I am disappointed by Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh’s call on Monday in Parliament for an English proficiency test to be conducted for new citizen applicants. 

I agree that new citizens must familiarise themselves with Singapore’s history, culture and our way of living. But we must not presume that they need to be proficient in English to be able to integrate harmoniously into our society.

Proficiency in English does not make anyone more Singaporean. My late parents were not born in Singapore.  

My mother spoke Hainanese, and my father did not understand Mandarin. They integrated fully and became full-fledged Singaporeans. In the later part of their lives, my parents were better able to understand the local languages and dialects.

Yes, Singapore’s working language is English. But we have four official languages – English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. 

It is human instinct to pursue greater freedom and a higher standard of living when one decides to migrate. That was why our forefathers came from overseas to pursue better opportunities in Singapore, and decided to stay on. 

The same goes for the present generation of new citizens. For them to decide to live here permanently, they must feel welcomed and believe that they, too, have a stake in making Singapore better and more liveable. 

Attracting potential new citizens to Singapore and encouraging them or their children to stay on is a pressing issue that should not be complicated with an English proficiency test. 

Foo Sing Kheng