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Murali Pillai

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The Honourable
Murali Pillai
SC
முரளி பிள்ளை
Pillai in 2021
Minister of State for Transport
Designate
Assumed office
1 July 2024
Prime MinisterLawrence Wong
MinisterChee Hong Tat
Minister of State for Law
Designate
Assumed office
1 July 2024
Prime MinisterLawrence Wong
MinisterK. Shanmugam
Member of Parliament
for Bukit Batok SMC
Assumed office
9 May 2016
Preceded byDavid Ong
Majority2,712 (9.60%)
Personal details
Born
K. Muralidharan Pillai

(1967-10-30) 30 October 1967 (age 56)[1]
Singapore
Political partyPeople's Action Party
SpouseN. Gowri
Alma materNational University of Singapore (LLB, LLM, MBA)
University of California, Los Angeles (MBA)
Occupation
  • Politician
  • lawyer

K. Muralidharan Pillai SC (Tamil: முரளி பிள்ளை, romanized: Muraḷi Piḷḷai; born 30 October 1967),[1] better known as Murali Pillai, is a Singaporean politician and lawyer. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing Bukit Batok SMC since 2016.

Pillai previously worked in the Singapore Police Force[1][2][3] before he became a practising lawyer in 1996. He is currently a partner in Commercial Litigation practice at Rajah & Tann.

Pillai joined the People's Action Party (PAP) in 2001 and was the branch secretary to Ong Chit Chung, Member of Parliament for Bukit Batok. He was part of a five-member PAP team who contested and narrowly lost[4] to the Workers' Party in Aljunied GRC 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[edit]

Pillai's father, P. K. Pillai, was a trade unionist detained during Operation Coldstore in 1963. The elder Pillai died in 2007.[5]

Pillai attended Newton Boys School, (now Monk's Hill Primary School), Monk's Hill Secondary School and Hwa Chong Junior College.[1] before graduating from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Laws with honours degree.

He subsequently went on to complete a Master of Laws degree and Master of Business Administration degree at the National University of Singapore. He also obtained a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.[5]

Pillai played hockey as a student and had represented his school. He was also once President of Raffles Hall in NUS.[1]

Police and legal career[edit]

While serving his National Service, Pillai was a platoon commander in the 2nd Guards Battalion of the Singapore Army. In 1992, Pillai joined the Singapore Police Force[1] as an Assistant Superintendent of Police, primarily involved in investigations into white-collar crimes.[2][5] He completed his National Service obligations in 2017 as Deputy Superintendent (NS) upon reaching age of 50.[1]

Pillai was called to the Singapore Bar in 1996.[5] In 2014, he defended Choo Wee Khiang, a former PAP Member of Parliament, against his corruption charges.[6]

Pillai was the head of commercial litigation at Rajah & Tann[2] 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 in 2020.[7]

Political career[edit]

A member of the PAP since 2001, Pillai served from 2007 to 2011 as the branch secretary at PAP's Bukit Batok branch.[5] Then, Pillai served as the branch chairman of PAP's Paya Lebar branch from May 2012 to 2016.[4][8]

2015 general election[edit]

Pillai contested in the 2015 general election in a PAP team for Aljuined GRC.[4] Although the PAP team was ahead by around 300 votes in Pillai's ward of Paya Lebar within Aljunied GRC,[5] the team gathered only 49.05% of the votes and lost to the team from the Workers' Party which consists of Low Thia Kiang, Pritam Singh, Sylvia Lim, Muhamad Faisal Manap and Chen Show Mao which garnered 50.95% of the votes.[4]

2016 Bukit Batok By-election[edit]

On 12 March 2016, David Ong, the PAP Member of Parliament for Bukit Batok SMC, resigned, citing a "personal indiscretion".[9] 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.[4] Pillai was formally nominated as a candidate on 27 April 2016, the only other nominated candidate being Chee Soon Juan of the SDP.[9]

