MM Lee Kuan Yew at the SPH Integration Seminar 2009

I wish all our new citizens a warm welcome. You have decided that Singapore will give you and your children a better life, with excellent healthcare, bilingual education and public infrastructure, as well as a safe and pleasant living environment.

After polling new citizens, we know most have decided to settle here because Singapore is politically and socially stable under a clean and corruption free system that gives equal job opportunities to its harmonious and multi-racial people in a vibrant economy (Singapore will bounce back after this world financial crisis has passed, as it surely will.)

Also attractive are Singapore’s world-class hospitals, polyclinics and healthcare facilities; well-designed affordable HDB housing; and our top-quality schools and institutes of higher education, which admit all citizens and their children on their merits.

Despite the current economic downturn, Singapore’s future prospects remain attractive because our fundamentals are strong. When the world economy recovers, we will bounce back quicker than most countries and emerge stronger from the crisis. Singapore’s dynamic economy and cosmopolitan society will give our people, including our new citizens, many great opportunities to further their careers and maximise their potential either in the public or private sectors.

We, the government do not distinguish between new and old citizens. We practise meritocracy, where the best and most qualified person gets the job, the promotion, or the business contract. And the best students, whether old or new citizens, will win the prizes and the scholarships in our schools, polytechnics, universities and to top universities in America and Britain. As new citizens, you will learn to recite the pledge and sing the national anthem, and over time understand our multi-racial society and multi-lingual policies. Growing up in the same schools, playing on the same fields and sharing the same experiences, your children will become as Singaporean as if they were locally born. For the boys, their Singaporean identity will be further strengthened when they go through National Service.

When you come here as grown men and women, you will take a longer time to become Singaporean. You have grown up in China and in different provinces. You speak Mandarin with different accents. Your social practices and habits are different, although Chinese Singaporeans are ethnically and culturally as Chinese as you are. Your lifestyles, foods and diets have been different. Slowly but surely, you will come to take to Singaporean lifestyles and culinary tastes. It is a matter of time. The main difference that may remain will be your different Mandarin accents. It is not easy to change your speech after growing up in China.

Our new citizens from India come from different parts of India. They speak different languages, but nearly all can speak English, though with different accents.

Singapore needs a steady flow of able, young and energetic immigrants from China, India, Southeast Asia, and also increasing numbers of professionals from the West, especially those who have married Singaporeans. You will help maintain the vibrancy and vitality of our society. We are not producing enough babies to replace ourselves. With equal education and job opportunities, Singaporeans have changed the relationships between men and women. They marry late and have small families. Over 30% of men and women do not marry and prefer to remain single all their lives.

Unlike Japan, an ageing society that does not welcome immigrants, we welcome able and educated men and women from China, India, and Southeast Asia and the West to join us and become part of our society. In 2008, we had more than 20,000 new citizens and about 80,000 new PRs, up from 17,000 new citizens and 64,000 new PRs in 2007. This was a three-fold increase from 2000, where we had about 6,000 new citizens and 27,000 new PRs.

We need to facilitate your integration into Singapore society. Citizens, both old and new, activists from both sides, can join in various projects, doing social work for the benefit of the disadvantaged citizens and in grassroots organisations. The People’s Association (PA) has gathered a group of volunteers called “Integration and Naturalisation Champions”. They have been actively reaching out to the new immigrants through house visits. Last year, they made contact with more than 13,000 new immigrants, and encouraged about 1,000 new immigrants to participate in grassroots and community work. PA has also started piloting a host family programme in 25 constituencies, where new immigrants are paired with local families who will help them settle into their new neighbourhoods. I would like to commend these volunteers for contributing their time and energy to reach out to the new immigrants, and hope that more Singaporeans will step forward to offer their help in this area.

The National Integration Council, which was formed earlier this year, is also planning to encourage more ground-up initiatives from community organisations. These include efforts to involve new immigrants in voluntary-welfare organisations and collaborations with immigrant associations such as Tianfu Club (天府会), Amoy Association (厦门公会), Chin Kang Huay Kuan (晋江会馆), Kowloon Club, Indian Women’s Association and the Filipino Association of Singapore. When new and old citizens get to know one another better, they will warm up to one another. The faster you meld into Singapore society, and identify yourself as a member of the Singaporean team, the better our society and economy will be.

The fears of you as competitors will diminish as Singaporeans recognise that you are part of the Singapore team, making our team stronger. Your future and that of your children are linked to Singapore’s progress and advancement. We must continue to excel in this global competition. Integration requires both sides, old and new citizens to reach out to one another, and be part of the same team working together to make Singapore better.

