[New Citizens]
1. We had a simple ceremony to welcome new citizens in Aljunied GRC on Wednesday night. I gave a short speech, then handed out ICs and citizenship certificates to almost 200 new Singaporeans. The ceremony ended with the recitation of the pledge and singing of the national anthem. They came from many different countries, principally Malaysia, Indonesia, China and India. I was surprised that there were also a few from Myanmar. Some were school children. Two or three could not come because of NS.





2. A simple buffet dinner was provided. Some families came up to ask for pictures to be taken with me which I happily obliged. It was a simple but meaningful event which uplifted everybody including the old Singaporeans.



3. In my speech, I talked about Singapore, a small country, being founded on a big idea. That big idea is our multi-racial, multi-religious society. We celebrate diversity. No Singaporean is expected or required to sever links with his ancestral homeland. I asked those from Malaysia to keep their links to Malaysia, those from China and India to keep their links to those countries. It is an idea which is not so common in the world. It is a precious idea worth defending.



Do also read my posts on Beyond SG