Singapore Government Press Release

Media Relations Division, Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts,

MITA Building, 140 Hill Street, 2nd Storey, Singapore 179369

Tel: 6837-9666

SPEECH BY PRIME MINISTER LEE HSIEN LOONG AT THE DINNER WITH

THE CHINESE COMMUNITY

19 Oct 2004, 8.10 pm

Meritus Mandarin Hotel

(English Translation)

Mr Wee Cho Yaw

Honorary President, Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and President, Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Association

Mr Kwek Leng Joo

President of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Ladies and gentlemen

Introduction

I thank the Chinese community for honouring me with this dinner tonight. I am also grateful for your support all these years.

The Chinese community has been, and will remain, a pillar of Singapore society. It has made major contributions, whether in business, education, culture or social service. It has worked closely with the Government for the good of the country.

The heritage and values of the Chinese community have contributed to the shared heritage of the nation. Fundamentally we are an Asian society, not a Western one. Singapore has prospered because our people have upheld Asian values of thrift and hard work. Our society has been held together by an Asian sense of community, and by the willingness of our people to place society before self.

In a globalised world, we are subject to influences from all directions. We have absorbed Western ideas and adopted Western work practices and lifestyles. We use English as our working language so that we can continue to compete for global opportunities, and soar high to catch the wind like a kite. People in other Asian countries realise this and are striving hard to learn English too. Going forward, we must continue to strengthen our position as an English speaking, open and competitive economy in Asia.

At the same time, we have maintained our identity and sense of our place in the world, because our Asian heritages have given us roots. We cannot afford to become a mono-lingual, western oriented economy and society, or we will end up drifting like a kite with the string cut. We must know who we are, and why we are here.

We must also always remember that we are a multiracial society, not a Chinese dominant one. The minority communities must have ample space to uphold their own heritages and maintain their own ways of life. And all communities must work together to gradually strengthen our shared Singaporean identity, and build a nation together. Our strength lies with our diversity, and our knowledge of East and West. This is what makes Singapore unique and special.

The Chinese community therefore continues to play a vital role in helping us preserve our roots, and the values we need to thrive as a nation.

Bicultural Programme

This is a major reason why we have SAP schools and the LEP (Language Elective Programme) in our Junior Colleges. They help us ensure that a significant segment in each cohort will acquire both a working bilingual competence and an appreciation for Chinese culture. And beyond SAP, we will now nurture a group of bicultural students in every cohort. We want to develop a core group who are at ease with both Western and Eastern cultures, and thus maintain our position as a bridge between the East and the West. This core group should achieve a higher level of Chinese proficiency and understanding of Chinese history, culture and contemporary developments. Some may even achieve levels near the graduands from the old Chinese stream schools. They will help to perpetuate the Chinese cultural and intellectual tradition into the next generation. From the bicultural, SAP and LEP students, we will produce the next generation of Chinese language professionals (writers, journalists, translators, and teachers), as well as officials, leaders and businessmen.

We are starting the Bicultural Studies Programme in three schools. The response has been very good. We expected 200 students to take up this programme. But twice as many have expressed interest. Over time I expect demand to grow further, as students and employers realise the value of bicultural graduands. MOE will consider expanding the programme in the coming years.

Teaching of Chinese Language

Beyond the students on the Bicultural Studies Programme, we want all Chinese students to learn Chinese, each one up to the level that he or she is able to. The key is to set realistic targets, and nurture in the students an abiding interest in the language. If they acquire a good foundation in school, they can pick up the language later on in life when required.

Hence, in teaching the mother tongue, we are offering more choices to cater to students with different language proficiencies. We are also reviewing the way the language is taught in schools. MOE has released some of the key ideas to the public lately. The aim is to encourage Chinese students to learn their mother tongue well, in an environment where English is becoming more pervasive.

A practical approach is to put less emphasis on character writing, in order to place more emphasis on listening, speaking and reading, and so achieve better competence in these skills earlier. This will enable pupils to read more and use the language more, and thus enhance their interest and motivation to master the language and culture.

As adults, most Singaporeans are more likely to listen to, speak and read Chinese, than to write Chinese. For example, LHZB is starting to receive emails from the public in English. They are from people who are reading the Chinese newspaper, but are more comfortable writing in English. LHZB translates and publishes these emails. LHZB is happy that this group is reading the newspaper, and widening its readership base.

