GE2020: ‘Being grateful does not mean we have to keep quiet’, says Red Dot United’s Liyana Dhamirah on her path to politics

• Ms Liyana said she joined RDU because its values are based on kindness
• She has authored a book about her spell of homelessness a decade ago
• She wishes to champion issues such as unemployment and social inequality

SINGAPORE — As a mother of four who has overcome hardship and even a spell of homelessness, Red Dot United (RDU) candidate Liyana Dhamirah is grateful for assistance she has received from the Government — but she believes this does not mean she has to stay silent about issues she feels strongly about.

“We are usually very grateful to the Government for whatever assistance that we (ordinary Singaporeans) can get,” said the 33-year-old entrepreneur, who is one of RDU’s candidates for Jurong Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in this election.

“But being grateful doesn’t mean that we have to keep quiet if we do see some unfairness or something that we know isn’t right.”

Given her experiences, it would come as no surprise that she wants to speak up on issues such unemployment and social inequality, which have become ever more stark in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The pandemic has highlighted the inequalities that already exist in society today, such as the plight of the migrant workers in dormitories and lower-income families who did not have access to technology to support home-based learning,” she said.

A policy that she hopes to change, if elected, is the Housing and Development Board (HDB) rental policy. 

“The income ceiling cap minimises the chances for individuals who may be earning a greater income but have a bigger family size to even get a chance to apply for a rental flat,” she said. 

Ultimately, Ms Liyana said her heart is for underprivileged families and she hopes to be able to extend a hand to those in need.

“I am in a different phase of my life right now and I am very grateful for where I am now… But that doesn’t mean I should stop helping those who need help,” she said.

“I spent several years in a rental flat and I know what it is like for families who live there. That's why the flame in me keeps on burning to help them.”

PREGNANT AND HOMELESS AT 22

In an interview with The Straits Times last year, Ms Liyana recounted how she became pregnant at 16 with her first boyfriend, whom she agreed to marry. Thereafter, the couple had another child.

Due to her husband’s infidelity, their relationship soured. Then, an equally strained relationship with her mother-in-law came to a head and resulted in the couple getting kicked out of the house, leaving them homeless.

At the time, Ms Liyana, who was 22 and heavily pregnant, and her husband spent three months living in a tent on Sembawang beach. Their two children stayed with her mother in Johor.

She told The New Paper last August that during the day, she would contact social workers and attend Meet-the-People sessions to seek help to find accommodation from Members of Parliament (MPs).

But nothing came out of it. The turning point came when she met Mr Ravi Philemon months later.

“At the point where I gave up, I met Ravi… (He and former editor of The Online Citizen Andrew Low) were distributing tins of biscuits to other families at the beach,” she said. “I was reluctant to open up to him at first”.

After she eventually told him about her problems, Mr Philemon helped her write a three-page letter to the MPs in her constituency at the time. Subsequently, social workers stepped in to help Ms Liyana and her family move from the beach into a transition home.

Some 10 years on, Ms Liyana is remarried and a mother of four children, aged between six months and 17 years. She runs her own company, Virtual Assistants Singapore, which provides administrative support to businesses. 

She has even written a book about her brush with homelessness and how she overcame that hardship.

Last year, Ms Liyana was one of the three recipients of the Association of Women for Action and Research’s (Aware) annual awards, given out to individuals and organisations that promote gender equality in Singapore.

And earlier this year, she was approached by Mr Philemon, now RDU's secretary-general, and RDU chairman Michelle Lee to join the party.

On why she decided to join RDU, Ms Liyana said: “They are both such kind people. Kindness was the reason I joined RDU.

“They have an acronym for their values that spells out FAITH, which stands for: Fairness, Accountability, Integrity, Transparency. The 'H' also has three meanings — which are Happiness, Hope and Heart. All the values attracted me (to the party),” she said.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY LOUISA TANG