During his campaign, Pillai chose the Mandarin nickname of "Ah-Mu" (阿穆).[3] 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.[10] Pillai later clarified that this potential S$1.9 million project is "part of" the S$23.6 million masterplan announced by David Ong during the 2015 general election.[11]

Pillai's campaign manifesto focused on three domains: jobs, social mobility and the elderly.[12][13][14][15][16]

Pillai defeated the Singapore Democratic Party's candidate Chee Soon Juan and secured 61.21% of the votes to win the Bukit Batok by-election on Polling Day.[17] 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.[18]

In November 2019, following a fire in his constituency of Bukit Batok where the responding firefighters found that the cabinet housing fire hoses had been padlocked and therefore inaccessible, Pillai apologised for the mistake. He explained that the town council had locked the cabinets to prevent vandalism and misuse of the hoses, and the town council management would pursue disciplinary action against the town council officers responsible.[19][20]

2020 general election[edit]

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 had been convicted of an offence. He stated that "scurrilous" attacks had been made against his family and further explained that his son "was the victim of a scandal" and "the court has dealt with these matters... The perpetrators behind the scandal have been dealt with, he himself has been dealt with and is serving sentence".[21][22] He alleged that the timing of online posts suggested that it was a deliberate attack on his candidacy.[21] Chee, his election opponent from SDP, criticised the attack.[21]

During the campaign period, Pillai was criticised by Chee Soon Juan from the Singapore Democratic Party for the fulfilment, delays, and safety issues in his constituency projects.[23] 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.[24] Pillai still won the election with 54.80% of the valid votes.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, 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.[25]

On 13 May 2024, Pillai was appointed to minister of state in the Ministry of Law and Ministry of Transport. He is one of two backbenchers who were promoted to an office, the other being Shawn Huang.[26]

Parliamentary contributions[edit]

In his eight years thus far in Parliament, Pillai has established three aims: one, to speak up for those whom society has overlooked, those left in the lurch and those left behind; two, to contribute to shaping legislative developments; and to help build a strong society befitting of a maturing democracy. He has proved to be among the House's most assiduous parliamentarians, speaking up often on these issues.

He was sworn into office for the first time on 9 May 2016 and right off the starting block, he canvassed the need for concessionary maid levies to be extended to families with mentally disabled members[27].

Among Pillai's most notable calls in Parliament have been:

