Monday (Feb. 27) at the Committee of Supply debates for the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the leader of the opposition, Pritam Singh, proposed an English exam be administered to applicants for Singaporean citizenship or permanent residency.
None the less, Second Minister for Home Affairs Josephine Teo voiced skepticism over the usefulness of such a test, considering that individuals who lack English proficiency are likely to be foreign spouses.
Ms. Teo also reaffirmed that, in lieu of a naturalisation exam or interviews, the immigration authorities here "consider various signs of social integration," such as a candidate's familial links to Singapore or whether they completed National Service.
In his "cut" to the ministry's proposed budget, Mr. Singh, Secretary General of the Workers' Party, questioned Singapore's aims for attracting new citizens.
He underlined that Singaporeans do not want new citizens who do not wish to reside in Singapore but only desire the convenience of a Singapore passport and a secure environment for their assets and wealth.
Mr. Singh then cited Switzerland as an example of a country with a rigorous selection process for new citizens that requires candidates to demonstrate "successful integration" For conventional naturalization, a person must have ten years of residency and a permanent resident card. Also, applicants must be able to answer questions on Swiss geography, history, politics, and society.
Ms. Teo said that while Singapore authorities also examine an applicant's capacity to integrate, they do not utilize naturalisation examinations or interviews since "all tests have pitfalls."
Instead, they take into account numerous indicators of social integration, such as familial links to Singaporeans, length of residency, and whether or not the candidate attended our national schools or performed National Service. Before being granted citizenship, candidates must also complete the Singapore Citizenship Journey.
When Mr. Singh asked Mrs. Teo to confirm if an English test is administered as part of the evaluation process for permanent residency or citizenship applications, Mrs. Teo asked if he was advocating that such a test be administered prior to considering an applicant for permanent residency or citizenship.
Mr. Singh said, "I feel it would be beneficial, therefore I would advocate for it," while referencing the most recent Singapore Census report once more.
Mrs Teo then said: “I must admit to being quite surprised by his position. “
The reason for this is that, firstly, it is reasonable to assume that the majority of applicants for permanent residency and citizenship – if they have been in Singapore for a number of years, particularly if they have worked here – have a good command of English, and therefore the test is unnecessary."
She questioned the necessity of such a test, noting that non-native English speakers are "often spouses of citizens or other permanent residents" from the same nations.
Mrs. Teo questioned the usefulness of a test of English that might be administered to exclude such foreign spouses from consideration, unless the implication is that we do not accept such foreign partners.
Mr. Singh requested in his opening statement whether the government could provide more information on how new citizenships are awarded, since there are currently opaque components of the process and criteria.
In response, Ms. Teo stated, "First, detailed criteria might be manipulated to disadvantage unworthy applicants. Some applicants present forged documents in order to get access to immigration facilities. This issue will be worsened if we publish the full criteria and applicants are made aware of the particular areas in which they may scam the system. It will be more difficult for ICA (Immigration and Checkpoint Authority) to ensure the integrity of our procedure. Second, we have particular sensibilities due to our history and location."
After Mrs. Teo's justification for not sharing the full criteria for evaluating citizenship applications, Mr. Singh addressed her with the question of whether the Singapore Census report previously published the information she claimed was confidential.
"Hasn't the census already supplied a portion of these statistics?" Mr Singh inquired.
Mrs. Teo then said, "We have previously assigned this task. Imagine, if you broadcast this information on such a timely basis, how it may be misconstrued and used to imply that we are not as welcoming to particular nationalities and even ethnic groups."
Hence, I have nothing to offer to the explanations that have already been presented.
Mr. Singh also inquired about Mrs. Teo's reiteration of the Singapore citizenship path in her address. While Mrs. Teo stated that the material was co-created with citizens, he inquired as to whether aspects of the content were co-created by Singaporeans.
Mrs. Teo then emphasized that she did not have the program's specifics on hand but would supply them later.
She remarked, "I do not have the specifics of the Singapore Citizenship Journey with me, but I believe it is a program that attempts to increase new citizens' knowledge of Singapore's history, culture, and values."
Have a story? Send to us here sgtelltale@outlook.com
Kommentarer