SINGAPORE \u2013 New citizens can bring special qualities to the table, with a diversity of experiences and perspectives, said Law Minister Edwin Tong.<\/p>\n
But all citizens should still be bound together by the Singapore identity to become \u201ccollectively stronger\u201d and better than the sum of its parts, he said, addressing 179 new Singapore citizens from the East Coast GRC at the National Citizenship Ceremony on Aug 15.<\/p>\n
Tong, who is also Second Minister for Home Affairs, said diversity and multiculturalism are among Singapore\u2019s strengths.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe welcome that diversity because each of you will have differences that will be different from myself, different from the person perhaps sitting next to you; where you grew up, your values, your experiences; but now coming together, forging that common identity as Singaporeans,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Not many other countries can bring together such diversity and differences, he said at the event held at the Singapore University of Technology and Design in Changi.<\/p>\n
Where people were born or raised, Tong said, matters less than a shared conviction to forge a common identity as Singaporeans and work together to take the country forward.<\/p>\n
Organised by the People\u2019s Association and supported by the National Integration Council, which works to promote social cohesion and integration, the National Citizenship Ceremony was first held in 2007 to showcase the significance of citizenship.<\/p>\n New Singapore citizens reciting the National Pledge during the National Citizenship Ceremony.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n New citizens are required to receive their citizenship certificates at either the annual ceremony, which constituencies take turns to organise, or at ceremonies held at the group representation constituency level.<\/p>\n One way Singapore has managed diversity and multiculturalism has been through a strong adherence to the rule of law, said Tong.<\/p>\n \u201cThat means everyone in Singapore is treated the same. It doesn\u2019t matter where you come from. It doesn\u2019t matter your background. One rule for all,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He added that since the inception of Britain\u2019s Second Charter of Justice 200 years ago, which gave Singapore its legal framework, the Republic has amended and contextualised laws to make it applicable for the nation.<\/p>\n This includes recognising race and religion as a special feature of Singapore\u2019s community, and protecting spaces for the practice of religion and for growing different ethnicities, he said.<\/p>\n He also highlighted the significance of Singapore\u2019s pledge, which he led the new citizens in reciting.<\/p>\n The first word, \u201cwe\u201d, is particularly important, he said. \u201cIf you look around the world, you will see a fractured society that is driven by identity, driven by differences in skin colour, in race, in language, in religion, sometimes even in gender or even the way you speak.\u201d<\/p>\n Singapore cannot afford the same divisions, he added.<\/p>\n The number of immigrants expected to call Singapore home in the coming years is expected to rise, amid the nation\u2019s falling birth rate and ageing population.<\/p>\n In February, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong said Singapore\u2019s preliminary total fertility rate fell to a record low of 0.87 in 2025,<\/span><\/a> and warned that the population could shrink by early 2040s without intervention.<\/p>\n Over the next five years, Singapore will grant up to 30,000 new citizenships annually, up from the 21,300 citizenships granted annually between 2020 and 2024.<\/p>\n The number of permanent residents (PRs) will also increase from an average of 33,000 a year between 2020 and 2024 to around 40,000 a year in the next five years.<\/p>\n Law Minister Edwin Tong speaking at the National Citizenship Ceremony at the Singapore University of Technology and Design on Aug 15.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Those looking to apply for Singapore citizenship must be PRs for at least two years.<\/p>\n For new citizens such as Nathaniel Naplah, 51, the process of putting down roots in Singapore has taken decades.<\/p>\n Originally from Liberia, Naplah came to Singapore in 1995 and played professional football in what was then known as the S. League, alongside household names Fandi Ahmad, V. Sundramoorthy and Malek Awab.<\/p>\n Now working as a teacher\u2019s aide, Naplah said: \u201cIt is an honour to become a citizen of the nation I have called home for almost three decades.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing here \u2013 watching my three boys grow up and building a life with my wife \u2013 has given me deep roots and a foundation for our family. I\u2019m truly grateful and proud to call Singapore home.\u201d<\/p>\n Another new citizen, commodities trader Michael Phelps, originally from Britain, came to Singapore in 1999 for a two-year work assignment.<\/p>\n Phelps, who had by that point worked in London, Tokyo and Hong Kong, said he arrived in the Republic with no expectations.<\/p>\n \u201cTwo years became three years, then five years, then 10 years. I loved my work and Singapore lifestyle,\u201d said the 51-year-old, adding that he had met his Singaporean wife Lynn during that time, which led to his decision to become a citizen here.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope to grow my career further and contribute to the country\u2019s future. I have so many dreams and ambitions, and if they can happen anywhere, it\u2019s in my new home,\u201d said the father of four children.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n SINGAPORE \u2013 New citizens can bring special qualities to the table, with a diversity of experiences and perspectives, said Law Minister Edwin Tong. But all…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":76700,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=76699"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76699\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/76700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=76699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=76699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=76699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/picture><\/div>
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