SINGAPORE: Red Dot United (RDU) levelled criticism at the government during the party’s first-ever physical rally on Saturday (Apr 26), pointing to issues ranging from job security to spending on the Founders’ Memorial.
“It is never unreasonable to us that we have steady jobs and stable incomes, and that is what Singaporeans are asking for,” said party secretary-general Ravi Philemon.
RDU, which was founded three weeks before the 2020 General Election, held amid the COVID-19 pandemic, had never had a physical rally prior.
On Saturday, the inaugural rally started with a one-minute silence to commemorate the death of Pope Francis.
Mr Philemon said Pope Francis is “remembered for standing up for the marginalised, for the underprivileged. It is important that we at Red Dot united, who share the same values, pay our respects to him”.
The party chief was the first of 15 speakers at the rally held at Bukit View Secondary School, located within Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC.
During his speech, Mr Philemon called on Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to “earn his stripes”.
“This is his first election, and he needs to earn his stripes to be called the prime minister of Singapore,” he said, adding: “It’s nothing new when I say we should not give the PAP a blank check.”
He said RDU’s candidates hail from diverse backgrounds, whereas the People’s Action Party (PAP) offers candidates “linked to the establishment”, “cut from the same cloth”, who “live in ivory towers” and who “align more with the billionaire class”.
