RDU’s Ravi Philemon criticises NDP after participant’s death during rehearsal, netizens call his post ‘distasteful’
Red Dot United (RDU) chief Ravi Philemon spoke out against National Day Parades (NDPs) following the death of a participant during rehearsals.
In a long Facebook post on the night of 21 June, Mr Philemon said he couldn’t stop thinking about the incident.
Source: Ravi Philemon on Facebook
He wrote that the 47-year-old man was playing his part in “a stage-managed fiction of unity”.
“And when he collapsed, there were no cheers. No applause. Just the silence of a system moving on.”
Mr Philemon opined that the NDP used to be a tool for forging national identity in the 1960s but had become a way to “maintain control”.
He then compared it to United States President Donald Trump’s parade on 14 June, calling them authoritarian spectacles.
Ravi Philemon says he will never attend National Day Parade
The RDU secretary-general claimed that the “pageantry” of the NDP was not for the average citizen, as most Singaporeans would have to watch through TV broadcasts.
Source: Ministry of Defence, Singapore (MINDEF) on Facebook
With National Day on a long weekend this year, Mr Philemon said the parade would be more akin to a background hum for many Singaporeans going to Johor Bahru for leisure.
He then brought the point back to the deceased, whom he claimed died “to help the state appear united”.
Mr Philemon questioned the alleged lack of public outcry or urgent motion in Parliament to investigate the fatality.
“At Red Dot United, we believe that silence is complicity,” he said, emphasising that no one should lose their life for a parade.
And let me say this unequivocally: I think we should do away with the National Day Parade altogether. It no longer reflects who we are or what we need.
Mr Philemon claimed that if elected to Parliament, he would neither attend nor participate in the NDP, calling it a spectacle that risks lives and costs millions.
“We must find other ways to celebrate National Day — ways that are inclusive, grounded, and reflective of who we are.”
He called for a reimagining of the celebration.
Netizens criticise post for being ‘distasteful’
The RDU chief’s post received immediate negative reactions from Singaporean netizens on both Facebook and Reddit.
Some accused him of politicising a tragedy.
Source: Facebook
A Reddit user called his post “distasteful” and intended to “score political points”, saying Mr Philemon should have reached out to the deceased’s family to offer support instead.
Source: Reddit
“People do have national pride and feel proud to be part of NDP,” another commenter said, questioning why some people assumed the participants didn’t want to be there.
Source: Reddit
A few netizens expressed agreement with Mr Philemon’s take, calling NDP a political event with a human cost.
However, one user argued that NDP is more of a show of force and unity for neighbouring nations.
Source: Reddit
Mr Philemon himself denied politicising the death of the participant, instead saying he was holding power accountable by asking hard questions.
Source: Ravi Philemon on Facebook
Also read: 47-year-old NDP participant dies after fainting at Padang rehearsal, was unresponsive after CPR
47-year-old NDP participant dies after fainting at Padang rehearsal, was unresponsive after CPR
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Featured image adapted from Ravi Philemon on Facebook and Ministry of Defence, Singapore (MINDEF) on Facebook.
