Benjamin Pwee Yek Kwan ( zh, s=方月光, p=Fāng Yuèguāng; born 1968) is a Singaporean politician, business development strategist and consultant. Formerly a government scholarship recipient and
civil servant
The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...
, Pwee is a member of the opposition
Singapore Democratic Party
The Singapore Democratic Party (abbreviation: SDP) is a politcal party in Singapore.
The party was founded on 6 August 1980 by Chiam See Tong. During the 1991 general election, Ling How Doong and Cheo Chai Chen won Bukit Gombak SMC and Nee ...
(SDP).
Education
Pwee studied at
Raffles Institution
Raffles Institution (RI) is an independent educational institution in Singapore. Founded in 1823, it is the oldest school in the country. It provides secondary education for boys only from Year 1 to Year 4, and pre-university education for both ...
and
Raffles Junior College
The Raffles Junior College (RJC) was a junior college in Singapore offering pre-university education. The college was founded in 1982, following a separation from the pre-university section of Raffles Institution (RI). Raffles Junior College ...
.
A recipient of the Singaporean government's Overseas Merit Scholarship,
he completed a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
and
Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
in music and literature at the
University of Cambridge
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
. He also holds a
Master of Public Administration
The Master of Public Administration (M.P.Adm., M.P.A., or MPA) is a specialized higher professional post graduate degree in public administration, similar/ equivalent to the Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the issues of ...
from the
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy
The Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY School) is an autonomous postgraduate school of the National University of Singapore (NUS), named after the late former Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew.
History
The Lee Kuan Yew School of ...
at the
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, NUS is the oldest autonomous university in the c ...
and a
Master of Science
A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...
from the
S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
The S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) is an autonomous graduate school in Singapore, and policy-oriented think tank within the Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Founded in 1996 as the Institute of Defence and Strategic S ...
at
Nanyang Technological University
The Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is a national research university in Singapore. It is the second oldest autonomous university in the country and is considered as one of the most prestigious universities in the world by various inte ...
. He also studied strategic management at the
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...
and completed a master's degree in Christian studies at the
China Graduate School of Theology
The China Graduate School of Theology (CGST) is a theological seminary in Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong. The President is Bernard Wong, who succeeded Stephen Lee in 2021.
CGST is accredited by the Asia Theological Association to offer Master of Christi ...
in Hong Kong.
Civil service career
Pwee worked in the
civil service
The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...
between 1990 and 1998
in the
Foreign Affairs
''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and ...
,
Home Affairs
An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs.
Lists of current ministries of internal affairs
Named "ministry"
* Ministry ...
and
Defence
Defense or defence may refer to:
Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups
* Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare
* Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks
* Defense industr ...
ministries.
From 1995 to 1998, he was first secretary for political and economic affairs at the Singaporean embassy in Beijing, where he served as an interpreter and note-taker during
Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew (16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015), born Harry Lee Kuan Yew, often referred to by his initials LKY, was a Singaporean lawyer and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Singapore between 1959 and 1990, and Secretary-General o ...
's visits to China.
Business career
Pwee left the civil service in 1998 and became the executive director of Medical Services International. Five years later, he left for Hong Kong, where he started E-deo Asia, a consulting firm, and has been its managing director and principal consultant since then. During his time in Hong Kong, he worked part-time for two years in the
Central Policy Unit
The Central Policy Unit, established in 1989, was responsible for advising the Chief Executive (previously the Governor) of Hong Kong. It was replaced with the Policy Innovation and Co-ordination Unit in 2018.
Previous heads
* Leo Goodstadt ...
, advising Chief Executive
Donald Tsang
Sir Donald Tsang Yam-kuen (; born 7 October 1944) is a former Hong Kong civil servant who served as the second Chief Executive of Hong Kong from 2005 to 2012.
Tsang joined the colonial civil service as an Executive Officer in 1967, occupyi ...
. He also held Hong Kong permanent residency, having worked there for eight years as a consultant for multinational corporations.
In July 2020, Pwee joined law firm CNP Law LLP as its chief business development officer.
Political career
Singapore People's Party
Pwee was a former chairman of the youth wing of the governing
People's Action Party
The People's Action Party (abbreviation: PAP) is a major conservative centre-right political party in Singapore and is one of the three contemporary political parties represented in Parliament, alongside the opposition Workers' Party (WP) and ...
(PAP) in the
Thomson Thomson may refer to:
Names
* Thomson (surname), a list of people with this name and a description of its origin
* Thomson baronets, four baronetcies created for persons with the surname Thomson
Businesses and organizations
* SGS-Thomson Mic ...
area.