So far, the public's response to the flexible approach has been positive. The discussions in both the Chinese and English media have been sensible and not emotional. This is a good sign of the maturity of our society, and the desire to find the most practical ways to achieve our goals. Nevertheless, as this is an important issue close to our hearts with major long term implications, the Government will be publishing a White Paper on it, to be debated in Parliament next month.

If we improve the teaching of Chinese in schools, I am confident that parents will support their children learning the language. They can see how valuable it will be for their children. Many Singaporeans are now working or doing business in China. Those who start out speaking only English soon pick up Chinese, which they find indispensable. In fact many Westerners working in China have become very fluent in Chinese. Singaporeans who are bilingual are in great demand from MNCs and Singapore companies, which seek them out to fill key positions in China. This is why many graduates of Chinese schools and SAP schools are working in China.

As China continues to develop and open up, demand for bilingual talent will grow further. Few other countries can match Singapore in producing people with a high standard of English and a good standard of Chinese. This gives us an important advantage. So if we take the wider perspective, the climate for learning Chinese in Singapore is quite favourable.

Challenges For The Community

Let me touch briefly on some challenges of the Chinese community.

First, the community must play a part in promoting the learning of Chinese and making it a living language in Singapore. There are many ways you can help to do this. For example, several of our schools have exchange or twinning programmes with schools in China. Many other schools plan to do so. Many of you have first hand experience working or doing business in China. If you can share your experiences with our schools, it will benefit their teachers and students greatly. You can help introduce them to Chinese schools in the local communities that you do business in. You can also provide attachments for our teachers in your firms, or help link them up with your local PRC partners. MOE and the Chinese Chamber are now discussing how to move this forward. I encourage you to contact your alma mater, or the Chinese Chamber, to discuss how you may be of help to them.

MOE is also keen to involve the Chinese community as it reshapes the way we teach Chinese in schools. MOE values your support in promoting reading activities as well as creating platforms for our students to use and express themselves in Mandarin. This will support MOE’s emphasis on developing reading and speaking abilities amongst our Chinese students.

We should also explore ways to promote the use of the language. Mr Wee Cho Yaw has just announced that the SFCCA and SCCCI will set up a small group to promote Chinese and Chinese culture, as well as a fund to encourage the learning of Chinese. I welcome his suggestion, and hope you will come up with more ideas and initiatives which will complement the Government’s efforts.

Another major challenge for the Chinese community is to sustain and strengthen itself into the next generation. For the clans, the key is membership renewal and leadership succession. The Bicultural Programme will groom some of these future activists and leaders. But the clan associations must actively reach out to them, as well as to younger people in general, interest them in clan activities, and induct the ones who show potential, so that in time they will become community leaders themselves.

Some clan associations have made it a point to attract younger members. They have launched youth wings, with a range of activities that appeal to young men and women. Some organise courses to teach the dialects. Some set up Mandarin-speaking Chapters of the Lions and the Toastmasters clubs. These are good examples for the other clans to follow.

The SCCCI too, must continue to make itself relevant. The Chamber is doing a good job in running courses that teach practical business Chinese. It is encouraging and helping SMEs to employ IT and raise productivity. It is using its connections in China and India to help local entrepreneurs expand their businesses into the region. I urge the Chamber to keep up this effort.

Our ultimate objective is to keep the membership bases in our clans and in the Chamber growing and active. By promoting the interests of younger Chinese entrepreneurs and responding to the needs of younger people, we will encourage them to join and become active members of the community. Then the next generation of Chinese can carry the torch of our heritage forward.

Conclusion

This is a time for the community to feel confident about the future. Asia’s emergence and robust economic growth will revive cultures and traditions across the continent. Chinese and other Asian cultures will be reshaped, transformed and rejuvenated. This renaissance is already beginning to unfold. Singapore must take full advantage of this unprecedented opportunity. The Chinese community should be at the forefront of his effort. So let us be courageous and confident enough to explore new ideas and approaches, be it new business ideas or new ways to teach Chinese to our next generation.

It is an exciting time to be in Singapore, shaping our future together. I count on the support of the Chinese community to continue to make Singapore a special and unique place in Southeast Asia.

----------------------------------