This led Second Minister for Home Affairs Josephine Teo to express her misgivings on how much such a test could help, given that those inept in English are likely to be foreign spouses....
“We want those who truly know Singapore and want to embrace the Singapore way of life. We want those who really want to live here and be there,” he said.
“Singaporeans do not want new citizens who don’t want to live here but only want the power of the Singapore passport for their convenience, and a safe and secure environment for their assets and wealth.”...We do not want new citizens who are reluctant for their sons to do National Service, and certainly none of us want people only want Singapore citizenship as a stepping stone to another country, but instead, seek those who have a long-term commitment to Singapore. "CNA
Has Pritam Singh lost it? English is an accidental language imposed on Singapore by the colonial power Britain. Like India, English becomes useful as the multi racial citizenship needs a common lingua franca to communicate. English is not our natural lingua franca. Using the English Language is like joining the British Commonwealth, a stigma of our colonisation. Accepted that English is useful as an international language and it is unlikely that this would change for the forseable future. But to glorify this as a must for a non English country speaks a lot about our education system and the mentality of the English educated Singaporeans.
Let us not forget that Singapore has 4 official languages and we must not dismiss this part of our history and heritage or to undermine their importance. By demanding that new citizens or PRs must pass an English test is not a very wise proposal. It kind of telling the world that we are still a British colony or only English men or English speakers are welcome. Then what are we? Many of our seniors could not even speak English and are still with us. Tell them to go away? Would they be calling for the abolition of the other 3 languages as official languages? Official languages are enshrined in the Constitution and to be accepted as our forms of communication. Stop belittling our official languages.
Are we going to be a monolingual island where everyone must speak English? Speaking Malay, Tamil or Chinese are not welcome? For some bananas that could speak Chinese but arrogantly and rudely refused to speak to visitors from China in Chinese and insisted to speak to them in English can be unstandable as they are low thinking and foolish bananas. These louts did not know who they are, did not know where they came from. Politicians are expected to think more comprehensibly and looking at the country as a whole.
Language is a communication tool, for convenience. But it is also an identity of who we really are, a multi racial and cultural society, not an English colony, not angmoh country. If the British did not conquer the island, the majority of the people here would not be speaking English.
As for Pritam's second point about foreigners wanting our passports for their convenience, many English speakers are as guilty in this, using our passport as an easy way to migrate to western countries. So English or no English is immaterial.
Singapore is a multi racial and multi cultural country, not an English speaking country. Speaking English is nothing to be proud of. England would soon be just England, and may even be booted out from the UN Security Council when it joins the Third World of pariah state. We must be proud of our own heritage, our origins and what we are. There is nothing to be ashamed of if a person cannot speak English in Singapore. An enlighten and courteous Singaporean would switch his language facility to engage another person to communicate with that person. Only the low thinking louts would do otherwise, refuse to communicate, thinking that he is sikit atas because he could speak English. How silly can it be?
The other points that Pritam made are fair, like new citizens did not want to do NS or having their children doing NS. But he also said this, “the latest Singapore Census revealed that 48.3 per cent of the resident population in Singapore spoke English most frequently at home compared to 32.3 per cent a mere 10 years ago."
What about the 51.7 per cent? Is 48.3 per cent going to dictate to the majority 51.7 per cent that they are obsolete if they don't speak English? What kind of logical thinking is this?
What do you think? Would they be sneering at anyone without an English name and insisting that everyone must have an English name to stay here? Would they be insisting that their Ah Kong and Ah Mah, or their Ah Pa and Mama must speak English to them?
26 comments:
Good Morning Mr Redbean. You have hit the right note that enforcing foreigners to take English test is not necessary. What if Poreans go to other country to work & they insisted u all take their native language ? Or if u go to S Korea or other countries they ask u take korean language test how u will feel right? We might eve lose a True very talented fellow that wanto contribute in this red dot. As for some foreigners who come here to game on our systems it can be fine tune to minimize the planeloads of free riders who come here as to use Sg as their stepping stone, one way may be through some kind of an rigorous interview process and a blacklist systems or whatever systems that the future is ...
Pritam Singh advocating English test would tilt the odds of successful application favoring those immigrants from India than from China. Modi would be happy as influence of Indian diaspora spread . . .
What is the agenda or motive of using English as gatekeeper?
You are right!! WP nothing to bring up
Looking at it from another perspective, the proposal could take care of a lot of existing problems. If PRC Chinese, Malay Malaysians and Indonesians cannot come in so easily as they don't speak English generally, then more Indians and Pinoys can come in. The latter two speak English.
