RESIDENTS ON SPECIAL PASS (Applications for identity cards)

Mr Ho See Beng asked the Minister for Home Affairs and Education if he has figures of persons residing in Singapore on special passes without identity cards and if he will give the reasons why applications from such persons for identity cards have been rejected.

The Minister for Home Affairs and Education (Mr Chua Sian Chin): Mr Speaker, Sir, as on 31St January 1976 there were 1,302 persons who were issued with Special Passes to stay in Singapore. They cannot be granted permanent residence because they do not qualify for it. However, on humanitarian grounds they were issued with Special Passes to enable them to continue to stay in Singapore for the time being.

Under the law, only a Singapore citizen or a permanent resident is eligible for the issue of an identity card. So long as these Special Pass holders are not granted permanent residence in Singapore in accordance with Immigration rules, their applications for identity cards will have to be refused.

Mr Ho See Beng: Mr Speaker, Sir, is the Minister aware that some people have lost their eligibility for identity cards because of the fact that their names in their birth certificates were mis-spelt? As a result of this error, when the holder of the old paper identity card applied for the new laminated identity card -

Mr Speaker: Mr Ho. I am still waiting for your supplementary question.

Mr Ho See Beng: Sir, my supplementary question is this. Is the Minister aware that the complaint about rejection of applications for identity cards is due to the mis-spelling of the applicant's name in the birth certificate?

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Mr Speaker, Sir, I am aware of such cases. But if it is a matter of mis-spelling of a name in the birth certificate, and if there is any other documentary proof that the applicant was actually born in Singapore, then of course the old identity card would not be withdrawn. If there is no documentary proof, then there is no conclusive proof that this particular person was born in Singapore and he would not be entitled to either citizenship or permanent residence. As a result, the identity card which was issued by mistake would be withdrawn. Nevertheless, on humanitarian grounds, he is given a Special Pass to enable him to continue to stay in Singapore.

Mr Hwang Soo Jin (Jalan Kayu): Mr Speaker, Sir, just a matter of clarification. I am wondering whether the Minister would care to give a few examples of what he means by "satisfactory documentary proof".

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Mr Speaker. Sir, I cannot give examples. But the point is that "satisfactory proof" would be documentary proof that will enable any person to come to the conclusion objectively that the applicant was actually born in Singapore. Otherwise, without that satisfactory proof any person who was not born in Singapore could make such a claim and therefore it would not be objective and fair to grant that person the benefit of the doubt.

Mr Teong Eng Siong (Sembawang): (In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, in the case of those people who are studying in Singapore, may I ask whether their school leaving certificates. PUB bills, and medical certificates can be accepted as documentary evidence?

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Sir, school records, medical certificates, and so on, may form part of the documentary proof. But, nevertheless, they may not be conclusive evidence of birth in Singapore. Much depends on the merits of each particular case, because an applicant may not have been born in Singapore. He may have been brought into Singapore to do his schooling here, which does not mean that he was born in Singapore. As I have said, each case will be treated on its own merits, and documents like school records may help to establish one way or the other whether or not he was born in Singapore.