More foreigners taking up Singapore
citizenship
By Julia Ng,
Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 15 August 2007 2254 hrs
Larry Medina with daughter
Erika
SINGAPORE: The number of babies born in Singapore in the first half
of this year rose marginally to 18,488 from 18,294 in the same
period last year.
But thanks to foreigners, Singapore's population has grown more
than marginally.
Figures released by the National Population Secretariat showed that
last year, over 13,209 foreigners were granted Singapore
citizenship - 309 more than in 2005.
The number of permanent residents also jumped, from 52,300 in 2005
to 57,300 last year.
And to drive home the message that all Singaporeans share a common
identity, a National Citizenship ceremony will be held this
Saturday to swear in new citizens like Larry Medina and his
family.
The 41-year-old accountant relocated his family from the US to
Singapore seven years ago.
And it didn't take long for Larry and his Indonesian wife to decide
that their future in Singapore will be brighter than in the
US.
Larry said: "Certainly very complex decisions and the things that
convinced us were: we expect the economies to continue to boom in
Asia and Singapore is the best location to take advantage of that;
my wife's family is close by as well, and all the usual things that
people say about Singapore - that it's an easy place to live in,
from the infrastructure perspective, and good schools for the kids,
etc."
But choosing Singapore over US means that Larry has to relinquish
his US citizenship, which he did recently and with few
regrets.
Larry's wife, who is a Permanent Resident, has also applied for
Singapore citizenship and hopes to be granted her pink Identity
Card within months.
Their children get to keep their US citizenship till they turn 18
when they have to choose which country to call home.
Erika Medina, 7, is enrolled at a public primary school - Balestier
Hill Primary - and lists Chinese lessons as one of her favourite
subjects.
Her father is planning to send her 4-year-old brother to a public
school too.
Singapore hopes to add about 40,000 citizens and 200,000 permanent
residents to its fold over the next five years.
But attracting new migrants is only half the story.
With more immigrants from different cultures and backgrounds,
integration of these new citizens becomes all the more vital.
Getting them involved in grassroots activities is one way to help
new citizens like Maung Naig Win Kyaw bond with the
community.
Maung came to Singapore from Myanmar 16 years ago.
The project engineer had not intended to settle down in
Singapore.
But all that changed after he met his wife, who is a
Singaporean.
Now, the 44-year-old is so involved in grassroots activities that
he has become a close friend to many in his neighbourhood.
He said: "I enjoy helping the elderly people around this area. I
feel that when I join the RC, Residents' Committee, I can
contribute more for the elderly people....(like) helping them
prevent dengue fever. Sometimes they call me to join them for tea,
and I enjoy all these. I don't feel any difference between new
citizens and local Singaporeans."
Maung and his six-year-old son received their Singapore citizenship
last year.
And Maung will be adding another member to the Singapore family -
his second child will be born next month. - CNA/ir