In the long run, the population of Indians would go up, Chinese go down, Malays also go up if Pinoys are included as Malays. Then we can reach a new balance like 30% Chinese, 30% Malay, 30% Indians and 10% westerners or angmohs.
Then there will be no complaints of the Chinese majority has an unfair advantage. No complaints of Singapore not ready for Indian PM, no need for GRCs, no need SAP Schools, all street signs be in English, MRT only announces in English, Parliament only speak English. A lot of savings and lesser complaints. Complaints of racism would go away because no more racism.
It is soooo good a solution.
typo . . 20% Chinese, 20% Malay, 51% Indians and 9% westerners
Actually it's not English test lah. More like Singlish test leh. Heard that there r some ez Singlish terms already tested when the PR or new immigrants gonna covert to SGporeans. Sinkieland is not the test centre of English leh, only UK lah, r we gg to test all these new immigrants in a form of PSLE, GCE O Level or A level or GP kind of a standard? Probably many new immigrants especially from non English speaking countries might fail the test, then how own way of English standard or Singlish Standard ? Need any accreditation from others or not? Serkali, the one can speak or write good English fail leh then how huh? It's really a laughing stock liow lah.
Hi Anon 9.10
You are absolutely Right!
WP is the PAP Second Party.
PSP brought up MORE relevant Singaporans Issues than that WP. Somemore they are just NCMPs.
See, LTK been Opposition Leader for donkey years and as Chinese Educated, PAP don't even recognised him as One and no one shot increased nearly one hundred over K when Singh became OP Leader.
Monies can made even the Devils Dance.
These tactics are also been used for those socalled BS Branch Union Leaders in those Unionised Companies that are affiliated to their Bogus NTUC Unions.
Their Branch Union Leaders would hoodwinked their foolish union members that this is what the Management can give us and wanted us to toe their lines.
Out of any meetings with the Bosses. Why? Because they are been taken care off and are fed ebough to be Fat Cats.
Sinkies Bananas behaved liked this. Previously earlier when so many of PRCs are recruited into the Food and Beverage Services, many imagined themselves as high tech just because they can spat a bit of rotten eng kok used to critsise the PRC when they serviced them that they cannnot spat Eng Kok.
Especially the Sinkies Indians.
Bananas sinkies thougt that the Eng Kok is the official and one class up Language in Sinkiekand.
Others are inferior.
Even now those daft Young Yuppies EVIL Serpents in the Civil and Statutory Boards.
My friend sold all his Matsland properties as he been a kia see Sinkie applied and got a 2roomed flexi for his bachelor's pad.He honestly told the HDB that he had foreign properties in Matland.
Condition that he must Let off the properties when he had his pigeon hole.
Shown them myriads of documentations that all been sold. Yet they are NOT satisfied and demanded an official document from the Matland Authority that now the properties in the Ceveat belonged to the new owners.
Paid another lawyer's fees to have the Ceveat.
Know now what's the foolish EngKok helicopter Estates Officer wants?
The document is in Bahasa Melayau as this is Matland's Offical Language.
He wants my friend either to give him a English One or have it translated for him to read.
WTF! He wanted Matland to furnish him an Eng Kok One
If Matland furnish an Eng Kok one that I told him that must be a Fake Forge One.
So stupid of them. Don't know Singapore had Four Offical Languages and also no one in their whole department cannot read Malay meh?
No Malay Estates Officer. Senior EOs, Higher Exec EOs?
My friend ex HDB MOs told me that they have to have a number of Malay High ranking Officers to Windows dressings in any Civil Services just to please the Malay POP.
When are they going to take grandpa and grandma for English test? Failed English cannot go to super markets, cannot use hospital facilities? Citizenship revoked?
Perhaps the following suggestions will benefit Sg and Sgporeans.
All applicants for citizenship or PR must be able to speak and write in english. Those from english speaking countries must pass oral test for mandarin and malay.
Those citizens not borned in SG can only vote or become a MP after 15 years of residency. New citizens who have not done NS can only have passports with 3 years validity.
To solve the Ceca issue for Sgporeans, a non political independent committee will vet all applications and apply ratio of 70%females to 30%males, giving priority to those below age 30 and who are single.
This formula should also be considered for those from Asean.
Hi Anon 9.19
90% Indians.
Modi to Singh:Hey Bro Neh!
Tried to hoodwink your Grabamen to implement only English Spating citizens into your Republic.
See now we have already put the Silly Brits into our pockets.
Our Soonak aka Nonook had already ruled over them.
See now your sleeping Papies Grabamen just woke up and wanted by Sept. Luckily by Sept so at least maybe another few hundreds with forged degrees can still go into your country and secured those high paying jobs that also your country 's daft employers employed them.
