Sorry for reviving this dead thread, but i just happened to come
across this thread and am surprised that no one has linked to the
Straits Times Article.
Here it is:
More foreign-born kids to get citizenship
By Lydia Lim
PARLIAMENT yesterday approved changes to the Constitution that will
enlarge the pool of overseas-born children who enjoy the right to
Singapore citizenship by descent.
Children born abroad to Singaporean mothers will now enjoy the same
right to citizenship by descent as those with Singaporean
fathers.
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Children born overseas to Singapore citizens by descent will also
qualify for citizenship. However, their parents must have lived in
Singapore for a total of five years or more previously, or for at
least two out of the five years before their birth.
The changes are a key plank in the Government's plan to boost the
citizen population in the face of a baby shortage as the number of
newborns plummeted to an all-time low of 36,000 last year.
Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lee Hsien
Loong said the moves are to update the citizenship laws, which have
remained largely unchanged since the 1960s, as more citizens now
work, study, live and start families abroad.
Indeed, between 2000 and 2002, the number of foreigners granted
permanent residence under the sponsorship of their Singaporean
spouse shot up from 4,000 to almost 5,800. The number of
foreign-born children granted citizenship went up from 1,900 to
2,700 - by 41 per cent - between 1991 and last year.
The change in allowing citizenship by descent from female
Singaporeans reflects the fact that many women are married and
overseas 'but have parents here and they keep their links back
here'.
Recognising that more people now need to travel for work, the
residence requirements for permanent residents applying for
citizenship have also been relaxed.
A PR needs to be resident here for at least two years before he can
qualify to be a citizen. The maximum period he can be away during
that time used to be six months. It is now 12 months.
During yesterday's debate, three women MPs cheered the fact that
citizenship laws will now be gender neutral.
Miss Irene Ng (Tampines GRC) delivered an impassioned speech on
equality for all citizens.
'Often we are told we live in a patriarchal society... but I just
want to caution against using such cultural arguments to justify
any unequal treatment of our citizens. In the long run, people will
not accept that citizenship can be fully practised other than among
equals.'
Replying, Mr Lee maintained that Singapore was still a patrilineal
society. He cited as evidence the many women who ask their MPs for
help after their husbands desert them and stop supporting the
family. Few men do the same, he noted.
'But it is shifting gradually, so we are also shifting slightly
less gradually,' he said.
Parliament passed five other amendments to the Constitution. One
was a change to allow the transfer of reserves from the Government
to organisations listed in the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution.
The schedule is a list of statutory boards and government-linked
companies whose reserves cannot be drawn down without the approval
of the Elected President.
Now...this is like camouflage 101. 
