best part of these occasions is not the programme. It is simply people stopping, talking, and enjoying the neighbourhood together.

中秋节快乐! Happy Mid-Autumn Festival from all of us at Red Dot United. May there always be light, warmth and good company wherever we gather. 🌕🏮

25/09/2026

Six years ago, someone told Ravi Philemon that Red Dot United would not last. His response then was simply: “Let’s see.” Six years later, standing before a packed Gala Dinner, he had his answer: “Six years on, I am standing here.”

In his anniversary speech, Ravi reflected on how RDU was built, the people who came alongside it, and the road ahead. He spoke about the need for people, resources and a movement — and about a hope that is not blind, but “built on six years of work” and on the belief that Singapore can still be better than it is today.

The video brings together his speech with some of the faces and moments from the evening. Have a look, and let us know what stood out to you.

20/09/2026

Six years ago, RDU began with just 11 members.

Last night, 230 guests came together for our sixth-anniversary Fundraising Gala Dinner and National Day Celebration. All 23 tables were sold out within barely a week of opening.

It was an evening to celebrate the people who have helped bring RDU to this point: members, volunteers, candidates, supporters and friends. Over the past six years, more than 300 people have stepped forward to volunteer, contribute and help build the party.

We also honoured service, courage and public-mindedness — including through the inaugural National Hero Award, posthumously conferred on human-rights lawyer M. Ravi, and the launch of the M. Ravi Book Award for young Singaporeans.

RDU Secretary-General Ravi Philemon spoke plainly about the work ahead:

“If that is our ambition, then there is certainly no chest-thumping over fielding 15 candidates. We will have to field 50 or more. I am going to work very hard to field a strong team at the next General Election — a team large enough to form a government.”

The journey ahead will demand more people, more resources, stronger policy capacity and broader public support.

Last night was not an endpoint. It was one more small step towards building a credible political alternative that is ready to take responsibility for Singapore’s future.

Thank you to everyone who has walked this journey with us.

19/09/2026

From 15 October, elected MPs’ monthly allowance rises from $13,750 to $18,500: $4,750 more a month, or $66,500 more a year. That is a 34.5% increase. Most workers, if lucky, may receive an annual increment of around 3%—often not enough to keep up with inflation.

The Government says the allowance covers constituency time and expenses, including transport, volunteer refreshments and bai jin. But a 34.5% increase for these routine expenses is not acceptable without a transparent public breakdown of what has increased and why.

MPs should be supported to serve residents well—but public money requires public accountability. Give my podcast a listen, and let me know what you think.