Lawyer wants to prevent ‘permanent underclass’ in S’pore
Mr Murali Pillai. Photo: Ernest Chua
SINGAPORE — Having seen the problems faced by the underprivileged during his course of work as a grassroots leader, lawyer K Muralidharan Pillai says he wants to prevent a “permanent underclass” from developing, by focusing on social mobility.
“The model we have is that the Government will assist if families take positive steps in the same direction,” said Mr Muralidharan, who is head of commercial litigation at Rajah & Tann Singapore, referring to the Government’s efforts such as early intervention in education, as well as SkillsFuture initiatives.
“But I’ve also encountered families (that) are so helpless and dysfunctional that they cannot help themselves. They need active social and emotional help to grasp all these opportunities,” he said.
However, he acknowledged that it is not easy to identify such families, and that more can be done to leverage on community-based help. The lawyer cited one of the programmes under his watch as a grassroots leader — a subsidised tuition programme for children from low-income families living in Paya Lebar. After meeting these families regularly, he noticed that the children were more motivated to improve their results in school.
Mr Muralidharan, 47, is the son of the late P K Pillai, one of the people detained under Operation Coldstore, a major crackdown on leftists in 1963. The lawyer recalled that when he had in 2001 expressed an interest in joining politics, his father told him that he should do it for the right reasons.
Mr Muralidharan said: “Once he was satisfied with my explanation, all he told me was, ‘When you leave politics, make sure you leave with your shirt still on your back.’ I’ve been using that as my motto since.”
The lawyer has served as branch secretary of the PAP’s Bukit Batok branch, under the late Ong Chit Chung, who was then a Member of Parliament for Jurong GRC. In 2012, he was appointed as branch chairman of the PAP’s Paya Lebar branch.
Of his future, Mr Muralidharan said: “I don’t know how long my political career will (last). It might be all of 10 days, but I will fight this election with all my heart.”
K Muralidharan Pillai, 47
Head of commercial litigation at Rajah & Tann Singapore
FACT FILE:
• Appointed as branch chairman of the PAP’s Paya Lebar branch in May 2012
• Son of the late P K Pillai, a former political detainee
• Married, with four children
HE SAID: “I came to Aljunied GRC with my eyes open. This is not a career enhancement move for me. I agreed to stand here because I wish to promote the right kind of politics for our society to ensure its survival in an ever ... uncertain world.”
WARD: Aljunied GRC
