Murali Pillai (cropped)
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K. Muralidharan Pillai ( ta, முரளி பிள்ளை, translit=Muraḷi Piḷḷai; born 30 October 1967), better known as Murali Pillai, is a Singaporean politician and lawyer. A member 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), he has been the
Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
(MP) representing
Bukit Batok SMC Bukit Batok Single Member Constituency (SMC) is a single member constituency in Bukit Batok of Singapore. It used to exist from 1972 to 1988 as Bukit Batok Constituency and was renamed as Bukit Batok Single Member Constituency (SMC) as part of ...
since 2016. Pillai previously worked in the
Singapore Police Force The Singapore Police Force (SPF) is the national and principal law enforcement agency responsible for the prevention of crime and law enforcement in the Republic of Singapore. It is the country's lead agency against organised crime; human, wea ...
before he became a practising lawyer in 1996. He is currently a partner in Commercial Litigation practice at
Rajah & Tann Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP is a law firm headquartered in Singapore, with affiliate offices in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam , DUTAMAS Founded in 1976, it is a member firm of Rajah & Tann A ...
. Pillai joined the
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 2001 and was the branch secretary to
Ong Chit Chung Ong Chit Chung (; 28 January 1949 – 14 July 2008) was a Singaporean politician who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Bukit Timah Group Representation Constituency (GRC) from May 1997 to October 2001 and Jurong GRC from March 2002 ti ...
, Member of Parliament for Bukit Batok. He was part of a five-member PAP team who contested and narrowly lost to the Workers' Party in
Aljunied GRC The Aljunied Group Representation Constituency is a five-member group representation constituency (GRC) in the north-eastern and eastern region of Singapore. The GRC consists of five divisions: Eunos, Bedok Reservoir-Punggol, Kaki Bukit, Sera ...
during the 2015 general election. In 2016, Pillai was once again fielded in as a PAP candidate for the Bukit Batok by-election. He won 61.2% of the votes, securing his position as a Member of Parliament for Bukit Batok SMC. He is also an advisor of Bukit Batok SMC Grassroots Organisation.


Early life and education

Pillai's father, P. K. Pillai, was a trade unionist detained during
Operation Coldstore Operation Coldstore was the code name for a covert security operation executed in Singapore on 2 February 1963 which led to the arrest of 113 people, who were detained without trial pursuant to the Preservation of Public Service Security Ordinan ...
in 1963. The elder Pillai died in 2007. Pillai attended Newton Boys School, (now Monk's Hill Primary School),
Monk's Hill Secondary School The former Monk's Hill Secondary School ( Abbreviation: MHSS; ) was a secondary school in Newton, Singapore. History Founding Monk's Hill Secondary School was founded in 1958 on a plot of land that was once the site of a Chinese monastery. ...
and
Hwa Chong Junior College The Hwa Chong Junior College () was a junior college in Singapore offering pre-university education. The school merged with The Chinese High School on 1 January 2005 to form the integrated Hwa Chong Institution. History Founding Hwa Chong Juni ...
. before graduating from 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 ...
with a
Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
with honours degree. He subsequently went on to complete a
Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...
degree and
Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...
degree at the National University of Singapore. He also obtained a Master of Business Administration degree from the
University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
. Pillai played hockey as a student and had represented his school. He was also once President of Raffles Hall in NUS.


Police and legal career

While serving his
National Service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The l ...
, Pillai was a platoon commander in the 2nd Guards Battalion of the
Singapore Army The Singapore Army is the land service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). The largest of the four branches of the SAF, the Singapore Army traces its origins to the 1st Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment (1 SIR), which was formed i ...
. In 1992, Pillai joined the
Singapore Police Force The Singapore Police Force (SPF) is the national and principal law enforcement agency responsible for the prevention of crime and law enforcement in the Republic of Singapore. It is the country's lead agency against organised crime; human, wea ...
as an Assistant Superintendent of Police, primarily involved in investigations into
white-collar crime The term "white-collar crime" refers to financially motivated, nonviolent or non-directly violent crime committed by individuals, businesses and government professionals. It was first defined by the sociologist Edwin Sutherland in 1939 as "a ...
s. He completed his National Service obligations in 2017 as Deputy Superintendent (NS) upon reaching age of 50. Pillai was called to the Singapore Bar in 1996. In 2014, he defended
Choo Wee Khiang Choo Wee Khiang ( zh, s=朱为强, p=Zhū Wéiqiáng) is a Singaporean former politician. A former member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he was the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Whampoa division of Jalan Besar GRC betw ...
, a former PAP Member of Parliament, against his corruption charges. Pillai was the head of commercial litigation at
Rajah & Tann Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP is a law firm headquartered in Singapore, with affiliate offices in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam , DUTAMAS Founded in 1976, it is a member firm of Rajah & Tann A ...
at the time of the 2016 Bukit Batok by-election. He then stepped down from his post in an effort to better balance his work commitments and political responsibilities. He was appointed
Senior Counsel The title of Senior Counsel or State Counsel (post-nominal letters: SC) is given to a senior lawyer in some countries that were formerly part of the British Empire. "Senior Counsel" is used in current or former Commonwealth countries or jurisdicti ...
in 2020.


