SINGAPORE: The overwhelming majority of Singaporeans agree that an English test should be one of the selection criteria for new citizenship applicants, according to a survey conducted by Channel NewsAsia.
The dipstick poll, which surveyed 500 Singaporeans between the ages of 18 and 69, found that about 80 per cent of all respondents favoured the English test.
The survey also revealed that the ability to communicate in English, economic contributions to Singapore, and family ties to Singapore were the top three criteria the respondents believed should be used to assess new citizenship applications.
Additionally, the survey found that 78 per cent of the respondents felt it was important for new citizens to communicate in English, while 53 per cent believed that new citizenship applications should be rejected if the applicants could not communicate in English.
When asked about the level of proficiency that new citizenship applicants should have, 52 per cent of the respondents said that they should at least be able to converse but not read or write in English, while 41 per cent said that they should be proficient (able to speak, read, and write in English).
Only 7 per cent believed that new citizenship applicants should be able to speak, read, and write fluently in English.
Interestingly, a greater percentage of Singaporeans from minority races supported the idea of including an English test for citizenship applications compared to Chinese respondents.
94 per cent of Malay and 86 per cent of Indian respondents favoured the proposal to mandate English proficiency in contrast to the 76 per cent of Chinese respondents who supported the idea.
The survey also revealed that a higher proportion of Malay and Indian respondents (66 per cent and 63 per cent, respectively) considered it very important for new citizens to be able to communicate in English, while only 47 per cent of Chinese respondents shared this view.
The poll results come just over a month after Workers’ Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh advocated in Parliament that an English test would be useful in assessing citizenship applications.
Noting that Singapore will increasingly rely on new citizens, given that the birth rate has dropped to an all-time low of 1.05, the opposition politician said that mandating English tests in citizenship applications could ease integration between new citizens and Singaporeans and help new citizens embrace the Singaporean way of life.
The Government seemed to shoot down the idea. Second Minister for Home Affairs Josephine Teo responded in Parliament that she was “surprised” by Mr Singh’s suggestion and expressed doubts about how much such tests could help with integration.
Asserting that such tests have limitations, Mrs Teo questioned the efficacy of the WP leader’s proposal in light of the fact that many foreign spouses may not have a good command of the language.
Instead, she said that Singaporean immigration authorities consider various indicators of social integration, such as family ties to Singapore or completion of National Service, when evaluating applications.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s wife, Ho Ching, also urged people to avoid shaming others for not speaking their language. In one Facebook post, she criticised a Singaporean who condemned a supermarket worker who could not speak English.
Stressing the importance of open-mindedness and acceptance of people from all backgrounds, Mdm Ho added: “Being Singaporean is to know that we must make a living through making friends all over the world. Being Singaporean means to carry ourselves with discipline, respect and humility.”
While the Government doesn’t appear to be keen on the English test proposal, Singaporeans online have lauded Mr Singh’s call and have asserted that they should not struggle to converse in their own country.
Some said that it would not be too difficult to make a test like the IELTS English test mandatory for citizenship applicants, while others said that this would be an important policy that could prevent the possibility of enclaves divided by language forming in the future.
If the results of CNA’s poll indicate where the majority of Singaporeans stand on this issue, the criteria for citizenship applications could become a hot-button topic ahead of the next General Election, which may take place as soon as mid-2024.
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