联合早报“新汇点”推介仪式
内阁资政李光耀先生致辞

首先，让我热烈欢迎所有的新公民。欢迎你们成为新加坡的一分子。也欢迎所有选择在新加坡生活、学习、定居的移民。

 
我相信你们选择新加坡，是因为你们相信新加坡有一个可靠、稳定和廉洁的政府，还有高水平的医疗服务、与世界接轨的双语教育、优质的公共基础设施，以及安全、和谐与稳定的生活环境，能为你和孩子提供美好的生活。

虽说当前世界面对经济衰退，但是新加坡多年来所建立的扎实根基，让我们在惊涛骇浪中屹立不倒，所以对许多计划移民的人，新加坡依然很有吸引力。当世界经济复苏时，我们不但将比其他国家更快地回弹，而且经历了危机的考验，我们将磨练得更坚强。新加坡充满动力的经济和国际大都会的特质，能为所有新加坡人民（包括新公民），在各个领域创造许多发展的良机。

对政府而言，我们从不区分谁是土生土长的公民，谁是刚加入的公民。我们奉行的是“任人唯贤”的政策，不管是工作分配、升迁机会，或是商业合同的签订，政府都一视同仁，重用最优秀的人选。

在我们的中小学、理工学院和大学里，无论是谁，只要他们出类拔萃，都有望获得各种奖励，有望获颁奖学金到美国和英国顶尖大学深造。新公民的孩子和本地人的孩子，在同一类型的学校一起成长，一起学习和游戏，拥有共同的生活经验与记忆，孩子们很快地就会打成一片，不分彼此。对于男孩子来说，国民服役会进一步加强他们对新加坡的认同感。

由于许多新移民是在成年后才成为新加坡公民，所以需要比较长一些的时间适应。你们来自中国不同省份，带来了大江南北不同口音的普通话和不同的生活习俗。新加坡华人虽然也是传承中华文化的华族，但与你们的生活方式和饮食习惯不一样。时日一久，你们就会慢慢接受、习惯和融入新加坡式的生活。正所谓“乡音不改”，唯一保留不变的，是你们说话的口音。你们在中国生活了那么多年，乡音是很难改变的。

新加坡需要源源不绝地从中国、印度、东南亚，引进聪明能干和充满活力的新移民，我们也需要来自西方的专业人士，特别是那些与新加坡人通婚者。有了新移民的加入，新加坡才能继续保持动力与活力，才能在各个领域继续攀登高峰。本地婴儿出生率太低，无法减缓人口的老化。加上平等的教育与就业机会，改变了本地社会男女的地位和关系。迟婚与只有一两个孩子的小家庭成为普遍的现象，还有超过百分之三十的男女不嫁、不娶、不生育，选择终身单身。

日本虽然也是个老化的社会，但是他们向来不欢迎新移民。新加坡刚好相反，我们张开双臂，热情地欢迎来自中国、印度、东南亚和西方，聪明能干和受过良好教育的人才成为我们的一分子。2007年，我们迎来了1万7千名新公民和6万4千名永久居民，2008年，新公民2万名，新永久居民8万名，与2000年比较，激增了两倍。

我们尽力地协助新移民融入本地社会。大家可以积极参与各项计划，为比较不幸的公民提供援助。人民协会已组织了一个自愿工作队“国民融合主导员”，积极地与新移民接触。去年他们就通过家访的方式，与1万3千名新移民沟通，并鼓励1千名新移民参与基层和社区服务 。

人民协会也在25个选区内展开“新移民睦邻”项目，让本地家庭协助新移民在新的居住环境中安顿下来。我要表扬这些自愿者的贡献，也希望有更多的本地人加入这一项意义非凡的工作。

今年初成立的“国民融合理事会”正在计划鼓励社区组织，自动自发地开展新项目，包括安排新移民参与社会福利组织活动，以及与各个新移民组织、会馆，如天府会、厦门公会、晋江会馆、九龙会、印度妇女协会和新加坡菲律宾协会等，取得密切联系。当新旧公民更了解彼此，就会相处得更融洽。

新移民越快融入本地社会，越快认同自身的新加坡人身份，对我们的社会与经济发展就越有利。当本地人把新移民视为新加坡的一分子，认清新移民将使我们的国家更具实力，在全球化的竞争中更具优势，少数本地人原本对新移民会带来威胁的不友善看法就会消失。

你和孩子未来人生的成败与新加坡的盛衰息息相关。在全球化激烈的竞争中，我们必须继续保持领先的优势，新加坡才能持续取得成功。唯有全体公民紧密合作，组成杰出的新加坡团队，我们才能使新加坡变得更美好。