  • Granting families of the mentally disabled concessionary maid levies[27]. This led the Ministry of Social and Family Development to implement a new assessment tool in 2016 for intellectually disabled persons, or those on the autism spectrum, to enable their families to obtain such concessionary levies[28] ;
  • Extending the Government's Job Growth Incentive, which originally gave employers generous wage support if they hired senior and disabled workers during the Covid-19 pandemic, to cover the hiring of ex-offenders too[29] Since the extension in late 2000 till May 2022, about 2,300 ex-offenders have been hired[30]. Post-pandemic, this policy was made permanent through the Uplifting Employment Credit[31];
  • Extending the option of serving custodial sentences beyond the prison to a wider range of mentally disturbed persons. This involved Mandatory Treatment Orders (MTOs) for such convicts to receive regular expert psychiatric care lest, as Pillai put it, "they may exit prisons without the additional social and emotional skills to manage life."[32] This led to MTOs being made available to a greater number of offenders with mental disorders, under the Criminal Procedure Code (Prescribed Offences for Mandatory Treatment Orders) Regulations 2018[33];
  • Urging the Ministry of Health to review more regularly the upper limits of the national health insurance scheme MediShield Life, after at least one elderly Singaporean could only claim about 0.1 per cent back under the scheme for an eye operation that cost him more than S$4,000. This led the Ministry concerned to move the needle by agreeing to review the scheme every three years or so, that is, quicker than the-then prevailing five years or so[34] ;
  • Proposing that the Government of Singapore help strengthen Singapore society in general by showing how much it cares for its families by commemorating their major milestones such as 50th wedding anniversaries and centenary birthdays. This led the Ministry of Social and Family Development to set up the Golden Jubilee Wedding Celebrations (GJWC) scheme, in which Singaporean spouses who have remained married for more than half a century receive, among other things, a certificate commending that from the President of the Republic of Singapore. The first GJWC took place at the Istana on 17 March 2018 and the scheme has continued ever since, albeit largely in virtual form during the Covid-19 lockdowns of 2020[35];
  • Convincing the Government of Singapore to accede to The Hague Apostille Convention by passing the Apostille Act 2020[36], which cuts down the time and resources that Singaporeans need to authenticate documents for use overseas[37][38];
  • Proposing that MPs and civil servants be held more accountable for their productivity, including harnessing technology to gauge how actionable and effective their plans are[39];
  • Urging the authorities to mandate the use of proven safety technology for all vehicles, especially motorcycles, following a sharp increase in fatalities among motorcyclists in Singapore in the first quarter of 2023[40];
  • Proposing a review of "ouster clauses" in legislation not related to national security, concerns, in the interests of ensuring greater accountability for such actions. Otherwise, such clauses bar the courts from reviewing certain government actions[41];
  • Prompting a study on how prosecutors could be made to release more documents to help other lawyers better defend their clients in criminal proceedings[42]; and
  • Urging the Government of Singapore to review the medical benefits of Civil Service pensioners with a view to covering their care in nursing homes as well as their palliative care at home[43].


Personal life[edit]