Now then they want to implement check check and also pushed the responsibility to the employers and they just closed their eyes if ever found our that forged degrees and put all blames on the employers.
They are the Ones who approved the Employment Passes and they don't want to check and also knew all along these types of cheats around.
So if implemented only Eng Kok Speaking then our peoples able to ride over the rest of those smarter other nationalists who cannot speak more colourful than us with our Slangs and rumbles.
So try to convince them as Ahem we are blood of the same kind.
Cheers
WP now is not the WP of the past. WP now is history.
Hi All, May I ask if Pritam Singh himself had explicitly given his reasons for proposing such requirements. If he has during his Parliament speech or subsequently, it will clear the air on his stand. Any such from him since?
In Singapore, if you can speak English, you are a better man, a cleverer man. The 1.4b Chinese that cannot speak English are not good enough for Singapore. The 600m Asean people that cannot speak English are also not good enough to be Singaporeans.
Speak English means you are good and clever and can become Singaporean.
Pritam did mention a few other conditions other than speak English.
I think for young men, doing NS must be a must. If not it makes our NS men looked silly and disadvantaged.
Once in a Everton Coffinshop, oops sorry Coffeeshop a English-speaking imaginary self Centred and arrogant yuppie White collar, should be multi coloured as a woman who wore different colours blouses or half naked no colour bare backs ordered beverage from a PRC coffeeshop lady.
Long ago lah. Now no more PRC coffeeshop assistants lah. All on home ground as engineers, consultants etc.
I was sitting next table. She with her also pompous thought that their World's is an Oyster never ending Paradise World.
Hello high class yuppie don't eat lunch at coffee shop lah. Join the Papies with their millions salaries eat at restaurants lah.
She ordered tea kosong. siew tai. Must be suffering from diabetes so young her age.
That poor PRC coffee ship asst just came from China lah with a paper note in hand to take down machinegunned orders alien to her in Eng Kok and Singlish.
Asked that how lian woman, is it tea without milk and little sugar in Mandarin.
She yelled you don't understand ah? You don't spat Eng Kok ah?
All her colleagues donkeys start laughing.
Oh my oh my. Now Sinkieland with retrenchments of thousands happening soon.
Don't be haughty ah! You that woman may be going to China and be also their tea woman or kai fei tenk assistant.
Then down there, they be also asking you, hey you don't speak Mandarin ah?
All started laughing and clapping.
Cheers
Don't talk rots lah*
Our time we have Hokkien Ah Peng Keas.
And they are fighters than today strawberries soft legged ones who spat EngKok.
Just to add must be a clerk earning one to twoK a month and acted like this.
Everton coffeehouse nearby offices mostly half past six ones where got execs and managers like us last time in Raffles City Westin and Eastin?
And also Shenton Way.
Our friends-living-in-the sky-above always behind time due to 'hindsight':
US is now trapped in inflationary death spiral:
'We are already seeing cockamamie schemes in the US, like “inflation relief checks,” which attempt to solve the problems of inflation by creating more inflation.
The political-inflation cycle follows a clear pattern:
Step #1: In a fiat currency system, the government will inevitably print an ever-increasing amount of currency to finance itself.
Step #2: This makes prices and living costs rise faster than wages.
Step #3: The average person feels the pain but doesn’t understand what’s happening.
Step #4: More people support politicians who promise freebies to relieve the pain inflation causes.
Step #5: The government prints more currency to pay for the freebies.
Step #6: This creates even more inflation, and the cycle repeats.
At this point, we have to ask ourselves whether the political situation in the US will improve.
Unfortunately, the data points to a troubling but inevitable answer… “no.”
Reason #1... is simple: a growing majority of US voters receive government money.
When you count everyone who lives off political dollars instead of free-market dollars, we’re already well north of 50% of the US population.
In other words, the US has already crossed the Rubicon. There’s no going back.
Reason #2: Central Planning Doesn’t Work
It’s bizarre that most people don’t understand the implications of this or thoughtlessly accept it as a “normal” part of a supposed free-market economy.
Further, it should be self-evident to everyone that economic central planning doesn’t work.
In Marx’s Communist Manifesto, the 5th plank calls for the “centralization of credit in the hands of the state, by means of a national bank with state capital and an exclusive monopoly.”
That is a perfect description of the Federal Reserve and other central banks.
In reality, the Fed is nothing more than a politburo of bureaucrats attempting to centrally plan the economy by tinkering with the money and interest rates—the most important prices in all of capitalism.
Reason #3: Inflation Is the Only Way To Manage an Impossible Debt Load
When politicians carelessly spend and print money measured in the trillions, you are in dangerous territory.
