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{{Short description|Singaporean politician}}
{{EngvarB|date=April 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{pp-semi-blp|small=yes}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = [[The Honourable]]
| name                = Denise Phua 
| native_name         = {{nobold|潘丽萍}}
| native_name_lang    = zh-sg
| image               = File:Denise Phua.jpg
| imagesize           = 
| alt                 = 
| caption             = 
| office              = Mayor of [[Central Singapore CDC|Central Singapore District]]
| term_start          = 27 May 2014
| term_end            = 
| primeminister       = [[Lee Hsien Loong]]<br />[[Lawrence Wong]]
| predecessor         = [[Sam Tan (politician)|Sam Tan]]
| successor           = 
| constituency_MP1    = [[Jalan Besar Group Representation Constituency| Jalan Besar GRC]]<br />(Kampong Glam)
| term_start1         = 11 September 2015
| term_end1           = 
| predecessor1        = ''Constituency established''
| successor1          = 
| majority1           = 
| term_start2         = 6 May 2006
| term_end2           = 7 May 2011
| predecessor2        = Loh Meng See ([[People's Action Party|PAP]])
| successor2          = ''Constituency abolished''
| majority2           = 
| constituency_MP3    = [[Moulmein–Kallang Group Representation Constituency|Moulmein–Kallang GRC]]<br />(Kampong Glam)
| term_start3         = 7 May 2011
| term_end3           = 24 August 2015
| predecessor3        = ''Constituency established''
| successor3          = ''Constituency abolished''
| majority3           = 
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1959|12|9}}
| birth_place         = [[Colony of Singapore]]
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| restingplace        = 
| restingplacecoordinates = 
| citizenship         = 
| nationality         = 
| party               = [[People's Action Party]]
| spouse              = 
| children            = 
| alma_mater          = [[National University of Singapore]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br />[[Golden Gate University]] ([[Master of Business Administration|MBA]])
| occupation          = Politician
| signature           = 
| signature_alt       = 
}}
{{family name hatnote|[[Pan (surname)|Phua]]|lang=Chinese}}
'''Denise Phua Lay Peng''' ({{zh|s=潘丽萍|p=Pān Lìpíng}};<ref name="pappdf">"[http://www.pap.org.sg/images_06candidates/pdf_dennisphua.pdf Denise Phua Lay Peng]", Candidate Profiles, People's Action Party, Retrieved on 28 October 2008. {{webarchive | url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061210024206/http://www.pap.org.sg/images_06candidates/pdf_dennisphua.pdf |date=10 December 2006}}</ref> born 9 December 1959)<ref name="Parliament">{{cite web | url=http://www.parliament.gov.sg/mp/denise-phua-lay-peng?viewcv=Denise%20Phua%20Lay%20Peng | title=Member's CV | access-date=11 December 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120711064111/http://www.parliament.gov.sg/mp/denise-phua-lay-peng?viewcv=Denise%20Phua%20Lay%20Peng | archive-date=11 July 2012}}</ref> is a Singaporean politician who has been serving as Mayor of [[Central Singapore CDC|Central Singapore District]] since 2014. A member of the governing [[People's Action Party]] (PAP), she has been the [[14th Parliament of Singapore|Member of Parliament]] (<span class="ltr">MP</span>) representing the [[Kampong Glam]] division of [[Jalan Besar Group Representation Constituency|Jalan Besar GRC]] since 2015. 

Prior to entering politics, she is a full-time special needs volunteer after working in the private sector for two decades. She became the president of the [[Autism Resource Centre (Singapore)|Autism Resource Centre]] and co-founded [[Pathlight School]].

As an MP, she has focused on developing programmes for disabled people and special needs communities in Singapore. She is a member of both the [[Parliament of Singapore#Government Parliamentary Committees|Government Parliamentary Committees]] (GPC) for Education and Social and Family Development.

==Early life and career==
Phua attended Balestier Girls' Primary School,<ref name="beng">"Why would Ah Beng vote for you?", ''[[The New Paper]]'', 25 March 2006.</ref> [[Raffles Girls' School]] and [[Hwa Chong Junior College]]<ref name="pappdf"/> before graduating from the [[National University of Singapore]] (NUS) with a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree in English.

She went on to complete a [[Master of Business Administration]] degree at [[Golden Gate University]].<ref name="pappdf"/><ref name="underdog">Jasmine Yin, "She's one for the underdogs", ''[[Today (Singapore newspaper)|TODAY]]'', 24 March 2006.</ref>

In a career spanning two decades, she held management positions at [[Hewlett-Packard]] and the Wuthelam Group. She then founded a regional leadership training firm, the Centre of Effective Leadership.<ref name="pappdf"/>

