Extract of Parliament Report - 5th Feb, 2009

COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY DEBATE

PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE

Population and Integration

      Dr Teo Ho Pin (Bukit Panjang SMC):  Sir, to be a first-world economy and global city, Singapore needs to nurture both local and foreign talents in Singapore. The Government has introduced various Baby Bonus initiatives to encourage married Singaporean couples to have more babies.  At the same time, we have relaxed our immigration policy to grant citizenships to more foreigners who wish to settle down in Singapore.  As the years go by, we will experience a greater mix of Singaporeans with different backgrounds, traditions and religions.  Therefore, the Government must provide a more conductive environment for all Singaporeans to stay united as one people. 

    Sir, I understand that there is an influx of people applying to be permanent residents (PRs) recently.  Some have to queue overnight to get a queue number to apply for PR.  I am not sure whether the rush is due to the success of our efforts to encourage more foreign talent to work, live and eventually become Singaporeans or is it the impact of recession.  May I ask the Prime Minister as to whether there is a change in the population and immigration policy with regard to PR?  How many new citizens and PRs were granted in 2007 and 2008?

     Sir, the integration of Singaporeans is a continuing task for both our Government and people. Since the formation of the Integration and Naturalisation Champion (INC) Committee by the People's Association, a total of 747 integration and nationalisation champions were appointed. These committees are responsible for integrating new citizens into our community. Although the INCs have initiated various projects and programmes to welcome and integrate new citizens, we have yet to provide sustainable programmes to bond our community. One barrier is the lack of funding in supporting substainable programmes for the INCs. The organisation of welcome parties and roadshows provide limited opportunities for new and existing citizens to interact and may not be effective in integration. We should instead focus on activities which will increase the understanding and interaction of our citizens. 

      Sir, I wish to ask the Prime Minister as to whether there are mechanisms to measure the effectiveness of the INCs' efforts. Will the Government provide more funding to the INCs?  Sir, the Baby Bonus has in operation for a number of years. It was produced limited results.  Are there plans to review the Baby Bonus Scheme and provide more incentives to encourage married couples to have more children?

     The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs (Mr Wong Kan Seng): Sir… …During this economic downturn, it is even more critical that Singaporeans understand the objectives of our population strategy.

     Dr Teo Ho Pin asked for an update on the number of new citizens and permanent residents, our efforts to integrate new residents, and the effectiveness of our population measures…

     In 2008, we welcomed 20,513 new Singapore citizens and 79,167 new PRs, up from 17,334 new citizens and 63,627 new PRs in 2007.  This could be due to the good economy and the broadening of the eligibility criteria in 2004.  I would like to assure Dr Teo that there has been no change in these criteria since then…

     There will be cultural differences between native and new citizens.  Integration is a two-way process. Singaporeans need to understand and accept immigrants, while the immigrants need to make the effort to become a part of the Singapore community.

     As Dr Teo pointed out, the People's Association has more than 700 Integration and Naturalisation Champions (INCs) who reach out to new immigrants in our communities through regular house visits, and encourage them to take part in grassroots activities and community work.  I understand that the People's Association provides adequate funding support for the INCs.  Grassroots organisations can also do their part.

     Many new Singaporeans are also doing their part to integrate into Singapore.  Some take part in activities and share their integration experiences with other new Singaporeans in immigrant associations such as 天府会 (Tianfu Club), 厦门公会 (Amoy Association) and 晋江会馆 (Chin Kang Huay Kuan). Some new citizens also do their part for the local community too.  For example, Ms Umayal Lakshmanan, who came to Singapore in 1999 from India and became a new citizen in April last year, reads to children at the Hong Kah North Community Club.

     Efforts on integration initiated by community organisations are encouraging.  But there is scope for the public sector, the private sector and the people sector to work more closely together in a systematic and coordinated way.  To this end, a National Integration Council (NIC) will be set up.  The NIC will comprise key representatives from the public, private and people sectors to drive the integration agenda forward through a concerted effort.  Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports will chair the NIC and he will say more about this during his Ministry's Committee of Supply.

      The Government will continue to encourage and support Singaporeans to have more babies.  We will monitor the trends and assess the effectiveness of the enhanced marriage and parenthood package announced last August.  It is therefore too soon to review the programme, as Dr Teo suggested.  Although the current economic crisis may cause some to think carefully about having children, I hope they do not put off their decision until the good times return.  Our total fertility rate in 2008 is still low, at 1.29, unchanged from that in 2007.

     Even as we make Singapore a better place for families and help immigrants integrate into our society, we should not forget the more than 150,000 Singaporeans who are now overseas.  In this economic climate, overseas Singaporeans are anxious about how Singapore is coping and even worried about their own job security.  We will continue to engage them and keep them informed of what is happening back home through platforms such as the Singapore Day.  Our next Singapore Day will be held in London on 25th April this year.

     Mr Chairman, Sir, Singapore is facing tough times now.  But the problem will blow over one day. Our society is stable and we have the resources to help Singaporeans overcome this crisis.  I have no doubt that Singaporeans have the grit and determination to ride this out.  The key to our success is our people - a people made up of Singaporeans who are citizens by birth or by choice, of Singaporeans living here and overseas, and of Singaporeans from this generation and the future generations.  It is during challenging times that Singapore needs to continue to have a sustainable, cohesive and integrated population.  I am confident that we will be able to overcome our current problems and emerge stronger after this economic storm, especially when we face the challenges together as one united people.