Vincent Wijeysingha
Encyclopedia
Dr. Vincent Wijeysingha (born 1970) is a politician
and civil activist from Singapore
. He is currently the Assistant Treasurer of the opposition
Singapore Democratic Party
(SDP) and was a candidate in the 2011 Singaporean general election. Dr Wijeysingha's father is highly-respected educator, Eugene Wijeysingha, who is the former principal of Temasek Junior College
(1980-1985) and Raffles Institution
(1986-1994).
Dr Wijeysingha studied at Victoria School
in Singapore
, before heading to the United Kingdom
where he studied at the University of Lincoln
and received his doctorate from the University of Sheffield
. Vincent lived in England
for almost 16 years before moving back to Singapore. He is presently the Executive Director of Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), a non-government organization advocating the rights of low-waged migrant workers. Vincent also lectures and publishes scholarly papers on social work.
He joined the SDP because he realized he had a responsibility as a Singaporean to work for change. "I cannot look the other way as more and more people experience the adverse effects of current PAP policies," Vincent said when he joined the SDP.
In the first pre-election forum of this nature in Singapore since the 1988 General Election, Channel NewsAsia
invited the main parties to record an hour-long programme. The programme, in English entitled, A political forum on Singapore's future, brought together the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) and four opposition parties to discuss long and short-term challenges for the country. Dr Wijeysingha represented SDP in the discussion.
, revealed that the SDP was "suppressing" a video which would "raise some awkward questions" about the party's agenda. Dr Wijeysingha's response was that he was unsure about which video Dr Balakrishnan was referring to and that the SDP was "an open party."
A Singapore tabloid, The New Paper, ran a cover story on 26 April 2011, just a day before Nomination Day, with the heading, "Is Singapore ready for a gay MP?"
The issue of the video was put to rest on 25 April 2011, two days before Nomination Day, with both the PAP and the SDP issuing statements about the issue.
At the 2011 General Elections, the SDP team led by Dr Vincent Wijeysingha polled 39.92% of the valid votes cast, compared to the People's Action Party's 60.08%.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and civil activist from Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. He is currently the Assistant Treasurer of the opposition
Opposition (politics)
In politics, the opposition comprises one or more political parties or other organized groups that are opposed to the government , party or group in political control of a city, region, state or country...
Singapore Democratic Party
Singapore Democratic Party
The Singapore Democratic Party is an opposition political party in Singapore.The party was founded in 1980 by Chiam See Tong, who as Secretary-General became the party's first Member of Parliament in 1984 when he was elected as MP for Potong Pasir...
(SDP) and was a candidate in the 2011 Singaporean general election. Dr Wijeysingha's father is highly-respected educator, Eugene Wijeysingha, who is the former principal of Temasek Junior College
Temasek Junior College
Temasek Junior College is a prestigious junior college located in the Eastern region of Singapore and is considered as one of the top five colleges in Singapore....
(1980-1985) and Raffles Institution
Raffles Institution
Raffles Institution , founded in 1823, is the oldest centre for pre-tertiary learning in Singapore. It is an independent school in Singapore providing secondary and pre-university education. RI consists of a boys-only secondary section , and a coeducational pre-university section...
(1986-1994).
Dr Wijeysingha studied at Victoria School
Victoria School
Victoria School in Singapore is a government secondary school for boys, founded in 1876, at Siglap Link, about one kilometre from affiliated Victoria Junior College....
in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, before heading to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
where he studied at the University of Lincoln
University of Lincoln
The University of Lincoln is an English university founded in 1992, with origins tracing back to the foundation and association with the Hull School of Art 1861....
and received his doctorate from the University of Sheffield
University of Sheffield
The University of Sheffield is a research university based in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the original 'red brick' universities and is a member of the Russell Group of leading research intensive universities...
. Vincent lived in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
for almost 16 years before moving back to Singapore. He is presently the Executive Director of Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), a non-government organization advocating the rights of low-waged migrant workers. Vincent also lectures and publishes scholarly papers on social work.
He joined the SDP because he realized he had a responsibility as a Singaporean to work for change. "I cannot look the other way as more and more people experience the adverse effects of current PAP policies," Vincent said when he joined the SDP.
In the first pre-election forum of this nature in Singapore since the 1988 General Election, Channel NewsAsia
Channel NewsAsia
Channel NewsAsia is an English language pan-Asian news network based in Singapore and owned by MediaCorp. Started on 1 March 1999 based in Singapore by Television Corporation of Singapore, it was launched internationally on 12 February 2001 as the international broadcasting arm of Channel...
invited the main parties to record an hour-long programme. The programme, in English entitled, A political forum on Singapore's future, brought together the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) and four opposition parties to discuss long and short-term challenges for the country. Dr Wijeysingha represented SDP in the discussion.
2011 General Election
Just days before Nomination Day on 27 April 2011, the PAP team from Holland-Bukit Timah GRC led by Dr Vivian BalakrishnanVivian Balakrishnan
Vivian Balakrishnan is a politician from Singapore. A member of the governing People's Action Party , he is currently the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources....
, revealed that the SDP was "suppressing" a video which would "raise some awkward questions" about the party's agenda. Dr Wijeysingha's response was that he was unsure about which video Dr Balakrishnan was referring to and that the SDP was "an open party."
A Singapore tabloid, The New Paper, ran a cover story on 26 April 2011, just a day before Nomination Day, with the heading, "Is Singapore ready for a gay MP?"
The issue of the video was put to rest on 25 April 2011, two days before Nomination Day, with both the PAP and the SDP issuing statements about the issue.
At the 2011 General Elections, the SDP team led by Dr Vincent Wijeysingha polled 39.92% of the valid votes cast, compared to the People's Action Party's 60.08%.