==Volunteer work==
Her son was diagnosed with autism at the age of three.<ref name="family">"[http://www.family.sg/SPECIALPEOPLE/2006/07/11/en-us/0000003/article.aspx Small Victories are Sweet] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080323105036/http://www.family.sg/SPECIALPEOPLE/2006/07/11/en-us/0000003/article.aspx |date=23 March 2008 }}", Family.sg, Retrieved on 28 October 2008.</ref><ref name="advocate">Chi Yin, "An advocate for kids with special needs", ''[[The Straits Times]]'', 24 March 2006.</ref> As Phua consulted professionals and did research on how to help him,<ref name="family"/><ref name="advocate"/> she thought about how she could help other autistic children.<ref name="interview">"[http://www.podcast.sg/938live/passion_people/audio/DenisePhua_030107.mp3 Interview with Denise Phua] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724082215/http://www.podcast.sg/938live/passion_people/audio/DenisePhua_030107.mp3 |date=24 July 2011 }}", Passion People, 938LIVE, 4 January 2007, Retrieved on 28 October 2008.</ref> She subsequently founded WeCAN, a charity which helps caregivers of autistic people and offers early intervention programmes for autistic preschoolers.<ref name="underdog"/><ref name="lighting">Chuah Yii Wen, "Lighting new path for autistic children", ''The Straits Times'', 10 February 2007.</ref>

In 2005, Phua left the corporate world to be a full-time special needs volunteer.<ref name="beng"/><ref name="underdog"/> She and her partners sold the Centre of Effective Leadership to Right Management, a [[Manpower Inc.]] subsidiary.<ref name="pappdf"/> Phua then became president of the [[Autism Resource Centre (Singapore)|Autism Resource Centre]].<ref name="beng"/><ref name="volunteer">"Volunteer Denise Phua one of new PAP candidates", ''[[Channel NewsAsia]]'', 23 March 2006.</ref> She often wrote to newspapers and government agencies on issues affecting the special needs community.<ref name="advocate"/><ref name="feedback">Chia Sue-Ann, "14 new faces on feedback panel", ''The Straits Times'', 22 June 2005.</ref> She is one of the key architects behind three 5-year Enabling Masterplans for the Disabled in Singapore.<ref name="tatler">[https://sg.asiatatler.com/people/denise-phua Denise Phua | Singapore Tatler], Retrieved 4 March 2019.</ref>

Phua is also the co-founder<ref name="remake">Clarence Chang, "It's about remaking lives", ''The New Paper'', 18 March 2006.</ref> and former acting principal<ref name="volunteer"/> of [[Pathlight School]], the first [[special school]] for autistic children in Singapore.<ref name="volunteer"/> The school offers mainstream curriculum and life skills education to its students.<ref name="lighting"/><ref name="main">"This special school is mainstream too", ''The Straits Times'', 5 August 2006.</ref> A believer in helping autistic people realise their potential and integrate into society,<ref name="lighting"/><ref name="early">"An early start for a child with autism", ''The Straits Times'', 4 July 2007.</ref> Phua helped develop many of the school's programmes.<ref name="dread">Loh Chee Keong, "From dread to delight", ''TODAY'', 23 July 2007.</ref> These include employability skills training through a student-run café,<ref>Teo Xuan Wei, "Autistic students run café", ''TODAY'', 20 January 2006.</ref> specialised [[vocational training]],<ref name="early"/> and satellite classes where Pathlight students mix with mainstream students.<ref name="dread"/> In four years, enrolment increased tenfold<ref>"Pathlight School to get new S$33m home next year", ''Channel NewsAsia'', 2 April 2008.</ref> and the school attracted media attention for its impact on students.<ref name="main"/><ref name="early"/>

Continuing her volunteer efforts, Phua continues to supervise two charities – [[Autism Resource Centre (Singapore)]] and Autism Association (Singapore), and two special schools – [[Pathlight School]] and Eden School.<ref name="tatler" />

==Political career==
Phua joined the ruling PAP's Jalan Besar branch in 2004.<ref name="remake"/> The following year, she was appointed to the Feedback Supervisory Panel, which leads the government's Feedback Unit.<ref name="feedback"/> In the [[2006 Singapore general election|2006 general election]], she was fielded as a PAP candidate in [[Jalan Besar GRC]], which was contested by the [[Singapore Democratic Alliance]].<ref name="election">"[http://www.elections.gov.sg/elections_past_parliamentary2006.html 2006 Parliamentary General Election Results]", Singapore Elections Department, 11 September 2006, Retrieved on 1 January 2009.</ref> During the election campaign, she promised to make Singapore a more inclusive society by representing disabled people and special needs communities.<ref name="interview"/><ref name="ready">Ansley Ng, "Ready to disagree, ready to serve", ''TODAY'', 24 March 2006.</ref> The PAP team won Jalan Besar GRC with 69.26% of the vote.<ref name="election"/>

