APPLICATIONS FOR CITIZENSHIP BY SINGAPORE-BORN RESIDENTS WITHOUT BIRTH CERTIFICATES (Request for favourable consideration)

Tuan Haji Mohd. Ariff Bin Suradi asked the Minister for Home Affairs, in view of the political and economic stability in Singapore, if the Government will consider favourably granting citizenship to applicants (i) who were born in Singapore on or before August, 1945, hut who do not possess birth certificates: (ii) whose spouses and children are citizens: or (iii) whose brothers, sisters and parents are citizens.

The Minister for Home Affairs (Prof. Wong Lin Ken): Mr Speaker, Sir, the question of consideration for the granting of citizenship to applicants who were born in Singapore but had no documentary proof of it had already been answered by Government in Parliament on 10th July, 1968, and it is not proposed to alter the position. The Minister for Labour, who was then in charge of citizenship matters, stated that the Government could not waive its citizenship regulations for these people. If these rules were waived, then anybody could claim the right to citizenship by professing birth in Singapore without documentary proof - whether true or false. During the national registration exercise, it was revealed that there were many people who claimed birth in Singapore, but on investigations were found not to be born here.

However, the Government is prepared to consider sympathetically citizenship applications from a person who is the remaining non-citizen in the family, provided that he would not become a burden to the State.