All you need to know about the 6 Red Dot United candidates
Opposition party Red Dot United (RDU) has revealed six potential candidates for Jurong Central SMC and the five-member Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC.
The party announced its slate on Wednesday (16 April) at Block 255 Jurong East Street 24. The candidates are as follows:
- Benjamin Puah Kia Teng
- Liyana Dhamirah Binte Selamat
- Marcus Neo Kai Jie
- Emily Woo Chia Ying
- Osman Bin Sulaiman
- Harish Mohanadas
Here are some quick facts about the hopefuls.
Source: RDU Jurong East- Bukit Batok on Facebook
1. Benjamin Puah Kia Teng: career artist turned Red Dot United politician
“Art can heal, connect, and transform lives. So can politics, when it’s guided by empathy and rooted in community,” says 48-year-old Benjamin Puah, a contemporary artist and community art organiser.
Photo courtesy of Red Dot United
Mr Puah previously won the prestigious President’s Young Talents Award in 2001. He was the first individual to achieve the accolade.
His artwork can be found in many major collections — including the Singapore Art Museum — as well as in the private collections of individuals such as retired politician Chiam See Tong.
Mr Puah had given a piece of artwork to the former Potong Pasir MP to commemorate the launch of the latter’s sports foundation in 2017.
Source: Chiam See Tong Sports Fund on Facebook
In 2005, Mr Puah founded ‘Colours of Life’, a community arts initiative that conducts free art enrichment workshops for underprivileged children. He says:
Every child should have the chance to dream, create, and be heard — regardless of background.
He favours policies that support holistic education, cultural inclusion and mental well-being.
2. Liyana Dhamirah Binte Selamat: from homeless to a bestselling author
“Only when we see beyond the shiny and polished surface of today’s Singapore can we uncover and address the pressing challenges of inequality and rising cost of living,” says 38-year-old Liyana Dhamirah.
Photo courtesy of Red Dot United
The entrepreneur lived through this experience when she became homeless in 2009.
She lived in a tent on the beach and faced many financial issues, according to a Women’s Weekly article.
10 years later, Ms Liyana published a memoir of her time in ‘Homeless: The Untold Story of a Mother’s Struggle in Crazy Rich Singapore’, which made her a bestselling author.
Source: Women’s Weekly
The memoir was the winner of the 2020 Singapore Book Awards (Best Non-Fiction) and she has received other accolades since then:
- Woman of Resilience Award from AWARE in 2019
- one of the SG 100 Women in Tech by IMDA, Mediacorp and the Singapore Computer Society
As an RDU candidate, Ms Liyana supports policies that uplift families, help small businesses and address systemic inequality:
Political accountability starts with people who understand struggle. I will continue to speak for families, entrepreneurs, and the overlooked — because I’ve lived what they live.
3. Marcus Neo Kai Jie: self-made entrepreneur
“Starting a family, owning a home, feeling secure—these shouldn’t be distant goals for young Singaporeans. If the system isn’t working for us, it’s time to change it.”
Photo courtesy of Red Dot United
To 33-year-old Marcus Neo, good policy reflects the struggles of ordinary Singaporeans.
The entrepreneur and director of a boutique marketing agency has experienced much financial hardship on his way to success, he says.
As such, he feels that Parliament must include more people who were not born privileged, but rather built themselves up and persevered through failure.
Source: @iammarcusneo on Instagram
He cited Singapore’s housing system as just one system that felt increasingly out of reach for Singaporeans — noting that he and his partner have failed multiple times to secure their BTO flat.
Mr Neo promises that he can bring fresh insight to policymaking and offer long-term, inclusive solutions:
Young people today are told to hustle, adapt, be resilient—but what about a system that’s just as willing to meet us halfway? Fairness isn’t a handout. It’s a foundation.
4. Emily Woo Chia Ying: educator in S’pore and France
“Many Singaporeans are stressed—not just by rising costs, but by the weight of caregiving, job insecurity, and daily struggles. Help should not be hidden behind bureaucracy or hard-to-find numbers in a lift,” says 59-year-old Emily Woo.
Photo courtesy of Red Dot United
The educator, who was a Public Service Commission Overseas Undergraduate Scholar and has more than 30 years of teaching experience in Singapore and France, believes that education should give every child a fair start. Policies she supports include:
- smaller class sizes
- stronger teacher support
- fair employment opportunities for senior citizens
Source: Emily Woo on Facebook
Apart from teaching, Ms Woo has authored two music books titled ‘My First Book of Great Composers’ and ‘My Second Book of Great Composers’.
She also champions policies that ensure economic security for Singaporeans, saying:
Our people deserve stability, not endless job-hunting cycles that drain their energy and self-worth.
5. Osman Bin Sulaiman: waste management company director
“The cleaner is just as important as the doctor. The doctor can only treat you after you get sick. The cleaner keeps you from falling sick. Do we treat both the same?”
Those are the words of 50-year-old Osman Sulaiman, who leads a waste management company in the Philippines.
Photo courtesy of Red Dot United
“I believe in a Singapore where no one is looked down on for the job they do,” he added.
A veteran of three General Elections since 2011, Mr Osman claims that Singapore’s greatest challenge is inequality, rather than inflation.
Source: Today Online
He believes that workers who keep the country running have their contributions overlooked in favour of those with status or prestige.
Mr Osman thus stands for a Singapore where every honest job is respected and policy reflects the values of all citizens instead of a privileged few, saying:
I’m proud of my Singaporean identity — and I won’t pretend to be someone I’m not, just for convenience or to win something. The people deserve honesty.
6. Harish Mohanadas: engineer who taught himself programming
“The Singapore system is not broken, but there are wide emerging gaps. If left unplugged, it can eventually sink the entire ship.”
This claim came from 39-year-old principal software engineer Harish Mohanadas, who has more than 10 years of experience in Singapore’s infrastructure development during his stint as a civil engineer.
Photo courtesy of Red Dot United
He has worked on national-scale projects in housing, transport, water resources and municipal services, and contributed to “significant components” of Singapore’s Deep Tunnel Sewerage System.
Mr Harish then taught himself programming and transitioned to software engineering.
The engineer hopes to bring an evidence-driven approach to Parliament, promoting resilience, equity and long-term national well-being.
He believes fair political competition creates the conditions for societal progress, saying:
Like good infrastructure, good policy must be built to last — strong in foundation, inclusive in design, and made to serve everyone, not just the few.
Red Dot United releases slate for 5-member GRC and SMC
While Ms Woo is slated to be fielded in Jurong Central SMC, the other five are set to contest in Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, RDU said at a press conference on Wednesday.
In Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC, the RDU will face a PAP team helmed by Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu.
The team also includes a fresh face — 37-year-old David Hoe, who is a director of philanthropy at The Majurity Trust.
Meanwhile, the PAP candidate for Jurong Central SMC is Xie Yao Quan, who has represented the Jurong Central ward since 2020.
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Featured image adapted from Women’s Weekly and Chiam See Tong Sports Fund on Facebook.