In 2006, he was asked by his friend Wilfred Leung, a member of the opposition
Singapore People's Party
The Singapore People's Party (abbreviation: SPP) is a political party in Singapore.
History
SPP was founded on 21 November 1994 by Sin Kek Tong, who led a pro- Chiam See Tong faction out of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP). Over two years ...
(SPP), to join the SPP. He initially turned down the offer, but accepted in 2011 after meeting SPP secretary-general
Chiam See Tong
Chiam See Tong (; born 12 March 1935) is a Singaporean retired politician and lawyer who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Potong Pasir SMC between 1984 and 2011. He was one of the two opposition MPs in Parliament.
Lawyer by profess ...
and his wife
Lina Loh
Lina Loh Woon Lee ( zh, s=罗文丽, p=Luó Wénlì; born 1949), also known as Lina Chiam, is a Singaporean former politician. She was previously a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament between 2011 and 2015 and was the committee member of Singa ...
.
During the
2011 general election, Pwee joined a five-member SPP team to contest in
Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC against a five-member PAP team. The SPP team lost after garnering 43.07% of the vote against the PAP team's 56.93%.
Shortly after the election, on 13 May 2011, Pwee was named second assistant secretary-general of the SPP.
Democratic Progressive Party
Pwee and five other SPP members left the party in January 2012, citing differences in opinion about party leadership styles and the party's future direction as reasons behind their leaving. In the second half of 2012, Pwee was approached by Seow Khee Leng, former leader of the opposition
Democratic Progressive Party
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is a Taiwanese nationalist and centre-left political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). Controlling both the Republic of China presidency and the unicameral Legislative Yuan, it is the majori ...
(DPP), who asked him to join the DPP. He was co-opted into the DPP as its acting secretary-general on 13 January 2013 and confirmed on 31 March 2013.
On 29 August 2015, ahead of the
2015 general election, the DPP and SPP signed an agreement to field a joint DPP–SPP team to contest in
Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC. Under the agreement, Pwee had to resign from the DPP and join the SPP because electoral rules dictate that all candidates in a GRC team have to be from the same party, and Pwee had agreed to contest under the SPP banner. Pwee and the other four SPP candidates lost to the PAP team after garnering 26.41% of the vote against the PAP team's 73.59%.
Singapore Democratic Party
In 2019, Pwee left the DPP and joined the
Singapore Democratic Party
The Singapore Democratic Party (abbreviation: SDP) is a politcal party in Singapore.
The party was founded on 6 August 1980 by Chiam See Tong. During the 1991 general election, Ling How Doong and Cheo Chai Chen won Bukit Gombak SMC and Nee ...
(SDP).
During the
2020 general election, he was part of a four-member SDP team contesting in
Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC against a four-member PAP team. The SDP team lost after garnering 36.82% of the vote against the PAP team's 63.18%.
Personal life
Pwee's father, Robert Pwee, was a
People's Action Party
The People's Action Party (abbreviation: PAP) is a major conservative centre-right political party in Singapore and is one of the three contemporary political parties represented in Parliament, alongside the opposition Workers' Party (WP) and ...
(PAP) grassroots leader.
Pwee is married and has three children.
Pwee is a
Protestant Christian
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
and has held positions at the
Asia Theological Association
Asia Theological Association (ATA) is a Christian organisation of seminaries in Asia. It is a member of the International Council for Evangelical Theological Education. The headquarters is in Quezon City, Philippines.
History
ATA was formally esta ...
and Graduates Christian Fellowship (Singapore).
Pwee started the Pwee Foundation in 2012 to sponsor social causes and connect beneficiaries with entities that can assist them, including voluntary welfare organisations, social enterprises and government agencies.
He has also done voluntary work with the Singapore Anglican Community Services,
Singapore Scout Association
The Singapore Scout Association (; ms, Persatuan Pengakap Singapura-PPS; "SSA") is one of the oldest youth movements in Singapore.
History
Scouting was first introduced in Singapore in 1908 but was officially founded on 2 July 1910. A young S ...
, two mental health rehabilitation institutions, a shelter for battered women and children, and a centre for autistic children.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pwee, Benjamin
Living people
1968 births
Singaporean civil servants
Raffles Institution alumni
Raffles Junior College alumni
Alumni of the University of Cambridge
National University of Singapore alumni
Singapore People's Party politicians
Singaporean politicians of Chinese descent
Singapore Democratic Party politicians
21st-century Singaporean businesspeople