Political career

A member of the PAP since 2001, Pillai served from 2007 to 2011 as the branch secretary at PAP's Bukit Batok branch. Then, Pillai served as the branch chairman of PAP's Paya Lebar branch from May 2012 to 2016.


2015 general election

Pillai contested in the 2015 general election in a PAP team for the Aljuined GRC. Although the PAP team was ahead by around 300 votes in Pillai's ward of Paya Lebar within Aljunied GRC, the team gathered only 49.05% of the votes and lost to the team from the Workers' Party, which garnered 50.95% of the votes.


2016 Bukit Batok By-election

On 12 March 2016,
David Ong David Ong Kim Huat ( zh, s=王金发, p=Wáng Jīnfā; born 19 May 1961) is a Singaporean former politician who has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Jurong Group Representation Constituency (GRC) (Bukit Batok), Adviser to Jurong GRC Gr ...
, the PAP Member of Parliament for
Bukit Batok SMC Bukit Batok Single Member Constituency (SMC) is a single member constituency in Bukit Batok of Singapore. It used to exist from 1972 to 1988 as Bukit Batok Constituency and was renamed as Bukit Batok Single Member Constituency (SMC) as part of ...
, resigned, citing a "personal indiscretion". When the PAP announced on 21 March 2016 that Pillai would be their representative for the 2016 Bukit Batok by-election, Pillai was appointed branch chairman of PAP's Bukit Batok branch. Pillai was formally nominated as a candidate on 27 April 2016, the only other nominated candidate being Chee Soon Juan of the SDP. During his campaign, Pillai chose the
Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
nickname of "Ah-Mu" ( zh, s=阿穆, labels=no). He pledged that if he won, he would upgrade infrastructure around Blocks 140 to 149 of the SMC, which would cost S$1.9 million. Pillai later clarified that this potential S$1.9 million project is "part of" the S$23.6 million masterplan announced by
David Ong David Ong Kim Huat ( zh, s=王金发, p=Wáng Jīnfā; born 19 May 1961) is a Singaporean former politician who has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Jurong Group Representation Constituency (GRC) (Bukit Batok), Adviser to Jurong GRC Gr ...
during the 2015 general election. Pillai's campaign manifesto focused on three domains: jobs, social mobility and the elderly. Pillai defeated 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 ...
's candidate
Chee Soon Juan Chee Soon Juan is a Singaporean politician, activist and former lecturer who has been serving as Secretary-General of the Singapore Democratic Party since 1993. Prior to entering politics in 1992, upon Chiam See Tong's invitation to join the ...
and secured 61.21% of the votes to win the Bukit Batok by-election on Polling Day. He was sworn into parliament on 9 May 2016. After the 2018 cabinet reshuffle, Pillai was appointed Chairperson of Home Affairs and Law Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) in the 14th Parliament.


2020 general election

On 30 June 2020, after submitting his nomination papers for the election, Pillai claimed on social media that there was an online attack against his son, who was convicted of an offence. It was alleged that it was a deliberate attack on his candidacy. Chee, his election opponent from SDP, criticised the attack. During the campaign period, Pillai was criticised by
Chee Soon Juan Chee Soon Juan is a Singaporean politician, activist and former lecturer who has been serving as Secretary-General of the Singapore Democratic Party since 1993. Prior to entering politics in 1992, upon Chiam See Tong's invitation to join the ...
from 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 ...
for the fulfilment, delays, and safety issues in his constituency projects. Pillai was also publicly criticised by one of his constituents on Facebook for being unempathetic to her housing issues, suggesting to her that marriage was the solution to her issues. Pillai still won the election with 54.80% of the valid votes. During the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, Pillai was criticised by Chee for allowing a gathering of seniors to take place. Pillai attended the event in his position as the adviser to Bukit Batok's Grassroots Organisations. Pillai defended against the criticism by saying that precautions were in place for the dinner.


Personal life

Pillai married his educator wife, N. Gowri, in 1996. The couple have twin sons, Dipan and Dinesa, and two daughters, Dheeptaa and Dhivyaa.


References


External links


Lawyer Profile - K. Muralidharan Pillai

Murali Pillai
on
Parliament of Singapore The Parliament of Singapore is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of Singapore, which governs the country alongside the president of Singapore. Largely based upon the Westminster system, the Parliament is made up of Members of Parliam ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pillai, Murali People's Action Party politicians Hwa Chong Junior College alumni University of California, Los Angeles alumni National University of Singapore alumni Living people 1967 births 20th-century Singaporean lawyers Singaporean police officers Members of the Parliament of Singapore 21st-century Singaporean lawyers Singaporean politicians of Indian descent