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Citizenship committee unnecessary: DPM Wong
by Alicia Wong
05:55 AM Apr 27, 2010
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It might seem to be a "minor issue", but there needs to be greater clarity on the decision to abolish the 50-year-old committee that advises the Minister for Home Affairs before he refuses any citizenship application, said Nominated Member of Paliament Audrey Wong yesterday. This is because citizenship is a "very emotional issue" and a "hotly debated" topic, said Ms Wong who wanted to know why the committee was being abolished.
In response, Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng said the committee was set up in 1957 to ensure that people who had been in Singapore for some time were not denied the right to be voters. But the committee is now unnecessary as the current approval process is "quite rigorous". Those who are rejected can still appeal to the Minister, he assured.
ALICIA WONG
