SINGAPORE CITIZENSHIP (Relaxation of Rules for Resident Applicants)

Encik Mansor Haji Sukaimi asked the Minister for Home Affairs and Education (a) how many applications for Singapore citizenship are still outstanding as at the latest convenient date; (b) how many of the applicants have been residing in Singapore since childhood and had attended Singapore primary schools; and (c) whether the rules for the granting of citizenship could be relaxed for applicants who have been residing in Singapore continuously for ten years or more, and, if not, what are the reasons.

The Acting Minister for Home Affairs (Mr Bernard Chen): (a) The number of applications for Singapore citizenship outstanding as at 30th April, 1978, was 23,852.

(b) The Registry of Citizenship does not keep statistics of citizenship applicants according to when they started to reside in Singapore or the schools they attended. However, to answer this question, the Registry has taken a 20% sample of the outstanding applications and found that 11.3% of the applicants have been residing in Singapore since childhood and had attended Singapore primary schools. If this sample is representative, then approximately 2,700 of the 23,852 outstanding applicants would have resided in Singapore since childhood and had attended Singapore primary schools.

(c) It is stipulated under Article 57(1) of the Constitution of Singapore that an applicant for Singapore citizenship must have an aggregate of not less than ten years' residence during the 12 years immediately preceding the date of his application. This is but one of the requirements for the grant of citizenship. The Constitution also requires every citizenship applicant to satisfy the Government that he:

(i) is of good character;

(ii) has resided in Singapore throughout the 12 months

immediately preceding the date of his application;

(iii) intends to reside permanently in Singapore; and

(iv) has an elementary knowledge of the national language

if he is less than 45 years of age and is not deaf or

dumb. These constitutional requirements must be met in full.

The grant of citizenship is a privilege and not as of right. Thus, apart from satisfying the constitutional requirements, an applicant for Singapore citizenship should be able to make a positive contribution towards the economic well-being of the Republic and not become a liability. This policy is basic and should not be changed. However, in pursuing this policy, account is taken of the prevailing social and economic conditions in the Republic and the family roots of the applicant.