Inderjit Singh
Dhaliwal
Inderjit Singh Dhaliwal, a renowned entrepreneur and a former member of parliament of Singapore,
was born on 6th June 1960 in Punjab, India. However, he shifted to Singapore at a very young age and had
his education there. He attended Kaki Bukit Primary School in Singapore and then progressed to Broadrick
Secondary School and Temasek Junior College. He began his university education with a Bachelor of
Engineering from Nanyang Technological University in Electricals and Electronics. He graduated with
honors from the institution in 1985. While at Nanyang Tech he founded the EEE Club and was the first chair
of the Students Union Council. For doing his MBA, he went to University of Strathclyde in Scotland in 1991.
In 1985, he began his career with Texas instruments, and starting from an engineer, he reached the status
of Director of Operations of the Singapore plant from 1996 to 1998. After his stint with Texas Instruments,
Singh began a career of entrepreneurship, in which he started six businesses after leaving the corporate
arena. He founded the United Test and Assembly Center (UTAC), a semiconductor firm, in 1998.
The
venture was mostly funded by Taiwanese friends of his duo to what he terms “a dearth of willing investors
and a general disbelief that he would be able to achieve his dream of creating a homegrown multinational
firm”. Inderjit left UTAC in 2001. The firm was listed in theSingapore Stock Exchange in 2004. His next
firm, Tri-Star, which he started with his brothers was a trading and services firm, in which much of his and
his family’s savings were used to fund the company. He received the Strathclyde Alumni Distinguished
Entrepreneur Award in 2013. His political life started in 1984 when he became an active grass root leader of
the People Action Party. He became a Member of Parliament for the Kebun Bahru ward in the Ang Mo Kio
GRC during the 1996 General Elections. He represented this constituency continuously for 18 years and it
was only in 2013 that he voluntarily announced to step down and not to fight the election again. He thanked
the people for their corporation and told them that they will always be in his heart. They praised him for
the excellent work done by him and for his qualities of sincerity and frankness. He will always remain a role
model parliamentarian whose fiery speeches in parliament during his 4 terms made him a valuable people
representative and one of most well-liked politicians in Singapore in recent times. As a sikh he has helped
the community in every possible way. Being a high-profile public figure, he helped expand the presence
of the community at the national level, making him a role model for young Sikhs. To recognise and thank
him for his contributions, an Appreciation Dinner for him was held by the Sikh community. At the dinner
organised by the Young Sikh Association or YSA (Singapore) and supported by the Sikh Sewaks Singapore
and Naam Ras Kirtan Darbar, community leaders thanked Mr Inderjit for his leadership, guidance and
support for the community since his entry into politics in 1996. Really a great role model for the Sikhs all
over the world.