SUBDIVISION OF INDIANS

Dr Kanwaljit Soin asked the Minister for Home Affairs the reasons for subdividing Indians into different categories such as Sri Lankans, Ceylonese, Punjabis and Tamils in the new Identity card, when (i) there are no such subdivisions for the Malays and Chinese and (ii) there is no such thing as a Sri Lankan race, only a Sri Lankan national.

Mr Wong Kan Seng: Subdividing Indians and others into different categories is a practice since the first identity cards were issued by the colonial government. Registration officers recorded a person's race based on what the applicant declared. There is no policy to distinguish "Sri Lankans" from "Ceylonese" or "Punjabi" or other categories of Indians in the new NRIC programme.

Sub-divisions are not unique to Indians. In fact, there are many sub-groups under the "Malay" category e.g. Javanese, Boyanese, Minangkabau, Dayaks, and Ibans.

It is true that the term "Sri Lankan" is also a nationality. The fact remains that persons coming from Sri Lanka are now known as Sri Lankans and not Ceylonese. The National Registration Department has been approving requests to change one's race from "Sri Lankan" back to "Ceylonese".