TAXI DRIVERS' VOCATIONAL LICENCES (Oral Test)

Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam asked the Minister for Communications and Minister for Labour why the Ministry of Communications is insisting on Chinese applicants for taxi drivers' vocational licences passing an oral test in two languages when Malay and Indian applicants, are only required to pass the test in one language.

Mr Ong Teng Cheong: Driving a taxi, like any other job, requires certain basic skills. To be a competent taxi driver, a person must not only possess good driving skills and knowledge of places but also the ability to communicate with his passengers. Therefore only those who satisfy all these requirements will be given taxi vocational licences.

Aspiring taxi drivers are required to speak some simple English because many people in Singapore speak the language. Chinese applicants are in addition required to know some simple Mandarin because it is our policy to promote the use of Mandarin instead of dialects. Mandarin is not relevant to Malay and Indian applicants. The oral Mandarin test is a simple test and very simple daily Mandarin conversation is required. This test does not pose a problem to the majority of the Chinese applicants. More than 90% of the applicants who have been interviewed by the ROV passed the test.