In July 2006, the PAP formed a workgroup, headed by Phua, to explore initiatives to improve the financial security of disabled and special needs children.<ref>Tan Hui Leng, "Need for a net", ''TODAY'', 20 July 2006.</ref> Phua also led a committee that drew up a five-year plan to improve services for special needs children.<ref>Sarah Ng, "Masterplan to improve lives of disabled", ''[[The Straits Times|The Sunday Times]]'', 3 September 2006.</ref> The PAP studied their proposals and later implemented some, such as a National non-profit Special Needs Trust Fund.<ref name="mcys">"MCYS studies proposal on enhancing financial security of special needs persons", ''Channel NewsAsia'', 25 October 2006.</ref> Laws were also drafted to prohibit abuse of mentally disabled people and to allow parents to appoint someone to look after their disabled children after they die.<ref>Radha Basu, "Parents of special-needs kids applaud draft law", ''The Straits Times'', 15 August 2007.</ref>

===Mayor of Central Singapore District===
Phua was appointed Mayor of Central Singapore District in 2014 for a three-year term,<ref name="mayor term 1">Neo Chai Chin, "[https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/cdcs-should-keep-exploring-ways-serve-changing-population-pm CDCs should keep exploring ways to serve changing population: PM]", ''[[Today (Singapore newspaper)|TODAY]]'', 21 June 2014.</ref> and was reappointed for the following term in 2017.<ref name="mayor term 2">Danson Cheong, "[https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/pm-lee-cdcs-can-help-singaporeans-navigate-economic-changes-stay-united-as-a-society CDCs can help Singaporeans navigate economic changes, stay united as a society: PM Lee]", ''[[The Straits Times]]'', 24 May 2017.</ref> As Mayor, Phua has initiated many projects to meet the needs of her residents. These include a suite of more than 50 community programmes by the [[Central Singapore Community Development Council]] to help residents live a better life, and build a do-good district. Among them are:
* Nurture, a 40-week programme to develop confident and self-directed learners in communications and problem solving;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.org.sg/centralsingapore/contentdetails/nurture|title=Nurture|website=Central Singapore CDC|access-date=31 July 2020|archive-date=6 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806211143/https://www.cdc.org.sg/centralsingapore/contentdetails/nurture|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* In Search of Purpose talk series, to spur residents on in finding their bigger purpose in life;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.org.sg/centralsingapore/resources/in-search-of-purpose-talks|title=In Search Of Purpose Talks|website=Central Singapore CDC|access-date=31 July 2020|archive-date=9 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809194346/https://www.cdc.org.sg/centralsingapore/resources/in-search-of-purpose-talks|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Silver Friends, a platform to bring volunteers and partners to serve the seniors through a series of silver programmes;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.org.sg/centralsingapore/contentdetails/silver-friends|title=Silver Friends|website=Central Singapore CDC}}{{Dead link|date=January 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and
* The Purple Symphony, Singapore's largest inclusive orchestra comprising musicians with and without special needs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.org.sg/centralsingapore/contentdetails/the-purple-symphony|title=The Purple Symphony|website=Central Singapore CDC|access-date=31 July 2020|archive-date=4 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804140910/https://www.cdc.org.sg/centralsingapore/contentdetails/the-purple-symphony|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.parliament.gov.sg/mps/list-of-current-mps/mp/details/denise-phua-lay-peng Denise Phua] on [[Parliament of Singapore]]

{{s-start}}
{{s-par | sg}}
{{s-bef | before   = Loh Meng See}}
{{s-ttl | title    = [[Member of Parliament]] for <br /> [[Jalan Besar GRC]] (Kampong Glam)
        | years    = 2006 – 2011}}
{{s-non | reason   = Constituency abolished}}
{{s-new | constituency}}
{{s-ttl | title    = [[Member of Parliament]] for <br /> [[Moulmein–Kallang GRC]] (Kampong Glam)
        | years    = 2011 – 2015}}
{{s-non | reason   = Constituency abolished}}
{{s-new | constituency}}
{{s-ttl | title    = [[Member of Parliament]] for <br /> [[Jalan Besar GRC]] (Kampong Glam)
        | years    = 2015 – present}}
{{s-inc}}
{{s-gov}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Sam Tan (politician)|Sam Tan]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Central Singapore CDC|Mayor of Central Singapore district]] | years=27 May 2014 – present}}
{{s-inc}}
{{s-end}}

{{Mayors of the Districts of Singapore}}
{{Navboxes|title=Member of multiple Parliaments of Singapore|list=
{{14th Parliament of Singapore}}
{{13th Parliament of Singapore}}
{{12th Parliament of Singapore}}
{{11th Parliament of Singapore}}
}}
{{Mayors of capital cities of ASEAN member states}}


{{good article}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phua, Denise}}
[[Category:1959 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of Singapore]]
[[Category:Singaporean people of Hokkien descent]]
[[Category:People's Action Party politicians]]
[[Category:Golden Gate University alumni]]
[[Category:National University of Singapore alumni]]
[[Category:Hwa Chong Junior College alumni]]
[[Category:Singaporean women in politics]]
[[Category:Singaporean Christians]]
[[Category:Singaporean disability rights activists]]
[[Category:Raffles Girls' Secondary School alumni]]