If you earned $1 per second, it would take over 995,000 YEARS to pay off the current US federal debt.
China is one of the largest holders of US Treasuries, and it indeed took note of what happened to Russia. It’s probably why Beijing cut its Treasury holdings to a 12-year low.
Even US allies, like Japan, have also cut their Treasury holdings.
So, who is going to finance these incomprehensible budget shortfalls? The only entity capable is the Fed’s printing presses.
In other words, the government has no choice but to finance itself through legalized counterfeiting and debasing the currency.
I believe the US has entered an inflationary death spiral for three reasons:
Reason #1: A growing majority of voters who collect net benefits from the government is a built-in constituency to perpetuate policies financed by ever-increasing inflation.
Reason #2: Even if we presume the Fed has benign intentions—which it doesn’t—central planning is impossible, and failure is inevitable.
Reason #3: The US government cannot finance itself without the Fed’s printing presses. It is also incentivized to debase the currency as it attempts to deal with its impossible debt burden.
In short, it’s game over.
The US government is fast approaching the financial endgame.
Link to article:
https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/top-3-reasons-us-has-entered-inflation-death-spiral
Once US implodes; China will step in and takeover as global economic and finance leader..do you still think the contracts will be in English and USD remain as reserve currency?
Should one plan for a Chinese future or remain speaking English in a Chinese-centric world??
https://youtu.be/vgG6jEQ8X20
Just see this video of the Fall of the UAssA.
By Beautiful English voice Elizabeth.
How about the Southern Indians whole family folks that they brought down from their villages who also cannot speak a word of Chinese to Chinese Sinkies?
Or the all powerful Mata Matas from the nearby CID?
All stall holders gave them special services when they were there in at least three to four tables full anytime of the day.
Shud have opted for Home Team instead of SAF when our time they asked us you want part time or full time.
SAF provost MPs eat coffee shops no special service.
Only Mata Pengs the hawkers all civivs.
Cheers
Personally know at least 3 generations of Chinese boys from ACS would can't speak or write Chinese so Southern Indians aren't the only ones who would suffer when China becomes the regional economic and financial hegemon.
BTW Africans are mostly fluent in speaking and writing Mandarin so one can't excuse oneself that they don't come from Chinese speaking background.
The US got itself trap in a vicious cycle that it could not extricate itself.
But it does not need to worry. If it fails to pay, there is little that others can do to make her to
pay up.
However,
ultimately it shall bankrupt itself.
Think
there is a barren rock in S E Asia getting itself into some vicious cycles. It too is beyond help and unlike the US with huge landmass and large industry, especially in weapon manufacturing, the Barren Rock has nothing and is over-crowded and utterly without natural resource. Even food is about 90% depending on import. Essential life sustaining items such as energy and water are also dependent on others.
When the Vicious Cycles get out of hand, the End is near.
Hi Anon 8.26
U are right that the ACS alumi of past and present
in which we peasants from neighbourhoods schools called then Americunts Cocks Suckerss cannot speak Mandarin as they firstly are mostly the Penankans clans and secondary they deemed Mandarin to be an inferior and communist type of language.
Till today they still so arrogant of their snobbery when the Government wanted them to shift to Tengah and be a co-ed school.
Many of their snobs kept complaining not to spoil their tradition.
These snobs used to brag that the economy of Sinkieland are kept alive by the Boys of ACSasses as they are the KingPins and Primemovers of the Economy.
They used to say that RI churned out Government Officials and ACS churned out Economists and Bussiness Elites just because most of their are well off.
So now the Officals from RI screwed them by wanting to dilute their proud tradition if beeb on their own and be still an Elite Schools.
They protested against the idea of their been coeducational and shift to Tengah which is an ulu and not prestigious area.
Actually, that Oldham School which is an outcast of their parent ACS are meant to house their not so smart students so as not to spoil their proud name of ACS which they wanted to show off their academic powers on the National Level of comparison with other schools.
Aiya, I knew many past parents in my neighbourhood who tried to associate themselves with that brand ACS and try to put their children into their schools by hook or by crooks just for the sake that their children are graduates from.there.
Even though many could not kept up with their demands of snobbery in their contributions to their Alumis.
Also, they think all from there would churned out to be Elites as many of them that their parents used to boast from ACS are RTS aka Roaming The Streets or in ordinary peasants jobs and worse as loafers.
Now already no more clout in their educational performance lah.
Even neighbourhoods schools beat them hollow.
If such prestigious schools did not choose the cream of the crop from all Primary Schools in Singapore, not being outstanding in their performance and ranking would be a laughing stock.
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