Pillai married his educator wife, N. Gowri, in 1996. The couple have twin sons, Dipan and Dinesa, and two daughters, Dheeptaa and Dhivyaa.[5][44]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Murali Pillai" (PDF). People's Action Party. 21 March 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 April 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  2. ^ a b c "K. Muralidharan Pillai". Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  3. ^ a b Wong, Casandra. "All in a day's work for 'Ah Mu': Painting walls, playing a piano, doing push-ups". Today. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d e Kotwani, Monica; Lim, Linette. "Murali Pillai named PAP candidate for Bukit Batok by-election". Channel News Asia. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "What you need to know about lawyer Murali Pillai, PAP's candidate for the Bukit Batok by-election". The Straits Times. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  6. ^ "Ex-STTA chief cleared of three remaining corruption charges". The Straits Times. April 30, 2014.
  7. ^ Low, Dominic (2020-01-06). "Three new Senior Counsel appointed, including MP Murali Pillai". The Straits Times. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  8. ^ "Murali takes on Chee on being a 'full-time MP' for Bukit Batok". Channel News Asia. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  9. ^ a b Tham, Yuen-C. "Bukit Batok by-election: PAP's Murali Pillai and SDP's Chee Soon Juan confirmed in straight fight". The Straits Times. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  10. ^ Sim, Walter (24 April 2016). "Murali unveils Bukit Batok infrastructure plans, Chee says he wants to 'focus on the campaign'". The Straits Times. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  11. ^ "PAP's Murali on upgrading plans for Bukit Batok". Channel NewsAsia. 28 April 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  12. ^ Laura Philomin (26 April 2016). "Murali's Bukit Batok manifesto focuses on jobs, elderly, social mobility". Today Online. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  13. ^ Lee, Pearl; Chong, Zi Liang (2 May 2016). "Candidates outline job plans in response to residents' concerns". The Straits Times. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  14. ^ Lee, Pearl (4 May 2016). "Murali hoping to start youth mentoring scheme". The Straits Times. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  15. ^ Justin Ong; Lianne Chia (26 April 2016). "Bukit Batok by-election: PAP candidate Pillai to focus campaign on elderly". Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  16. ^ Lee, Pearl (5 May 2016). "Eldercare plans meant to meet future needs: Murali". The Straits Times. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  17. ^ "PAP's Murali Pillai wins Bukit Batok by-election". Channel News Asia. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  18. ^ Au-Yong, Rachel (2018-05-04). "PAP's Government Parliamentary Committees get new leaders after Cabinet reshuffle". The Straits Times. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  19. ^ Tham, Yuen-C (2019-11-15). "MP Murali Pillai apologises for faulty fire hoses after Bukit Batok blaze". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  20. ^ "Bukit Batok fire: MP Murali Pillai apologises over locked hose reel cabinets, says 2 town council staff to be disciplined". sg.news.yahoo.com. 2019-11-15. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  21. ^ a b c Baharudin, Hariz (2020-06-30). "Singapore GE2020: Murali Pillai criticises attack on his family made 'minutes after' nomination papers filed". The Straits Times. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  22. ^ "GE2020: Bukit Batok PAP candidate Murali Pillai calls out 'scurrilous' attacks made against his family". TODAY. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  23. ^ "Bukit Batok resident calls out PAP's Murali Pillai for SMC problems; SDP raises questions about the part-time MP's track record". The Online Citizen Asia. 2020-06-30. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  24. ^ Cai, Candice (2020-06-28). "PAP's Murali Pillai reaches out to Bukit Batok resident who criticised his lack of empathy". AsiaOne. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  25. ^ Cheng, Kenneth (15 March 2020). "MP Murali Pillai defends organisers' decision to hold dinner for seniors, says precautions were in place". TODAYonline. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  26. ^ Chin, Soo Fang (2024-05-13). "MPs Murali Pillai, Shawn Huang promoted to political office". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  27. ^ a b Goy, Priscilla (2016-07-11). "Parliament: Murali calls for more efforts to promote acceptance of special needs kids". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  28. ^ "MSF | Article". Ministry of Social and Family Development. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  29. ^ "Government not ruling out further draw on past reserves: DPM Heng". The Business Times. 2020-10-15. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  30. ^ Ang, Rosalind (2023-01-10). "2,300 ex-offenders hired through Jobs Growth Incentive: Tan See Leng". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  31. ^ "IRAS | Uplifting Employment Credit (UEC)". Default. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  32. ^ "More community support needed for offenders with more challenging mental disorders: Murali Pillai". TODAY. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  33. ^ No. S 747, per the Criminal Procedure Code (Cap. 68)
  34. ^ Correspondent, Salma KhalikSenior Health (2019-01-15). "Parliament: MOH to review MediShield Life claim limits more regularly, about once every three years". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  35. ^ "MSF | Article". Ministry of Social and Family Development. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  36. ^ "Apostille Act 2020 - Singapore Statutes Online". sso.agc.gov.sg. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  37. ^ Singapore Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), Vol. 95, Sitting No. 11, 2 November 2020, via Search (https://www.parl.gov.sg)
  38. ^ "Singapore Accedes to the Apostille Convention". www.mlaw.gov.sg. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  39. ^ Correspondent, Goh Yan HanPolitical (2020-09-02). "Parliament: Murali Pillai calls for IT system to track attendance and questions of MPs in the House". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  40. ^ Correspondent, Kok YufengTransport (2023-08-03). "Murali calls for safety features like collision warning to be mandated for vehicles in S'pore". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  41. ^ Correspondent, Hariz BaharudinIndonesia (2021-03-04). "Parliament: Relook how some laws are excluded from judicial review, proposes Murali". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  42. ^ "Written Answer by Minister for Law K Shanmugam to PQ on Plans To Update Criminal Disclosure Obligations Set Out In Criminal Procedure Code 2010". www.mlaw.gov.sg. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  43. ^ "Extending Post‑retirement Medical Benefits for Government Pensioners". www.psd.gov.sg. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  44. ^ "Living by his father's values". Tabla!. 13 May 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2021.

External links[edit]

Parliament of Singapore
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Bukit Batok SMC
2016 – present 		Incumbent
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